Yesterday I saw a local advertisement for a 64 Dodge Dart 270, and thinking I could use a parts car or two, I went to look at it. The owner said the car had a 273 and push button automatic in it. Sure enough, in the engine bay sat a V8. I looked in my 1964 Dodge Passenger Car Service Manual and there is no mention of a 273. It does, of course, cover the 318 engines. What gives?

The 273 engine came out during the model year (after the manual was printed). There is a V-8 suppliment. The 318 engine in your manual is the old poly head engine, which ended production in the 1966 model year. 1967 was the first year for the "modern" 318.
PS: the poly head 318 was never available in the "A" bodies.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

The 273 was the first of the "LA" small block engines which evolved into the 318(LA), 340 and 360. The 5.2 and 5.9 "Magnum" engines along with the 3.9 V6 are direct descendents of the LA series of engines. As Charlie noted, the 273 was rolled out mid-64 model year.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

Thanks for the info!

I believe the early gen V10s are also descendents.

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remember working a lot on 318s and 273s. never saw a 318 poly in a 64 a body. had one for years in a 64 polara with a 3 spd column shift. that was a strong good running easy to fix engine but sucked gas. remember that the 273 was a lousy engine. low durability and i think it had solid valve lifters like the sl6. the poly 318 was hydraulic. that polara had one of the best anti theft devices i ever saw. if a crook tried to boost your polara, the loose column shift would jam in neutral or 1st(unless you were that rare driver who knew how to avoid this shifting it in a square H pattern). by the time the crook got out to run or lift up the shift levers under the hood the coppers would be beating or ventilating him. there was no extra charge for this device either when you bought the car. think the poly 318 was too wide to go into the 64 a body. think the 273 was narrower and used thin wall casting. the later 318, think it was a wedge head and looked the same as the 273. did the later 273 switch to hydraulic valves? so much for ancient history. bob f

Yep, my '64 FSM doesn't cover the 273 in my '64 Dart, either, nor any of the ancillary matters (VIN code for a V8 car, V8 transmission, etc.) for exactly the reason Charrlie_S explains.

No A engines in A-bodies, ever.

The 273 got hydraulic lifters for...ummmm...either '66 or '67.

The Ram V10 was fundamentally a 360 with two additional cylinders.

The last year of production installation of the A-block 318 was actually 1967, in Canadian cars only. '66 in the USA.

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一期一会
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Back in 1971, I had a 1967 270 Dart powered by a 273 V8 equipped with solid lifters.

Didn't the 1968 model year A Bodies drop the 273 V8 for a 318 V8 sporting hydraulic lifters?

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67' Dart GT Convertible; the old Chrysler Corp.
82' LeBaron Convertible; the new Chrysler Corp
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In '68 and '69 you could get the 273 or the 318 in A-bodies. Factory parts catalogues show all LA engines (273, 318, 340) had hydraulic lifters in '68. Looks like solids in '67 273s and hydraulics in '67 318s.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.