Okay, I've already put my 2 cents in on this plenty. However, I want to approach this another way. Why are so many people lately asking about putting the cheapest (thier words, not mine) V8 into a Mopar? Why aren't they talking about a 40s or 50s Chevy or Ford? My gut response is that you can find the same vintage Mopar cheaper. Nothing wrong with that; as a Mopar guy I don't care that Mopars were overlooked back then due to the stogy image. I still like them and appreciate the engineering. I also don't begrudge someone trying to get into rodding on a budget. I am concerned when someone is just getting into this and instead of doing research first, they go buy the cheapest car they can find, then ask how to drop in the cheapest, most common engine they can find. I'm trying not to stereotype the posters here, but this sounds like a common cheap-start no-finish situation. It also means one less Mopar for those of us that don't look at them as the cheapest way into the pre-48 club. If you want to drop a 350 chevy into something fairly cheap and have a hot car, go find a Nova, Vega, early 50s Chevy, mini pickup or a 40s chevy truck. If you want to have a cheap pre-48 Mopar, please put in a Mopar motor. A Hemi is going to take a lot of money and effort, but every time this has been brought up, many people have shown how to keep it Mopar easily and cheaply. There is no excuse for lack of info or difficulty.
Why not a small block Mopar in that puppy? Same work involved, and all-Mopar, to boot! Cost difference is minimal.
Damn near did that to my '48 Chevy coupe, before I sold the car! Now, that 440 is going in a '56 Ply wagon!
put whatever you want in the car dude! post some pic's of the build. i'm a long time mopar fan,chevy fan,ford fan...... shit how about a acura v8!
YES it will, But the same thing holds true, why put a mopar in that truck(sure a HEMI is outstanding in anything) when a BB chevy is a great fit and the chevy guys would love it. face it the mopar crowd really dont care whats in a chevy truck and the chevy guys would think your nuts to have a mopar in there. now if your intent is to piss of chevy guys with a mopar in a chevy then I think that would do it. just like chevys in a mopar piss us off just my opinion. Ron....
I don't care if you put a chevy in it, I don't care if you put a mopar in it, heck, put in a flathead ford if you like, just build it YOUR way and make sure you finish the darned thing. As far as someone putting a 440 in a Camaro, if that's your thing, just do it. Will it anger some? yep! will it amuse some? yep again. Will some appreciate it for being different? yep again. whether you like things more vanilla (sbc) or you have more exotic tastes, let the guy do what he wants to do. after all it is his build.
that car is a 51 firewall is a little different in a 50. i think a 50 would have more room. the pics above are of my car. i have to admit that it bothers me that all you guys trash talk the sbc chevy in a mopar or ford for that matter. it is a reliable and plentiful motor. get over it. he did not say hey bash me for putting a sbc in my mopar. I used the plydo kit to do my car. i'm sure the motor mounts are chassis engineering so call them and buy them cheaper. I already told bad71burb I would look for more pics so i'll dig around a bit tonight and see what i can find. as much as it looks like it the manifold does not touch the steering bad pic angle. if you pics of anything in particular let me know and i'll shoot it for you.
I used a 318 in mine was easy to fit and kept it mopar. I used a 904 lockup converter and knock down 18 MPG. not very fast but logged 5000 this year. the SBC is an outstanding motor I was a chevy guy for years still am but mopars should have mopar motors. BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if your on a budget then any ,ol mopar with a SBC is good too. them chevy 305 IROC manifolds are getting hard to come by these days, so is a 65/66 273. a 70 thru 74 A body 318/360 will fit also. if you go mopar I can score some manifolds for you. on the chevys good side no kick down linkage, Save that mopar, hell I think a flathead ford would look bitchen there.
Thanks for the help every one. As far as Mopar in a Mopar, I really don't give a damn. Frankly I just like this particular engine. It's my first car an' I'll do what the hell I want. I just want to get it on the road by the time I get my permit. I was also thinking of doing a 9" rear... Any thoughts?
I say use the mopar motor as well in that thing ,but after all its your car ,so do what makes you happy.I myself am looking for a Tri 5 Chevy to put a Windsor motor in ,just to piss people off at car shows ...
Hate to even throw this out there, 'cause it will sound like I'm still pushing Mopar components, but a 68-70 B body 8 3/4 is the right width, you just need to change out the spring perches. I don't know what 9 inch will work, but if you measure the stocker, you should be able to find one that will work. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108428 and for info on a 9 inch, http://www.kevinstang.com/Ninecase.htm
dude if your a purist stay with mopar if your a rodder cut her up and make it like you want her I got a 52 dodge pickup with a SBC and a camaro suspension I made all the brackets for the power steering, tilt wheel, hanging pedals, and power brakes by hand mysel and they look ok to me its a daily drver that I show locally not a trailer toy that only runs from trailer to show area and back. build it for fun, love of cars and just plain old enjoyment. Fatman fab has lots of brackets to weld to frame if you do not weld get a mg maching and learn good luck from a FNG
Ive got an 8" Ford under my 49 Plymouth out of a 67 fairlane, it fits like a glove, mounts needed changing because it has nova springs and perches in it. Don't know about how it would bolt to a stock set of springs, but the width is right.
You should do what you want, but why the hell did you ask our opinion if you had already made up your mind on what you were going to do. Jack
the 8 3/4" is a solid piece and with less angle on the hypoid it has much less drag than the 9" as well. Just sayin (you asked for opinions - you got em!) As for the SBC being an outstanding engine, Small Block Mopars would be supercalafragalisticexpialidocious in comparison then!
Right on Jack. Is there ever an answer for this ? If he wanted validation for this project he should be posting on a shiverlay forum... .
Every one does a sbc because it's the most bang for the buck! If I had the money I would do a blown 392 hemi, but that would cost more than I spent on my whole car. When you build a car, you should be realistic about your budget. Set real goals so that you can FINISH the car, not end up with a pile of parts that never roll. As for the six, no matter what you do to it, it's still a boat anchor.
The early Camaro rear slips right in. Just need to fabricate new ubolt plates with shock perches. Or, cut of the old axle housing spring perches and reweld then on the Camaro rear for your shock mounts.
My 50 Plymouth has a narrowed 1975 nova subframe under it. Disc brakes, Saginaw manual steering box. The tranny mount/ crossmember had to be made, but it's all pretty straight foward. 78 Trans Am 10 bolt fit in great, had to move the spring mounts a bit. It was an abandened project with the subframe already under it, I put an inline 6 in it for a while, blew it up and now it's a 350 SBC. Cheap available parts, makes great power, turbo350 with a shift kit. Nice riding enjoyable car.As far as being brand true, If I had a Volare laying around it would have been Mopar powered and subframed, Same with Ford stuff, but I have Chevy stuff, Run What You Got!
sounds like you have the motor already so that is a major factor for you so you should do it if you want. again at least its not a 350/350. as far as rear end whether 8-9 inch/8 3/4-/10-12 bolt theyre all good make bolt pattern to match ft the deciding factor. ever think about rebuilding your 6 with reground cam, 2 1's on modified stock intake and split manifold w/ glass packs?. had a wayfarer years ago like that but with 3.50 rear gear and 12 volt. drove the heck out of it. get info from people on the technical junk. as far as whether you should do it is up to you. of course i might listen closer if they do the work and foot the bill...vaya con Dios!
Gee, I don't think comments like this are completely fair. The original post was not 'here's what I'm gonna do, like it or not'. The post was 'this is what I might work, does anyone see any problems?'. Many responded with many suggestions and alternatives. Some of those responses were that, yes, his original question (can a SBC work in a '51 Dodge?) can indeed work. Based on that, at least to my reading of the thread, he says 'OK thanks, guess I will after all'. I don't see a need to flame him for this. And on another note, part of hot rodding is mixing and matching. That can include manufacturer crossover; so what. Not every rod is or needs to be a statement. Sometimes they just have to 'be' and that is good enough. IMHO.
Well this is a very young man, waiting on a permit, how many guys that age can even get this done much less know how to do what, give him a break. I am building a 54 plym wagon with a 477 inch bbc in it, is there i a reason i should not? as for 10 bolt rearends, wtf... if you are building a hot rod why put a weak ass 10 bolt in it , use an 8 3/4 or a 9 inch unless it is not a hot rod, then why go too all the trouble to build something called a hot rod that is a puss car???????????????? I guess im gettin old but hot rods should be first off a hot rod... ................back to the young man, just build what you can afford and i hope that you can actually stay with it long enough to actually make a viable car out of it, and a safe one as well, good luck the old bastard............
Absolutely!!! When I was 16 the 50 Plymouth was my first car and my first engine swap. There were no forums like this for advice. I was on my own, well, not really, I had a great friend my age who helped me get it done. We're still buds, many moon later. The point is he can do it and we here on this forum should help not flame.
Go for it, young man! Altho' in my old age, I prefer to build 'em "Brand specific", I just did a swap into a '50 Dodge and the 350 worked out fine. Things are a little tight on the steering column side, but like bad71burb already said, offset the motor about an inch and you're in the clear. Are you gonna retain the 6 volt gauges?
The Jalopy Journal
