Howdy, I am getting ready to build my frame for my Coupe. I will using a 392 I have, and it will be full fendered, un-chopped. I would like to ask those that have used a hemi in a T coupe, as to what I need to do to the cowl, to keep the stock frame size. I don't want to lengthen it, or cut the cowl, other then for the the dist. Post any info, or pictures that will help me build this. Here is my body and motor, and a picture of a coupe a guy back in Mn has before he painted it orange. I am after this look. but with a 392 with Hilborn injection. I have already converted the injection to electronic in jectors myself. I hope he doesn't mind me using his pictures.
Tall T - COOL!!! Pro street, barf. Monochrome paint, yack. Please spend some time here learning how to do these cars justice. Oh, and a hemi is a little bigger than the banger, something has got to give with respect to the original design!
As Doc hints, keep the reference to the 'pro-street' design top secret. There is little (or no) love on this board for that style of build and you will likely hear about it. Keep the stock firewall dimensions? not stretch the frame? I'll watch to see how this works out for ya. .
I love this kind of stuff. The old 10 lbs. in a 5 lb. sack. Let me know how that works out. Just am going through that now with my A Roadster. The Wizzard
Hey Pat, looks like a nice start. I hope the pro street thing isn't part of the plan though. Those little cars look so sweet with a quick change and a set of cheater slicks out back. What part of TN are you in? I'm near Knoxville.
I have to agree with everyone else, lose the pro -street part of it, the cars you posted just look stupid with the big steamroller tires. It will be a nice car if you do it right.
Evil, I am in Deer Lodge, in Morgan Co. I didn't even realise it had large tires on it. I see a couple of full fendered T's, that don't look like they have been stretched for their hemi's (look like) here on the Hamb. I hope they don't mind me reposting their car pic's. Can someone tell me the stock dimension from the top of the frame, to where the front spring sit's, and how wide the inside is. I need to make this mount. Pat
Look close and you'll see both of these cars have the firewall cut to clear. The Red on more than the other.
The RPU isn't cut more then just for the dist, the step on the bottom half of the firewall is stock shape. I know the coupe is cut back, but only in inch or two from the seam around the firewall to the cowl. But not much like most say it needs to be. As in 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag. I have been told I never do things the easy way. If you look at the seam on mine, you can see P.O. move it some already. Pat
my engine is a 392 with a BBC water pump, from the back of the distributor to the front of the water pump pulley is 32"
Can anyone tell me what the GPH of a hemi, or Big block chevy water pump is? Or where I can find The info. Pat
I don't know the GPH, But, I know that mine runs cool, the only time I have ever turned on the electric fan is in bad traffic on a hot day, and then only for a few minutes.
I'm thinking of not running a basic water pump, and using a electirc marine pump(s) and making the front look kinda like a dragster type hemi, with a hilborn fuel pump on the front instead. That is why I need to know the GPH. Now I need a Hilborn type fuel pump, and a timming cover to hold it. I don't want one thats good, anyone have one...cheap, or trade something for it? Pat
The orange/green coupe pictured in the first post would have to be the most evil handling car ever driven. If you plan on driving it I suggest you consider reasonable handling characteristics.
Cool project, but I think you'll find the Hilborn pump set-up won't be any good for the street, too much fuel all at once and not enough adjustment for idle and low rpm driving. Scotty
Scotty, I have already coverted it to electronic injectors. The fuel pump would not be for fuel delivery, the fuel pump will be inside the tank. Thats why I don't want a good pump, but a junk one. Pat
I had everything to put a 4sp in. But my knees are giving me hell, so I sold just the tranny, and most likely going with a auto, but I still rather have a stick yet. I never know what I might do. Pat
I started out with an electric water pump, and it ran very cool. when the electric pump gave up, I put on the belt driven BBC pump,and the engine ran better, because it got up to operating temp. It has a 160 degree thermostat, and it will open up and then drop down to about 150 and run great! Also there is not that huge electrical drain from the pump. Also I put a TH 350 behind it and am very satisfied with it.
---------- First I don't know of ANY marine engines that run electric water pumps. Some marine engines do run small (mostly Jabsco brand) centrifugal waterpumps, that are remotely mounted, away from actual engine block, but they are always belt-driven . The Jabsco marine pumps are way too small and don't have enough flow capacity to cool a car engine on the street. (Back in the '60's some NHRA legal gas-class race cars used Jabsco marine pumps - along with tiny, ersatz "radiators" too - but that was merely a weight-saving ruse, intended only to meet the letter of the rule book, requiring an 'operating cooling system' rather than to effect any actual, useful cooling) They can get away with the small pump size in a marine application simply because the boat is always sitting in it's own unlimited reservoir of cold cooling water - and because the water usually is at anywhere from about 40 to maybe 70 degrees F maximum, as opposed to the 180 to 200-degreed-plus in a normal car radiator, a whole lot less water flow is needed to have the same cooling effect. The Jabsco pumps too, since they are only designed to handle raw, cold lake or river water, rather than 180 to 200-degrees-plus engine or radiator water, have impellers made out of rubber or neoprene, which will deteriorate and fail in short order if used to pump the hot engine coolant in a car. If you are absolutely determined not to cut or move the firewall, something has to give to fit a Chrysler hemi into the slot designed and intended for a tiny 4-banger T engine. One way you could do it and retain a stock appearing firewall would be to lengthen the frame by 2 or 3 (or however many as are required) inches. If you added the length into the frame, under the body, at or just behind where the firewall sits it could retain the stock appearance. But since the radiator and everything forward of the firewall would now be 2 or 3 inches further forward, you'd be able to fit the hemi in there, particularly if you used one of the Chevy waterpump conversion with the early-style short Chevy pump. You'd have to lengthen the hood, running boards and splash aprons by the same amount as you added to the frame, but I think if done neatly, the 2 or 3 inches would hardly be noticeable to most people, and especially too, when everyone’s eyes are going to be drawn to the engine. Mart3406 =============
I know of a guy that runs a Jabsco electric marine water pump, on his 392 Hemi with gas Hilborn injection, with mechanical injectors & pump, in his '23 T roadster, and gets 17 mpg. He said he's never had a problem running the water pump. Thats where I got the idea from. I bought his injector holders he makes, to convert Hilborn to eletronic injectors, for my Hilborn, and he sent pictures of his car in a magazine. I still might run a big block chevy, or the stock hemi pump. I have till I mount the engine to decide. I got an e-mail back from the guy with the flamed RPU and he say's his has stock fenders & running boards, and frame length. He didn't change it to fit the hemi in, and he has a 4 core rad. He sent me more pictures of it, and you can tell nothing has been changed to fit it. I also got an e-mail back on the other red coupe. I have to e-mail him back to get pictures & what I want to know about his car. His looks like it hasn't been lengthen either. It does look like the cowl has been move an inch or two, but he also has a blower belt to deal with. Pat
What are you guy's using for peddles in your cars. What are you doing for a steering sector in the full fendered cars, and do you like it. Pat