I've been trying to decide on an engine for my 52 Coronet Club Coupe. I know it came with a flathead 6 but i want to go with a V-8. A buddy of mine says the 49-52 cars were the orphins of mopar in that they were so unpopular that they never made adaptors to swap out the engines. (I looked, can't find) he said i would have to get a custom made engine mount if i wanted to run a olds rocket, 350, nailhead etc. he also said i could use an early chrysler or desoto hemi since they were availible in 52 and used the same body. my only problem would be a high cost for parts. what do you all think. Any ideas for a v-8 that i could use?
You can choose virtually any V8 you can afford to rebuild, or buy outright running. Adapters for engines to the early transmissions were certainly availble but motor mount setups were mostly "universal" in form for the less popular cars and trucks then and now. A Hemi would be cool but pricey in every way. The old standby 350/350 Chevy combo is always easiest but how about a small block Mopar engine, 318, 340?? or even a slant Six with 2 deuces or 3 single barrels ??
'46-'54 us basically the same frame. Mr. Streetrod in Simi Valley, CA. has mounts for sb Chevy and Mopar. I have an SB Chevy in my '48 Plym and got my mouts from Butch's Rod shop. They use Flat head Ford Donuts. There are also universal mount kits out there that bolt to the motor and you cut and fit to the frame. Saw then at Goodguys West Coast Nats. Don't remember who made them. The Dodge is longer then the Plymouth, but no wider. Go to this site for more mopar info: http://www.merc583.addr.com/mopar/
A rear sump 318 & 904 from a truck or van fits in nicely! In '53 the 241 Hemi came in Dodges, so a 241/270 Hemi or Poly should be a bolt in with the right parts.
In the Tex Smith book "how to build hot rod chassis" they do a step by step of putting a later model Diplomat/Gran Fury subframe into one of those cars and they use the 318 from the donor also. Might be worth checking out if you want to go that way.
There will be cutting on the engine compartment sheet metal with the MOPAR engine swap. The '53-'54 has a wider engine bay then the '52 and earlier. The wedge motors are lots narrower then the 241 Hemi. It can all be done, just depends on what you want. Hollywood Hotrods just did a Chebby into a '49-'52 Plymouth which is tighter then the Dodge as the Dodge is longer.
Minor trimming of pass. side inner fender to get a 318 in a 46-8 Dodge, a bit more for a 331 in a 46-8 Plym.
I think I would hunt down an early Hemi, preferably installed, and spend a little more up front on the engine and less on fabrication. You won't regret people’s reactions. Certainly the word HEMI has become a golden word for most so good luck finding one but they are still out there sinking into the ground in back yards waiting to be resurrected.
Hi I am doing the same project right now. From everything we looked at, an early hemi will be difficult to fit. The steering box is really in the way, and would probably need to be moved outboard on the frame rail, or notched into the frame rail to clear the exhaust. The frame rails on the hemi cars are much wider to accomodate this. Also, the brakes suck. My solution was to buy a low mileage 89 Chrysler Fifth Avenue with 50k miles for $600. I got a 318, trans, rear end, power steering, power disk brakes, etc. in one shot. I'm sure someone has done it without a subframe, but it would be SUPER tight in the frame. hope this helps.
I did the Chebby as it was cheaper and easier all the way. No subframe. Stock steering, Volari Disc brakes. Remounted the shocks. MOPAR diff out of Coronet-belvadere, Fury III from the early '70 just bolts on the rear springs with only a drive shaft mod.
If a small block chevy will fit, so will a small block Mopar. I have installed a few small block Mopars into the 39-48 plymouth, so doing a 49-52 would not be much different as they are pretty much the same. Do a search here on the HAMb about 46-48 Dodge/Plymouth should give you the info you seak. Gene
Actually these old flatty are gaining in popularity. Go to "Wilcap.com"to find adapters for a later trans and driveline swap. p.n. "230-350mt" for a stick,"230-350at"for an automatic. At a predicted $4.00 bucks a gallon wallet poking from the oil companys, keeping the six with a updated drivetrain sounds good to me.Thats also the plan for my old wreck.
I ran a Flatty with Edmunds head, Isky Cam, lifters, springs and two carbs and got 20mpg with a stock trany and rear (3.9 gears). I imagine you could do a T5 or adapt a 700r, but the 6 would be a dog with an auto. I switched to a V8 and get about the same MPG, but the 6 is cooler. They will run down the road just fine. Just ask AV8 about some light to light drags on the way back from Bob's one dark Friday night! As far as the MOPAR swap, 318-340 is a bit wider then a Chebby and unless you're buying a whole good running donor car it will cost ya more. I did the whole thing with a rebuilt Chebby engine and trans for less the $1k.
Thanks for all the great ideas. A co-worker of mine suggested a straight 8. I also just found a 50's ford v8 flatty with a 4 speed truck tranny. What do you all think?
You might check with PLYDO (304-475-3245) they have motor mounts for SB Chevies & Mopars as well as trans mounts for the old Mopars. Also, I got my disc brake conversion kits from them for my cars ('39 and '46 Plymouths) and they have kits for Mopars thru 1954.
Blackp-15coupe.. Your car looks great! When I did mine Py-Do was not into hotrodding stuff enough. My motor /trans mounts came from Butch's Rod Shop and the Disc kit was from Mr. Street Rod
I'm running pretty much the same set-up as hotrodbob; '59 230 bored +.30, lumpy cam, Sharp aluminum head, Edmunds intake w/2 Holley Webers, tube headers with dual Smithys. I changed out the gears from 3.90's to 3.70's (got 3rd member from Moore's Auto Salvage). Surprisingly there is speed eqipment available for the 6 cyl. flatties - Langdon Stovebolt is pretty much THE source for info and parts. I'd seriously look at going with the 6.
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