Torn between engines for my wifes 54 plymouth

Still in the beginning stages of my wifes car, some of you have seen a psot I did pn the chop she is wanting. Anyway I need to concentrate on getting it on the road and DEPENDABLE and the straight 6 is locked up and will look great as yard art.

Yeah I would LOVE to put her a nice HEMI together but my buddy has a late model 350 with turbo 350 trans that just needs a mild rebuild and we could drop it in. Am I crazy for dropping a SBC into a Mopar, by no means is she going to keep this thing stock and I dont even think the 6 in it now is the original.

So I guess what I am asking is being on a budget am I going the right direction? Is it possible to build a Hemi on a budget or should I stick with good ole reliable sbc and put a hemi in my next open engine bay vehicle?

 

Please please please don't put a SBC in a Mopar. If you are on a budget, put a SB Mopar in there. You can obtain and build one fairly cheap.

 

Just get it on the road! Use the SBC for a couple reasons.

1. your buddy has one ready to go. If he's a real buddy, it's ready to go on the cheap.

2. It's your WIFE'S car, K.I.S.S. (or K.I.D.D. Keep It Dependable Dummy) Don't want her broke down on the wrong side of town.

3. Anyone with a wrench and half a brain can fix a SBC.

4. Everyone but the corner 7-Eleven has the SBC basics.

Just my opinion, but.....................

 

I'd find a 318. SBC's are a plague on humanity. 318's are more reliable than anything else on the road, and parts are available everywhere. Or go the slant 6 route, better economy.

 

Keep it all mopar, run a 318 and a 904 and you will be happy. Hell if ya were closer I would give you a 318/904 for it.

Tell me the differance between working on a sbc and a mopar??
Are you telling me you have to be smarter to work on a mopar than a chevy???
You can get the same parts for the mopar as you can the chevy at the corner store, they did not come from timbucktoo.
I think I am going to get a nice 68 or 69 camaro and stuff a nice 440 in one just piss off the chevy guys and show them how they run with a real motor in them!!

 

Please don't do the SBC. Grab something like this
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/911770025.html
or this http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/885039425.html
or this http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/cto/910060403.html
and swap it in. Sell off the rest of it and come out ahead.
Look for mid-eighties trucks and vans. The wiring and drivetrain will swap right over.
If you go with a V6 or 318, you could even get away with keeping the rear for a while.
A carb is best for a quick swap and low budget, but you could do the EFI too.
Look on EBay and the Mopars with SBCs are much harder to sell, low end or high.

 

I'd vote for a slant 6 with auto....

 

Mopar in a Mopar .. ..

 

A 273 or 318 from a mid to late sixties A-body will fit with no modifications other than motor and tranny mounts. Special driver's side exhaust manifold fits around the column and box perfectly. Click the link in my sig for more.

 

I bet you could find a rusted out 1970's through 1980's full size dodge truck or van with a good running 318 or 360 in it...probably won't pay much more than the engine is worth either...

 

GREAT, I was leaning towards a SBC and now I am really torn.

 

chevys have there place just not in a mopar
find a sb Mopar for it,

real mopars run mopars (just my opinion)

I have run many mopar engines in streetrods for over 30 years and I have never had problems finding parts for them and they are reliable too.


I think you can see from the comments above that mopar people are brand loyal. not saying that ford of chevy people dont love their brand just as much.

its just very sad to walk up to a nice mopar and see another chevy in it.

it kills me when someone says "I was going to put a HEMI in it but I couldn't find one of they are to expencive so I went with a chevy."

so its a hemi and then the next choice is a sb chevy???
mopar made some great engines.
what about a /6,273,318,360,361,383,400,413,426,440 yeah I think there are many to choose from befor you settle for a chevy

 

like above, keep it mopar - alot of options, wont be quite as cheap as an sbc, but not much more if you stick with the la family - lotta older motorhomes up for sale around here, imagine in Texas too

 

Anyone wanna trade a locked up flathead 6 for a 360 haha

 

I'd recommend a flathead Ford with Ardun heads.

 

For God's sake man, don't put a Chivvy in there!!!

Find a pickup with a 360 in it and go that route - lot's of them out there and they cost about the same in my experience.

2¢

 

I figure if you got to rebuild something may as well go with a Mopar. now if the chevy were a runner as is and it was cheap or free then we couldn't really fault you for installing it, since the budget is a big part of how we build our cars.

Mopar in a Mopar will definitly make the cool factor go up.

 

Any mopar 6, even a flattie.

 

If you do put the chevy in there.....don't open the hood at any shows... I think they have those fake hemi head covers for SBCs...j/k.

 

The steering column /drivers exhaust manifold is the tough part. You can get a rack-and-pinion kit that uses an 83-ish Caviler rack (power or not) which lets you use a different column - othewise it's a tight fit for any V-8. If you can find one of those rare 273 Valiant driver's side manifolds, you will be in good shape - otherwise it will be a problem. There are about a zillion more options for a SBC than for anything else - the economics of the SBC really can't be beat, which is why they are so popular. And what other folks said about reliability holds true too.

 

Do what you want-Mopars are not sacred-if a SBC can go in a umpteen thousand dollar deuce, it can sure go in one of those nasty mopars. On the other hand, there is no better engine than a 318. I'd do whatever is easiest and cheaper, and in that order.

 

I used a 1972 Dart 318 manifold. I'd imagine that any A motor A body manifold will work.

 

A buddy of mine has a 360 and Torque flite he pulled from a Dodge conversion van in a '39 Plymouth. The van was 500 bucks, he pulled the drivetrain, sold the hulk for scrap, sold the rear end, sold the doors, front clip, raised roof, wheels and tires, and ended up with more than the 500 he paid.

You could do the same thing, find a van, pickup, or a Dakota and even use the front frame stub and rear end. They're all over for cheap. Don't put a Chev in it without searching the auto traders and shoppers for a cheap old Dodge!

 

slant six, but I hear the inner fender on pass. side may have clearance problem. anybody know?

 

Mopar in a Mopar!!!

Plus the chevy is not ready to go. It needs a rebuild.

I say a small block mopar or a slant six. donor cars are cheap. no give a shit about a mopar unless it's a e-body.

4 door mopar anything is dirt cheap. So are the trucks.

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/914391612.html

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/911663293.html

 

Not a bad idea, a lot of good ideas.

Thank you everyone for your opinions and suggestions.

 

So just wondering, if a 318 will fit , did any of the sixties cars have a 360 in it. Pretty much same size engine externally correct?

I have to say I am pretty stoked about this idea, keeping her car on a budget is the main goal and if I can find this engine and stay on budget that makes me happy. Reason I am asking is I have a buddy that has a buddy that has a 360 in a late 70s model van and I am wondering if it bolts right in just like the late sixties a body engines do?

 

I am a sbc guy, but I would say stay mopar in that car too.

I was just reading about a cool old Mercury faux wagon that had a sbc with Olds valve covers on it and thinking how much cooler it would be with a different engine.

 

what do you mean "will it fit" ..You mean, just drop it in and drive away ?

No, it will not ..

I stuffed a 440 in a 46 Desoto, was it a little trouble, yes . worth it YES !

How well equipped is the shop ?

How big is the budget ?

How talented is the person building it ?

Motor swaps have been done since they invented the 2nd car

 

I don't know of anyone that make a "KIT" to just drop one in but they don't make a kit to put a chevy in that car either some fabrication and welding will probably be needed.
the 360 from a truck or van has a rear sump oil pan and that should be better for this swap
making mounts is not all that hard. Ron....