https://www.google.com/search?q=p19...9i65l3j69i60.596j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1950-plymouth-v8-swap-ideas.866747/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1951-plymouth-business-coupe-engine-swap.1045008/ https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/motor-transplant-suggestions-for-a-48-plymouth.790111/ https://p15-d24.com/topic/49784-engine-swap-51-plymouth/ https://p15-d24.com/topic/44166-1950-plymouth-engine-swap/ https://p15-d24.com/topic/33185-1948-plymouth-engine-swap/ https://www.allpar.com/threads/best-way-engine-swap-in-1950-plymouth-sd.145513/ https://www.allpar.com/threads/v8-engine-swap-for-flat-6-49-plymouth.158753/
I have never done the swap before myself, I have a feeling it could be fairly painless. The front engine mount on the flat 6 is much like the horse shoe mount on early sbc, I hear many 350 also are drilled for the mount? The front motor mounts should be easy to deal with. A rear transmission mount there are several universal adjustable mounts available. The driver side exhaust manifold .... the sbc has possibly more options available then any engine produced. ..... Really should not be a major issue for exhaust. The rest would be normal typical stuff drive line, u-joints, linkage, wiring. Myself I also would want to replace the tapered axle rear end at this point. I simply would not want to have a drive line built twice. I have thought about future engine swaps for my 1949 Dodge truck. I honestly think a early sbc would be the easiest swap available. Very dependable daily driver. Yet I have a 1950 8BA/4spd in the batter box for the next pitcher ..... Sigh I could have had a sbc
There are other options instead doing the same as everyone else does. Yes we know it's the cheapest possible option to get the mobile. But is so over done it's all most embarr***ing to say "it has a sbc because that's all I could afford" Chrysler have some really good motors. Why not consider one of them? Some with other GM brands. Set your car apart from everything else instead of just the same as everything else.
The steering box is the main problem which really isn't that big a deal. You might have to space the motor to the p***enger side a little bit but that's all. I stuck a 276-in DeSoto Hemi in one so it can't be that bad for a small block Chevy
Yes you could of had a sbc and been just like everyone else. You do understand a 8ba properly rebuilt and maintained would make a very dependable daily driver. And be way more cool than a sbc. Infact the flat six would as well.
There is a surprising amount of little things to take into account with an engine swap, bolting the engine in is sometimes the easiest part. Getting everything else hooked up and functioning safely is the harder challenge. Out of curiousity, have you done an engine swap before? What's your level of fabrication and mechanical knowledge? Oh, and like always with pre-1962 Mopars, the Emergency brake is attached to the back of the transmission, so if you change transmissions you'll also need to change out the rear end to get one that has internal Parking Brake ***emblies in the rear drums/discs. ~Peter
Jesus wept. He asked about a sbc, not what you guys think he should put in it. There was just a thread on this ****. Now to answer the question. Set motor 1" to p***enger side, use hurst mount, and you're golden. Don't know your skill level, but it's a weekend job if you've got skills.
You really need to understand my daily driver is a sbc. I love it. Today a LS engine has taken over a sbc swap .... a sbc is starting to get hard to find. I'm only suggesting that a argument between what engine to install is stupid. A 8BA is ok, A nail head is ok, A 440 is ok, How about a 500 CI Dart Block .... is that ok? But a simple sbc is not ok? I honestly could not discuss this issue with you if you have a problem with one gas engine over another ... We are talking feelings & not facts.
I did a 39 Plymouth years ago. Seems to me the late 40s, early 50s suspension and crossmember are similar in design. I set the engine in with a set of headman block huggers ,fabed some side mount motor mounts based on some spare 62 Impala mounts I had laying around and fabricated a trans mount. Was not a big deal overall. Of course, small blocks never are. I think it's neat when you can put a Mopar in a Mopar, Ford in a Ford, Pontiac in a Pontiac. But those take a bit more effort. That 39 I built performed just as well with a small block as it would have with a 340. Larry
thanks for all those links ..does the radiator need to be moved forward?...how much?...will it clear the hood if I use orig. radiator,...or?
My point is they are over used in everything. About as common and interesting as a Toyota corolla. Cheap and functional. Different motor would be equally as functional, dependable and add a bit more interest to the car. Not everything has to have a sbc
Okay, I'll answer some direct questions. No Radiator does not NEED to be moved forward, but that means you would need to clearance firewall for distributor clearance. BUT, there is room on a 1950 Plymouth to move the radiator forward, and if going to a SBC I would HIGHLY recommend a new radiator. Here's a photo of my 1950 Plymouth showing how much room is between the radiator and the nose of the hood. It should be easy for you to measure on your car how much clearance there is for moving it forward. Since the only reason the radiator is that height originally is so that it can properly vent pressure from the cap, and since the SBC is shorter than the Flathead six, it would be a lower radiator height anyways and would offer ever MORE room. This would be nice since it allows you to leave the firewall uncut. I should note, that this swap has been done dozens of times, and is NOT considered complicated or involved. Best of luck, Peter
I have a '51 Dodge Coronet. I have considered the SBC swap also. I will probably use a '55 Chevrolet radiator for a V8 when I do mine. While it is not an exact fit I can make it work. The inlet and outlets will work for the SBC and the radiators are not very expensive. These are the sizes I have seen online. The Chevrolet radiator is roughly 24.5" tall with cap x 23.5" wide (including brackets) Your Plymouth radiator is listed as - roughly 26" tall with cap x 23" wide (including brackets)
Small block Mopar with 'A'body exhaust manifolds move to p***.side about 1in fits better than a chevy .
That is probably the most rediculous comment to make to a Mopar guy I have seen. it makes absolutly no sense at all. Spending probably 5 K to put in a flathead Ford to be able to impress mouth breathers makes very little sense. He could go with a Chrysler "Big" six and have more power and far more reliabilty. My uncle drove a Dodge Suburban wagon with a Chrysler flathead six and Dodge truck fourspeed as his daily driver for probably 15 years and it was a pretty great hunting rig to boot. My guess is that he doesn't have 5 thousand bucks or more to build what we view as a "traditonal " engine The same reason that 56 Desoto 330 hemi in my garage isn't getting rebuilt any time soon and is actually for sale. Way too expensive for my budge to rebuild. There are also way too many choices for Mopar engines either totally traditonal or non traditional a 318 or 360 would make it run and be reliable. Not a bank breaker to buy or rebuild either. Or go to a newer 4.0 Jeep straight six which is also dead nuts reliable in most cases. We cannot expect someone to do what we think would be cool unless they actually ask what would be a real cool setup that gets attention. That isn't the same as asking if a certain engine will fit without a lot of h***les and that is what the OP's queston was. For Rusty1: Back years ago I pulled a 56 Desoto Hemi and 3 speed overdrive out of a 56 Dodge pickup that looked like a dead ringer for Los Control's Avatar truck and stuck a 350 and Turbo 350 from a Mullet Camaro in it using one of those Universal tube crossmembers and a made to fit trans crossmember. That was a straightforwad swap that we did without a lot of h***les.
Can you tell me why the engine should be shifted over 1"??? And yes, this is a genuine question.......
To my understanding the engine's exhaust interferes with the steering box. One concern I have is when the motor is offset to the p***enger side it must stay in line to the transmission and rear end. Would the angle cause vibration in the driveshaft or wear out the U-joints prematurely. I'm not sure how much one inch offset would effect it.
I owned a 49 Plymouth that a previous owner had put a late model V6 in. Often thought about doing this and getting rid of that computer ****. My daughter and son in law own it now and he wants to change it.
It was my understanding it was a two-fold benefit; to gain clearance at the steering box, but also to help balance to the weight of the car side-to-side if the car was typically going to be operated by only a driver. Offset the engine an inch to counter the weight of a ~200 lb person sitting in the driver's seat. I'm not sure how well it works or how valid the idea is but I have done it both ways. When I engine swapped my 57 Ford, I offset the engine a bit and it has been fine for 20 years. My Olds I stabbed the new engine straight in and centered. I don't think it really matters that much.
@caprockfabshop Looking at your under hood photo my '51 Dodge has a shorter radiator and support. I now ***ume the OP's car is built like yours. Unless mine is missing parts.
You clear the steering. Makes for a real easy swap. Turns what could take a week into something done in a long afternoon. It damn near takes longer to take the hood off than the swap.
I’ve never moved one over, but pretty sure both engine and transmission move and stay parallel in the frame. That offset of an inch is still less than running a 9inch rearend and would be fine.
There's a lot of info on this swap on the P15/D24 website; they typically stick with MoPar engines but are pretty open minded. That offset really is needed for clearing the steering box. It's not too obvious from the topside.
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