Hot Rods 56 New Yorker Drive Train Choice

Your right, Iam sticking with a Mopar. My choice I guess will be a 360. Thanks for your reply.

 

Just my personal preference here, if it was my car I'd be looking for a mopar RB and a 727 torqueflite. A 383 or 413 would be my choice, but there are a zillion junked out motorhomes with 440's laying around.

 

The motorhome 440s have one advantage, most still have the e-brake on the trans tailshaft, saves you from having to swap the rear axle. And these are heavy cars, what you want is a big torque hit to move them, something a newer small block doesn't usually deliver.

 

I don’t know what shipping would be but there is a few he is and 440’s and suck for sale in the ontario classified for 1/2 decent monies .

 

Wise choice, Pretty dang reliable and In truth set up right will out run a stock 55 Chrysler on the long roads.
One thing you will quickly discover is a good number of these guys toss out their fantasy engine or engine/trans combos when they see a question like this without one freaking idea of what the OP's budget is or what he/she wants to do with the car.
My guess is that the car came minus engine and trans with a pretty worn out front suspension and brakes.
As far as the older hemi's go I've got a 330 Desoto firedome hemi (2 barrel) in a basket that I have had for over 30 years that I have decided to sell simply because I can no longer afford to rebuild it. The rebuild kit from Falcon Global is 2192.46 and when I started watching that kit a few years back it was right at 900.
eBay item number:
173583554766
Simply meaning that too many guys expect you to put 5K in an engine just to make them happy even though it is a budget breaker just as a late Hemi would be for a lot of us.

 

Of course we do. And if you don't like it, maybe when you make the first post, you could include all the relevant information....so we limit our fantasies to something useful....

 

I don’t mind spending someone else’s money

 

True, and Winnebago was still using 413" engines long after Chrysler stopped using that displacement in cars. Pretty sure I looked at a '73 or '74 once that had a factory installed 413 and it ran the 1965 style Torqflite with a cable shifter, the shift knob on the shifter was the same as the one in my '65 300-L console.

I imagine it would suck a lot of gas, but a 413/torqflite would be pretty cool, and could probably still function on the pushbutton shifter if you got one of those motorhome cable transmissions. If you're more geared toward economy and reliability than big power, 318's are pretty bulletproof and would fit nice.

 

I have seen a 440 / 727 drivetrain advertised locally for free - but you had to take the motorhome too.
Actually probably not that bad a deal if you enjoy dismantling and chopping stuff up, and you live somewhere that you can get away with it with the neighbours.

 

Hey, Randy;
The following probably has been mentioned already, but it's worth repeating.
Another mill to consider is the Poly. Actually a better street engine than the hemi, but the valve covers aren't as impressive - although few folks know what they are today. Might be able to find one a streetrodder is yanking out, in good shape, reasonable condition, priced well. As mentioned, an old motorhome mill is good second choice. Use what you have to, & chev isn't *all that* bad of a choice , but finding a chev in a hemi car, to me it's sorta like the hot girl in the Little Red Corvette song - "She had a pocket full of Trojans, some of them used... ;( . Kinda ruins the thoughts, mood, n effect quick-like... .

As far as a FatGuy(& virtually all the other "kits") MM2-styled front suspension, unless the 56NY is totally trashed/damaged & missing, you would do well to consider re-building the oem front end, adding a proper shock kit & maybe a bigger "sway" bar. Faster & cheaper than a frame-clip, w/less trouble mounting everything else. Sometimes there's no choice, but... It's not that I'm a purist, but the front ends from that era are tough(designed & built for lousy roads - not just superslabs) & last if done correctly & greased. Won't outhandle a new corvette, but then not much else will either - so that's a moot point. Discs can be adapted from other Chrysler stuff, if wanted. Sadly, one of the guys here(31Vicky w/a Hemi ?) had a very good thread on "Why *not* to use a MM2-styled front suspension" & it got whacked/disappeared - WTF? It was a good point of info on the design shortcomings + miss-engineering that these kits have. If you absolutely positively have to have a mm2, cut out an old original oem system, at least it'll have most of the design engineering in it to start with - but you'll still have to mod it. More reasons to avoid them, than to use them. Tradition is actually the least important one.

Hope your build goes well.
Marcus...

 

A 56 New Yorker weighs around 4100 lbs. 900 lbs of that was the Hemi, and the cast iron trans probably adds another 150 lbs.

If your original frame is rusty, or missing parts, or needs to be rebuilt, the Fatman clip might not be a bad way to go. A 360/727 saves 400 lbs and would be way less expensive to rebuild then the Hemi that probably isn't there any more. Getting more HP out of the 360 then the original Hemi had isn't a long stretch. I would also install a modern rear axle. A Ford 8.8 rear axle is cheap and durable, has the 5 lug, 4.5" bolt pattern (like your original Chrysler), comes wide a pretty wide range of gear choices and drum or disc brakes. You will have to do a little research to find one wide enough.

That 56 New Yorker would be a nice cruiser and a great driver. DO IT! Gene

 

You say that like that's a bad thing...

I would think of a 383 or 318/360 and a suitable automatic and upgrade the stock front end and brakes. I've seen some neat Cordoba front end swaps in them, good luck finding a donor car. Even the Dodge Diplomats may be a good donor choice.

 

first off the guy own's a couple E- body mopars so he's not totally clueless, but come on a stock mII front end designed for a car that weigh's half as much, one guy say's what terrible cars they are then two post's later say's what great car's they are [ i'd run too] throw that old tapered axle rear end away, any C-body 8-3/4 rear end from the 60's to the end of the 70's is a bolt in swap same width same spring mounting width. the chrysler C-body torsion front clip is even a easy swap on these cars same frame width. the thing with mopars you stay in the body desination and it becomes easy peasy,A-B-C-E-

 

After doing some cleanup in the shop it occurs to me that I have a 440 w/TF sitting in the corner (class C mh, no tail brake) that needs a new home but we don't know where you are located so I am reluctant to suggest it.

 

Yep ... if you already own a good 350.

 

Up north, our picking are slim, but I think my best choice is a 413. Thanks

 

When we started our car club in '64, one of the guys had a beautiful '63 Chrysler with a factory 413 and 4 speed. I never rode in it so have no idea if it was fast, but it was definitely COOL!

 

Put in something that is physically large. Any SBC or SB Mopar is going to look like a miniature engine in the New Yorkers engine bay. Even with the original WIDE 354 in them there is open space under the hood.

Two speed PowerFlite would be the original A/T.

I'd add another 100 lbs to your transmission weight estimate. The PowerFlite is very heavy.