427 or 5.7 hemi in a '42 Plymouth?

I need to make a choice. I have a good 427 (dump truck motor, nearly new) that I own. I have a '42 Plymouth 2 dr. sedan. I can get a crate 5.7 Hemi at a good price. $$ says chevy 427. Everything else says go hemi.

What to do?? Sell the 427 to help pay for the hemi, or just start bolting together things I have?

 

I'm cheap-use what you have. Money's tight right now.

 

From what I understand, the 427 tall deck truck motors are not that great for use in rods in their stock form, at least not compared to a regular big block. The advantage to them is that you can stroke the hell outta them, put some good heads on them and put a regular intake on them with some commonly available spacers. Its a good choice if you want all out power and torque.

My daily driver has a 5.7 hemi and a 6 speed and I cannot find fault with it. It makes good power, but only really kicks until around 2700 rpm, but it loves to rev and will stay at 6k all day long.

 

The chevy will actually fit better, but I think both are overkill. Have you considered a 360?

 

What's wrong with overkill?

 

There is a Hamber on here that has a 40 dodge coupe with a 426 hemi in it, I think he goes by fastfish65 on here. I haven't seen him post in a while, might try to contact him for advice. The hemi sounds better if you get the setup that drops every other cylinder when it reaches a certain rpm at highway speed. power and economy. later shawn

 

Sell the 427 and the 5.7 "Hemi" and put a REAL Hemi in it.

At least, thats what Id do.

A Desoto Firedome or DodgeRed Ram would fit nice (not as BIG as the Chrysler) and would be super kool to boot AND different.

Best of all, it would be a MoPar in a MoPar.

Nuthin kooler than that.

Rat

 

Leave the truck motor for the trucks. The 5.7 will be a solid runner and parts are easy to find. Both will require firewall work.

My dad's 40 Plymouth (I think the frame & firewall are essentially the same) has a 318LA engine with minimal work to the firewall to clear the passenger side cylinder head. The late model Magnum engines are externally the same as the LA engines and should be cheaper than the 5.7 and can be build into a stump puller 406ci.

And yeah, I prefer a Mopar in a Mopar.

 

5.7 converted to carb or 5.7 with a ton of wiring - either would be nice. But if the budget is tight as you say it is, grab a 360 and overdrive tranny out of a van or pickup and put in there.

 

Overkill? I don't believe there is such a thing!

 

Do you really want all the computer shit and wiring that goes with a 5.7? Is there any way around it?

(I don't profess to know what I'm talking about, I'm just askin')

 

If money is tight then go get a 318-360 and put the thing together. You can always swap the engine later when you have the funds to do it proper. Using the 5.7 will consume alot of initial cash although it will run like a raped ape.


Oh yeah, Mopar in a Mopar...

.

 

Well, I found that I need a wiring harness (over a grand) and computer, plus starter and alternator just to get started. Plus a transmission. My $3000 crate motor just got to $5000 or more, and there is more I'd probably need. This new stuff is so foreign I don't even know what I need. Plus, if it quit, with all the modern stuff, I'd never get home.

The 427 needs a transmission (probably a 700r4, about $700), and a cam (couple hundred $$) would be nice to liven it up. I can make it go with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, so I think I'll stay old school. Sort of hate to put a chevy in a mopar, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

As for overkill? 90% of the things talked about here are overkill, isn't that what it's about?

Gene

 

Well, to answer a couple questions that popped up since I started my above reply - the 427 sort of comes for free. I had a dump truck with a nearly new crate motor, bellhousing shattered, and it wasn't worth fixing as a dump truck. I can get as much for parts as I'd get fixed, or close to it, don't have to fix it, and have a 427 left over.

Couple years ago I'd jump all over the hemi, but as some have pointed out, money is tight all around, it's certainly very tight in my house now.

Not sure how often you can find a new in-the-crate hemi for $2900, but it was real tempting.

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/57-Mopar-Hemi-Engine,26090.html

Gene

 

$3000 for a 5.7 Crate motor is a bargain, wanna share your secret source?

That said you can probably pick up a 360 magnum and tranny for 750 to 1000 from a junk yard with less than 75K on it. You will still need a harness because the wiring in the 42 isn't gonna do the job.

Sell the 427 and you may walk away even or slightly better with the 360 than trying to put the 427 in the thing.

 

Has nothing to do with the '42, you have to have the correct harness for it to even run. One way is get a factory harness and pay someone to pull out the correct wires for power, ignition, etc just to make it run. this is just the engine wiring harness.

Either way you'd still need to do the '42.

That's a cool panel you have - it should be on the road! Wouldn't that hemi look good in it!

Gene

 

Buddy of mine had a big block Chevy in a '40 Plymouth coupe. Not a radical piece, but it could definitely keep up with traffic.

 

I'd spend the 3 grand you were going to spend for the 5.7 and put it into a nice 273-318-360.... or mebbe a 383 or 440.

 

I'd rather see a Mopar powerplant in a Mopar, doesn't matter what the cubes are. Hell, a 318 would be better than putting a Chevy 427 in, at least it would be all Mopar then. But, as you can probably tell I'm biased.

No matter what you do, I'd stay with the old school. You don't want to get into all that computer and emission control crap, believe me.

 

You still need the computer I think. I'm thinking at least another K for that.

Meanwhile you can probably buy 3 360's with 4-BBl for that price

I'm pulling a 427 out of my truck as we speak. It was fun, but now I'm into cruising instead of wheelstands, so it's being replaced with a Dart 400 assembled short block (roller cam). Not sure if I'm going to use their heads, or Edelbrock. I know there's cheaper options, but it's a hobby...

Most of the early Plymouth people never open their hoods anyway.

 

I can't fuckin stand this Mopar in a Mopar, Ford in a Ford shit. If this guy was askin advice for parts for a nailhead or an old Cad or Olds motor all of you haters would be playin with yerselves over the idea. WTF...

 

Okay, whatever. This dude asked for advice and he got advice, what the hell is your problem?

 

If ya have the 427, stick a tranny on it and go..............I agree with mopar in a mopar, but if you have a motor and a body...then by all means put the two together..............

 

Be a man, put a Pontiac in it...(I'm kidding, Pontiac V-8's are about the biggest pain in the ass to shoehorn into a Mopar of that era)...stick with a 318, 360 or any other Mopar small block you can get your mitts on for cheap...

 

I'd just run the 427. I'm a MoPar lover but, "a bird in the hand..." Besides, The "new" Hemi dosn't really scream hot rod to me. It may be fast but sounds like a pain in the butt to use. And Highlander's right.

 

I dont get it.

Why would anyone want to put a computercontrolled/late model/EFI engine in a 40 Plym? Sure its still hot rodding BUT I feel that thing is SCREAMING for an early Hemi.

This IS a traditional board, is it not?

Love the 5.7s and 6.1s but in a 40 Plym?

PASS....

Just my thoughts.

Highlander, clearly you're not a MoPar kinda dude.

Rat

 

Let the hate mail begin...shiverlays have been installed in just about anything you can name, and as such they are truly boring to everyone but a bow-tie-boy. The Mopar in a Mopar theme is also echoed by the early Poncho- Olds- Buick and Cad fans as well as the blue oval types. Personally, if I had a 42 shivvy I would not put a 392 in it, I'd more likely sell/trade it for a Mope to make better use of the engine, and I'm pretty sure the early GM/Ford fans feel the same way.


.

 

Go Chrysler,318, 383, 413, or a 440, hay you can get an older Chrysler or Dodge cheap, use engine and the trans, if you get lucky you might even get a push button shifter.

 

forget about the new "hemi" go with what you got the 427