Hot Rods Hemi under the bench...

I rolled the 276 from the DeSoto wagon (a '52) under the bench (well, kinda under the bench, the engine is much wider) thinking someone, somewhere would want it. No one seems to think it's worth more than scrap price, so, now, I'm kinda thinking that it'd ought to be the basis of another hot-rod. I miss the '34, sold it on a whim after our wagon got rear-ended and my wife and were both a little uncomfortable in it. Now, the trauma of that has receded, I miss the roadster, and this little Hemi is calling to me. Not so much the "Gyro-Matic" transmission and Fluid Drive, , but the rest of it, yes. The engine is tight, I think it's been rebuild and never run until I got it started the day after we brought the car home. An adaptor will put a Torque-Flight or a 5 speed behind it, and I'd love to look out the cockpit of a fender-less '27 Highboy and look at those beautiful "Fire-Dome" valve covers.

Retirement has given me much too much free time...

 

Well, I've heard of worse ideas! I'll follow along to see where this goes.

 

I wish I had one of those sticking out from my workbench for me to bang my leg into over and over, rather than some of the stuff I have!

Lynn

 

I'm all for a hemi in a highboy, but will a'27 be more comfortable than a '34?

 

Hemi's are grate motors. Just the name brings up visions of mega Horse Power. Just seeing one can bring a smile to your face. I've had more than one and learned a bit. I know that small C.I. motors are just fine under the right conditions. I also know that any automatic steels horse power and that 5 speeds aren't all they are talked up to be. I've done both combinations and I think I've gone back to a better way. Yep, 3 pedals as any Hot Rod should be. All Mopar minus the adapter. An appropriate Hurst 4 speed shifter and on top of that it's Overdrive. You must remember these little motors don't do high R.P.M's the 5 speeds are designed for.

 

Is this anything like The Elf On The Shelf? Regardless you already know what I think. My only regret is my Desoto will have a hood covering it.

I drove my roadster to work today. Even top up I love it.

 

Maybe you could find a stalled T-bucket project on Craigslist or eBay?

 

You are my hero! I had a ‘27 in my head (like the Frank Mack car) when the ‘34 popped up here in the classifieds, so I went that way.

That little car is still on my mind, the Hemi is slumbering under bench, something will come along and I’ll build it. I do have to admit the ‘34 is a nice size car, perhaps if I’d gotten around to doing the top it’d still be here.


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That’s what I’m waiting for.


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Nope.


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@FlynBrian

Glad to see you have a plan for the Desoto Hemi. For some time now I have been lusting for the Shadow Rods T Roadster. A bit bigger in all directions without losing the visual proportions.......

Ray

 

My 392 isn't under a bench but I do have it shoved in the corner of the shop. Fortunately, I already have a '34 coupe to put it in but if I didn't, I would build a car around it.
I know a lot of guys aren't fans but to me, there is no cooler looking engine regardless of the displacement.

 

I posted in the "Hot Rod Burn Out" thread about my original "T" bucket in the sixties. It had a 270 Dodge hemi with a factory 4 BBL and a stock Mopar drivetrain (Dodge 3-speed and a 4.30 rear end out of a Plymouth wagon). It was damn near indestructible and a very practical street car when driven as a two speed (2nd/high only). The combination of the light weight and high torque of a stock engine can be hard to beat.

If I had that engine/transmission combination in the condition it is obviously in, I wouldn't hesitate to run it in a light street car. The only shortcoming I can see is the considerable bulk of the bellhousing extension, although that might be a deal breaker.

 

Nothing like a early Hemi.

 

Denny,

If you look closely you will see that bell housing extension bolts onto the Desoto block. Only the early Chrysler (‘51/‘53) had the integral extended bell configuration. When introduced, both Desoto in ‘52 and Dodge in ‘53 were built without that. However, Mother Mopar had all that paraphernalia for the semi automatic trans and built bits and pieces to adapt it to the ‘short’ block design. Essentially what they did with the six cylinder models.

Ray

 

If you go with the 727 I like QEC's (73RR here on the Board) adaptor.

 

Mench under a bench?

 

"Hnstray" - I know what you mean about Mopar in that era. The straight stick cars used the same deeeeep bellhousing as the cars with a fluid coupling. The three speed in my bucket had an input shaft that was at least a foot long!

 

I would think an A883 four speed on the back of that little hemi would make that roadster a blast to drive and just about bullet proof. I believe TR Waters make is easy to do just that.

 

Giddyup!

 

Unless you really enjoy "rowing through the gears", I believe that a 4 speed in a light car (like a "T" bucket) is over kill; you just don't need that much selection of ratios. I'm building my current Tub with a 3 speed with overdrive. If I want that "highway gear", I won't have to reach for the shift lever.

 

Many of the 60's/70's T-bucket builds were "overkill", that was the beauty of them.
Kind of "if a little is good, too much is just right" thinking.
"Four speeds forever"!

 

Let's see, got a T Bird project unfinished, a Desoto wagon project unfinished, a Hemi under the bench and already thinking about a car to put it in.

Yep, sounds like a normal hot rodder to me!

 

High and Mighty...

 

The DeSoto engine has the advantage over the Chrysler cousin in that the bell housing is NOT cast into the block. It's a separate piece, this one has the awful Fluid Drive coupler and weird 4 speed vacuum shifted transmission, which, if I didn't have an anchor for my Chris Craft already, would be a dandy...

 

If a little is good, too much will be just enough. ;-)

 

I know, it's perfect, isn't it?

 

If you are planning on scrapping the boat anchor, consider saving the bell housing. It was a long time ago, but that sure does look like the one I used to put a regular 3 speed Dodge transmission against my 270 Dodge. It bolted directly to the block without the spacer. I also have a bellhousing that came on a 331 out of a '56 dump truck that looks like it could be re-drilled for another standard transmission (which I am saving).

However, I would expect some restorer might be tickled pink to get it.

 

Ages ago i welded the clutch plate on a fluid drive to the torque converter and made it work just like a standard flywheel.
cheap and easy.

 

That's exactly what is bolted to my Dodge Hemi in the photo I posted above. Grate combination!