i've had a couple of guys send me p.m.'s regarding my install so I decided to just do a post. disregard the bullshity radiator that was so i could make it to billetproof.
I'm in the process of putting one in Zues' '52. I used different mounts- the factory type. I blew it a little, I set the engine off one inch, should have gone a little more for manifold clearance. There's definately a "sweet spot" where the engine goes!
Is that Opies kit or did you make it? That looks kickass. I was thinking of trying my hand in making em from here out. For some reason making motor mounts is scary to me.
moparsled my motor is offset 1 inch also. let me tell you i have spent alot of time at junkyard looking for the correct manifolds. i have a spare that is promised to somebody but i can snap a pic if you like.
I put a Small Block Mopar in my '50 Dodge. I used universal mounts from Chassis Enigineering inc. and built my own tranny crossmember. V8's from mid sixties Darts and Valiants are great matches for early fifties Mopars. The driver's side exhaust manifold is made specialy to clear the steering box. '66 Mustang 302 swap radiators, like the one I got from mustangs plus, work perfectly for this application, too. Check out my site http://shadowmtkustomz.blogspot.com for all the build pics.
Shadow, that is a great blog on your car. I read through it the other night. Looked as though you might have read Tex Smith's book on Chrysler / Plymouth HotRods. Hopefully I'll be driving my Plymouth in the near future. Well. by the end of this year, maybe... The pic in my sig is a bit deceiving. That pic was taken before I bought my car. At the moment it sports no motor or tranny. But looks like it will have a 360 and 4 or 5 speed trans...
ALL I got to say is thank you Glendale!...I know to me you have been a huge help...this will be my first motor swap...and actually first build...and knowing you have the same car as me is helpful as well...I think this post will help me dearly...I just want to know if it matters the year and what not of that rear-end you threw in there...and also what I would be looking for specifically as far as that goes...thanks guys...good pics and insight!...
If you don't ever open the hood it doesn't make any difference what you use as long as it runs well. However: IMHO brand consistency (or some other motivation, like "my dad had one of these") is a major factor for most people, and if you don't feel comfortable with (or can't find, or afford) an engine that would have been used "in the day", using the same brand (late Ford in an early Ford, etc.) is an acceptable substitute for most people. My taste: the only thing I would consider is a 331 (same year) or 354, because that's what they did with new cars 5 seconds after the New Yorkers started hitting the yards. Yes, it's heavy, it's expensive, it's a tight fit, but it's not about transportation, is it?
A SBC motor is like a Briggs and Stratton in a lawn mower... everybody has one. Keep the Flathaed 6 or even better get a 265" Chrysler/ Desoto motor. With a little work you will have enough power to get around on the interstates. N B R ---------------------------------- Chrysler falthead six going in a Volvo
It'd still be a shitbanger six. I'm not advocating the use of the small block chevy, however I think in most cases such as lonely Kaskets that froze to shit six was excellent for holding his great dane in the yard and that's about it. The cost of building that flatty to be able to do half the power of the 327 out of the box (so to speak) isn't feesable on most peoples money to fun ratio. Yes it's a sin to put a small block chevy in a mopar, but I give anyone credit trying to make shit work for their budget and ability level. I definetaly agree on the small cube hemi, best option. But guessing on the fundage being the main issue, get what works for you and drive the fucker. Have fun with it, cut it up, and learn while you go. At least none of these guys are talking of stubbing the front with a mid 80's camaro clip or something, right pugs?
How is the clearance in the trans tunnel ? Friend of mine has one of these Chryslers. I think the top speed is around 60 mph.
I'll bite my tongue on the SBC, but to the guy that said it's tough to get a SBM in there, here's Tex's article. http://www.nicksgarage.com/jh/rodarticle/
DEF! I never understood why if you dont have to...why would you go through all the damn trouble of putting a fricken GAY-ASS camaro or mustang or better yet...volare or whatever...front on your mid 50's mopar or chevy or whatever have you...I think its dumb...there are other options out there now...you just have to look for them...you dont always have to be like the rest of the 80's hot rodders...RIGHT J?...haha...and like you said about price and shit...I dont care who you are...you cannot say I didnt get a good price on a 327 that we actually had running right before we tore it out to throw in mine...SHIT...I TRADED THE REST OF MY HARD-WOOD FLOORING AND $170 FOR IT!...COME ON!...I am however considering the rear-end swap...hmm...we will see...
Not to turn this thread into a pro vs. con debate about small block Chevies, but a guy I grew up around called the SBC "The Lord's Motor," claiming they were a gift from God "because they're so cheap and they fit into everything!" To which I say, Amen!
I do have to say also...AMEN...I would like to know if there was any cutting of the tunnel as well...or how was the clearance on that...
In Zues' car I did indeed have to cut about a 12" x 12" chunk out of the floor to get the engine to sit at the angle I wanted it in the chassis. Glendale- yes, I'd like to see that manifold out of the car, or get a part # or something. As it stands, nothing I've tried has fit, and I think I am going to have to round up a '56 manifold.
i don't wanna turn this into a debate either but, everyone complains about sbc in a mopar but when someone post pictures of a ford with a sbc in it most just except it and don't make a comment on it. The motor doesn't make the car /or truck, it the person, some people are more familair with some motors than others. i have a dodge p/u with a sbc in it, SO WHAT, some times it all some one has and they dont have the money to get another motor. I say more power is better, no matter if its a ford,chevy, or mopar motor. Sorry for the rant but its really annoy to hear people complain about this in EVERY post that someone puts a sbc in a mopar.... Just my .02 cents
Shadowmtkustomz- Thanks for posting the link to your blog, that's a big help for me- you just solved my exhaust manifold and possibly my radiator problems. I'm in the middle of building a '56 Plymouth. I pulled the 277/powerflite and dropped in a '72 318 backed by a 727. The stock '56 motor mounts bolted right up to the 318, so there was no need to modify them. I'm working on fabbing up the new transmission crossmember right now, and aside from that the modification needed was a little reworking of the transmission tunnel to clear the 727, which sits higher in the car that the powerflite. It ain't much to look at right now, but here's a little pic of where I'm at with mine. Now I just need to find me some exhaust manifolds.
o.k. you guys that don't like my sbc can blow me. the motor was free and i paid 150.00 for the trans. I did have to cau my trans tunnel up a bit but all in all that is an easy fix. lonelykasket the rear end is out of a jeep cherokee the boxy ones you see driving all over town. i didnt pay attention to the as it was at u-pullit i just picked the one with the baest breaks. in you p.m. you asked what mods i did to the rearend. i cut all of the mounting brackets off and welded new ones on. the perches were under 10 bucks and rusk here on the hamb made the shock mounts for me.
You can say the same about Penis's ,but given that I had both SBC's and LA's and have swapped them into all sorts of things I prefer the LA over a SBC anyday. Costs are the same and if the time is taken to dig around a 360 can be built into a strong runner just using factory parts and being narrower they fit nicely into a 48-55 Mopar with no drama . Just a thought.....
The Jalopy Journal
