OK, so I'm home from school for the winter and I got a shit load of work to do. I've been wanting to crack into the car for a while now and since it died on me the other night, I figure now's the time. This is gonna be a hardcore thrash. Ever since I put the Chrysler engine in the car, it's had cooling issues. It's better now that it was in the past, but I've been dancing around the real problem, which I suspect is a radiator that is too small and a fan that doesn't pull enough air. Problem is I can't put a bigger radiator and fan in because the motor is too far to the front of the engine compartment so the oil pan won't hit the front crossmember (I shoulda just put a 390 in it ). On the top agenda: -remount engine with newly designed mounts -custom trans crossmember -custom oil pan -install headers and cut-outs -shorten driveshaft -new high torque starter -install bigger fan and shroud -new spark plug wires -whole new wiring harness -install stereo -recess trans tunnel under rear seat The plan is to notch out the back of the sump on the oil pan to fit the crossmember, and add the capacity onto the front of it, and make a pickup to match. Hopefully then the engine will be a much better fit. Did I mention all of this needs to be done by Febuary 7th?
Today I got the front of the engine compartment cleared out, tomorrow I'll start taking some measurements. I think I'm just gonna pull the motor and trans and make my life easier than trying to do all of this with the motor in the car
What a tasty looking '57. I like the post cars better than the hardtop that year. Gotta love those cruiser skirts.
Nice looking '57 and I highly approve of the Mopar and by the way, what displacement? Yeah, you do have a lot of room at the back. What made you mount it so far forward to begin with? Having your fan mounted an optimum distance from the radiator makes a difference in cooling efficiency. It is possible to be too close. A good fan shroud will also help.
Okay. I just reread your post. Steering link clearance. Putting a 390 in would have been the path of least resistance. The Chrysler will perform better plus they sound cool. I've had big Fords with 390s. Good torque for moving heavy cars but not very exciting.
It's a '67 383 + .030 (388?), factory 4bb so she's 10.2:1 with a forged crank and whatnot. Stirs the soup pretty good for a basically stock engine. The reason for mounting the motor so far foward was to avoid cutting the oil pan for clearance. The '57 has a crossmember that swings right through the engine compartment, and the control arms are bolted to it so I really can't/don't want to cut it. The Y block was a little shorter than the B Mopar and was a rear sump, the center sump chrysler gets in the way. If I notch out about 2" of the rear of the sump, the whole motor can probably move about 4"-5" back and about 1"-2" down, which is right where I want it.
Steering linkage clearance really isn't an issue. The starter on the driver side is a pain in the ass for exhaust routing, since the starter is about 1/2" away from the steering box, it does clear it though. I'm actually running 2 passenger side exhaust manifolds so the left side will dump towards the front of the motor. I'll have to weld a tight bend right after the collector on the headers I have to make it fit
57Joe, what starter are you using? Stock? If you have a u-pull-it yard by you grab a starter from a 2000 V8 Dakota. They are the same as the mini starters that MP sells. They fit very well, just take off the eletrical adapter that they have on it to run it on your 383. I've had one on my 383 in my RR for about 6 years now with no problems. Just don't by a new one like I did, $150 bucks I paid. later plmczy
Man, I like it . I know what you mean about the cross member. Henry Ford must have built these cars with that in mind on engine swaps. I wish I had cliped or mustang II mine because I had hell just putting a chevy in mine. The mopar really looks sweet in there. You do great work !!!!! Keep us posted !
Have you checked with Mopar on other available oil pans? Years ago I put a used motor in a Dodge van for a guy and the used motor was from a car with a center sump, had to transfer the pan (front sump I think) from the old motor to the new one. Would sure be easier to just buy a pan and the corresponding pick up and save a ton of time. I'm not sure about this but it don't cost nothing to ask. Tom
I remember I did the same thing. I put a 383 out of a charger in a ramcharger and had to change the oil pan and exhaust manifolds. Man I love this place, it shure brings back memorys !!!!
Thanks for the heads up on the starter. I'm using a stock starter and I seem to have no luck with them. I'll try a late model deal instead. As for as oil pans go, I know that MP sells a rear sump conversion, and that trucks with B/RB engines had them too. But from the looks of it, that may not fit either. Those B/RB van pans seem to be made of unobtainium. I essentially need a front sump to make this work, and if I lose too much capacity with a front sump, I can always just bulge the sides of it out or add some onto the far rear portion when I'm making then thing. Plus being a college student, I'm real broke. Making a pan only costs me time. Thanks for the advise guys and I'll keep yous posted
Joe, Those motor mounts are scary! You're relying on the tranny mount for any fore and aft movement of the engine (like when you brake or accelerate). At the least I would gusset them before you punch your fan through your radiator. Ed PS- The car looks nice and I'm a big fan of the Mopar power!
joe just give me a call and i will bring some sharp blades i did not use on the 56. we can make up a new crossmember faster then the oil pan(and who want to get oily ) plus i can grab the rear window for the 56
OK, here's some more detailed shots I took today. This is the damn crossmember that's giving me all the trouble
Nice '57! Thats probably the best solution-find (or make) a front sump oil pan to fit. The engine in my '59 was just the opposite, being about as far back as it can possibly go. Good luck! -Dean
So far it's day 3 into Project '57, and I'm making good progress. Hellcat club member Chris came down to lend a hand in disconnecting everything and pulling the motor out. All in all, it went pretty smooth.Didn't scratch the paint or anything.
I picked the trans up and we pushed the car straight back out of the garage. That big Mopar didn't look that big in the car
There she is. Now for all the rest of the stuff that needs to get done. I'll keep updating as progress continues. ps: it looks like someone got murdered, eh?
Here's an update as of 1/3/05. New wiring harness, starter and exhaust flanges are on the way. That's for this weekend. Heat would be in the car if I didn't spend my night at the doctor getting a piece of metal scraped out of my eye. SS Auto Chrome headers from eGay don't fit. The flanges are about 1/8" off, and they won't bolt to the motor. With some coaxing they will fit. For $100 I can't bitch
The collector is too fat as well. Nothing an Oxyacetelene torch and large hammer can't fix. The rib in the block will have to be ground off as well. Standard procedure for Mopars with block huggers from what I gather. more updates to follow soon
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