I've been planning to put a 354 Dodge truck hemi in my 41 Plymouth coupe. I kinda got side tracked by some surgery this last year. In the mean time I got an offer for me 31 A with a 341 Desoto hemi so I sold it. It went back to Florida where I built it. While I was in Florida I snagged a 426 Street Wedge Mopar engine for $400. Today curiosity got the best of me so I pulled the heads to get an idea of what would be needed for a rebuild. I was happy with the condition. Almost no ring grove, very little carbon on the pistons and no sludge build up inside. Lifters and cam show some wear and I will replace them. One valve is kind of sticky but the rest are free. Hardened seats and a good valve job and they will be good. No substitute for cubic inches and rated at 375 hp back in 64-65. Here's my dilima. 354 hemi in the 41 coupe or 426 wedge. Hemis are getting to be more common place in the Mopar coupes and a 426 would be rare. The other part of my dilima is my 39 Plymouth truck. It needs an update, been on the road since 99. Got a set of gasser spokes comming this week to get rid of the 14" Mehelics. It has a good running roller cam 318 in it. Hummmm 39 truck with a 426 would be bad ass or even the 354. The truck is more rare than the coupe and in my opinion which ever engine goes in it would be the better investment. OR leave it alone and update paint and interior and drive it. Too many choices here. ????
Oh I don't know about that. It kinda awsome to look in the engine bay and see Mopar decal 426 on the valve covers.
You have two great cars and two great engines, what a dilemma.... Not knowing the details of your projects, one way to help decide is to look and see if one front suspension/frame package is more accepting of the 426W oil pump/oil filter location. This does, at times, create some issues. .
+1 he called it right. The Hemi will be eye candy for the masses but that wedge will be capable of cutting some pretty good times in the quarter or holding it's own with the best of them. Or save the Wedge for an early 60's Mopar two door post car and cause terror and havoc at the Hamb drags among guys who think they have fast cars.
One thing about the 426, Ultra bell has a big block bell housing for my 518 tranny. The 354 has to have an adapter. The Ultra bell is cheaper and better IMHO.
Knuckle draggers will recognize the hemi for what it is, but will stand in front of your car and argue with you about the wierd distributor on the front of your small block Chevy. Be prepared for that! lol
I have never seen the words "cheaper" and "Ultra-Bell" together in one sentence... With the available torque of the 426W you really don't need OD, just use a taller gear, unless, that is, you are planning a steady diet if ¼ mile work. Recall that the standard rear gear in 440-TF powered GTX, Charger and RoadRunners was a 3.23.....from experience, my 68 GTX was formidable. .
Ultra Bell is just shy of $400.00. My early hemi adapter kit with B&M flex plate, which is the highest priced kit in the current market , is $475.00. Ultra Bell + labor to modify transmission case + flex plate = more than $475.00. Your results may vary.
If the truck already has a 318 it would be easy to put an adapter on the hemi and bolt back to the transmission you already got.
Also some of 318 radiators had lower hose outlet on drivers side which would interfere with oil filter sticking straight towards radiator from 426W.
As others noted, your 426 might be rare but no one will know that is a 426 and not some other displacement. Even with a 426 decal, people will assume it's just a decal. As for gears....my 526" Hemi has lots of torque and I suppose it could manage with just three gears. But, with my 46RH trans I run 4.10's in the rear and they become 2.82's when the OD engages. I get the acceleration of 4.10's and the cruise of 2.82's. That's gotta count for something. Then, the lockup converter kicks in and life gets even better.....
Labor is easy, just a sawzall with a good blade, did one for my old mans 50 Chrysler with a 440. The OD with 3.73 gears and a stout 440 was awesome 80 MPH cruise just loafing along. The ultrabell indexes off the pump mounting bolts so cutting the case is simple. I did have to do some clearancing to clear the torque converter that I did not realize until it was all bolted together, however Just used the stock flex plate IIRC.
That option is out. Then 318 has an A500 trany which will not work behind the hemi because the starter hits the block.
I have two trannys to choose from. The 89 518 is a non lockup working transmission. I had it behind my 341 Desoto hemi and also a 360. It has a vibration I don't like behind either engine. And yes I do know the 360 takes the weighted torque converter and the hemi takes a neutral balanced converter so the vibration is there no matter which converter I use. I did aquire another case and front pump so I will go thru that one and it may be the one to get the ultrabell. When it was behind the 341 I used one of TR Waters adapters. When behind the 360 it was direct bolt up so I don't suspect the adapter. I'll probably get a good high performance rebuild kit from PATC. The other tranny is a 1995 46RH with lockup, the last year of the hydraulically controlled transmission. According to a retired Mopar tech the 95 transmission has the most clutches and other higher performance stuff than the earlier trannys so it may go behind the hemi. Either way it looks like I have two trannys to build.
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