331 Hemi In A 49 Chevy Coupe?

Okay you chev guys , its ok to put a chev v8 in a '32 ford but not a hemi in a chev ??? If that is the thought how on earth do you think the term " hot rod " would have come to be ? Thinking outside the box is what hotrodding is all about!!

 

I will put a 1954 331 Hemi in my 1939 Mercury and i think a Hemi will be nice in almost every car.
And like said before everybody has a 350 SBC in a Chevy.
Also who gives a damn what other people think, if so we would all be driving Toyotas

 

my pops has a 331 hemi from a 58 desoto in a 54 chevy panel wagon. it's a straight axle though. doesn't run as of yet, it's just sitting collecting rust, for now. untill i get motivated to fix it....if you can put add a mouse in and get performance you will like a rat and if you have an elephant that will squash the rat then go for it.

 

Made the decision yet? Put the Hemi in there! Let us know ! (and some pics please)

 

Or we'd die trying to drive them. Is it true the recall fix is to install an anchor and 50 feet of chain?

I've seen Ford engines in Corvettes, a 440 in a '55 Chevy, a Caddy stuffed into a Crosley, a Ford Flathead in a Henry J, and all sorts of other oddballs. A Hemi in a '49 Chevy hardly seems odd at all.

 

I don't know what a complete Hemi weighs but I do know about a 235.Took a fully dressed 216 to the s**** yard just yesterday,625 pounds with the bellhousing and flywheel.Got 62 bucks for it,had it advertised for 30 bucks,no takers.

 

You sure about that?

 

If i could afford it id put a twin turbo deisel in my 52. If i must say it, i seen them build one on pimp my ride few years ago and put it in a impala. Made over a 1000 ft pounds of torque. Out ran a porsha in the quarter mile. All that on bio-deisel.

 

My old man put a 392 and from a 58 Chyrsler 300 C in his 55 210 back in 1961.He was living in Key West Florida at the time and drove it to Houston Texas a week later.He told me that he made solid motor mounts for it from angle iron and used sum fenderwell headers he found from a Hemi powered dirt track car to clear the steering box .This was before the "this is cool and this is not cool "motor swap rules thing was born .I asked him if it was fast and he said off the line no.It would just smoke that peg legged bias ply for blocks ,and never hook up .He said as far as topend on the highway, it was on ...

 

well i am a die in the wool chevy man. but yes put the hemi in it will be a change from the 350-350 that everyone else is doing. now if it were mine i would use a pontiac or buick only because i have them and don't have the hemi.

 

Well to each his own but save the hemi for an earlier rod. Here is my two cents p*** over the common SBC and shoot for a 409, very different, very popular, very expensive, but still keeping with the Bowtie cl***. Display that 409 with a tilt front, cool set of fabricated headers, don't forget the g***er stance with a straight axle. If you are going to slam the car go back to an early SBC with traditional 3x2's and vintage VC's. The 409 will be a challenge to fit but it has been done and you will have a 49-409. Find a 55-6 Plymouth for the hemi. Those cars are way cool and you do not see them much, done with the hemi the early Plymouth would be a dream car. My 2 cents and more.

 

Welcome aboard! You did not indicate which trans you are planning to use, so I'll offer this: Although a TF adapter is available it is not straight forward. One of the biggest problem with an extended block, in any swap, is the clutch linkage. The manual adapter parts are available, hell, you could make your own...the issue is all about the throwout bearing and fork.
Use the search ****on and you will find plenty of conversation on the subject. Also, be sure to look through Scooters 'HemiTech' section.


Sua Sponte

 

Hello 73RR
thanks for replying
i'm using a saginaw 4-speed and to make life easier i think i'll adapt a hydraulic throwout bearing. I'm just not sure about the engine mounts and what parts of the firewall need to be altered.
thanks for the tip on the hemi tech section.

 

DIESEL? No way!!!

 

No because some things just don't go.

 

Go for it!I got one in my 51 Merc.

 

finally some photos!!!
are those air cleaners from a marine engine?

 

I mentioned to Mercules, I thought they were rare. I have never seen them before. Maybe they are marine?! Anybody?

 

I don'tknow what the air cleaners are.There are no markings on them.The car was in a storage facility since 1968.The motor is a 1955 331 Hemi out of a Chrysler 300.

 

The 392 in the model A is 30" long from the firewall to end of water pump (BB Chevy pump)....the 250 6 cyl in my 52 chevy is 30" long from Flat of the firewall to the end of the water pump/fan...the hemi is 15" wide from center@ bell hsg to left head/Valve cover,which may be tight where the strg shaft comes thru the firewall...but it is do-able...just remove the ribs on the firewall (don't need them anyway) move the radiator ahead in the original supt as you would for a GMC engine or 250 and put that 331 in there!! Gonna add a bit of weight as the 331 weighs in at about 730#....if you think you'd rather..you can move the firewall back for the heads to fit into but it shouldn't be necessary IMO....Good luck and great engines!....If my 250 soon to be 292 ever gives me trouble it's a DeSoto hemi for the Chevy for sure !..

 

RDR
thanks so much. but i've got one more for you:
do you think the extended belhousing part of my hemi will fit in between where the ribs on the firewall are (asuming i cut them out). the engine is a the machine shop and i can't measure it.

thanks.

 

That's a good question.

 

So, does anybody have any pics of one done?

Muzz

 

Good question...there were several pending swaps mentioned, what is their status?????

Regarding the extended bell 331, the extension sticks straight back... no taper like on a normal bellhousing, so you may need to do some minor surgery where the firewall blends into the floor.

Keep us posted.

.

 

Updates???

Anyone do it???