So I might pick this clean Desoto up for cheap. The transmission is out, and the engine partially dissasembled. Im looking for the easiest way to swap the engine and tranny out for maybe a Chevy 350/350 combo. Anybody out there do an engine swap on one of these? Will there be any fabrications? Thanks, all help appreciated. I am not interested in the tranny thats in it.
Will there be any fabrications? Other than engine and trans mounts, linkages, exhaust, possible 6 to12 volt switchover, driveshaft, possible rear end swap, radiator and about a hundred other things, no, it's a bolt in deal
I have the same car and have been looking into this kind of switch. Options include: buy a pre-smog C-10 and use the engine, tranny and back axle. Find a 350SB, add a Richmond 5 speed, and get a Ford Maverick 9" back axle. Everybody else please chime in. Fred
They're open drive, so why the rearend swap, other than they have the tapered axle deal with the drums that need a big puller to remove? But yeah, what they said, no one makes a kit to swap anything into this car. What will fit in it most easily depends on where the steering box and so forth all is. A 350 does offer a wide variety of stock manifolds that should be relatively cheap to come by and let you get past most obstacles along those lines. '53 DeSoto should have a Hemi in it, unless it's a six, that alone is worth a few bucks. In fact I thought maybe someone had already robbed it for their hot rod.
Im looking at it today after work. Not sure if it has a hemi in it. Ill save my post until I look, that way I can post some pics and maybe you guys could help me out. Thanks for the responses!
A rear sump 318/360 & A/T from a Van or P.U. would fit well. Offset an inch or so on the passenger side. The rear axle doesn't have parking brakes, they're on the back end of the tranny.
Why use a Chevy drive train rather than MOPAR? COST! I have a all MOPAR 49 Dodge and it was expensive to build. The 360 engine $4,500 Richmond 5 speed $3,500 - $4,000 (can't remember exactly) Dana 60 60+ splines $4,000ish End result Hela Fun, but expensive! A Chevy drive train would be much cheaper and easier. 2cents Fred
i am doing this to my 54 desoto. put in a 318 and 904 trans out of a 83 mirada. u will need a rear sump pan, the steering hits a stock center sump. u will also need a center dump exhaust manifold on the driver side if u have power steering. i havent figured out the driveshaft yet. my 2 cents is: keep it mopar
And how many HP does this set up make? A Dana 60 is totally overkill for anything under 500 HP. A Richmond 5 speed isn't even Mopar! Yes, Mopars cost a little more to build. But we're not talking thousands and thousands of dollars more (unless maybe you're building a hemi!). If you're under 500 HP, you can pick up an 8 3/4 rear for a couple hundred bucks (or a fully built one for 1,200) and an overdrive 4 speed 833 for $150. I've picked up several of each for those prices, and so far none of them have even required a rebuild. And I would hope that a $4,500 360 would make at least 400 HP, because at that price it should make 400+. I have about that into a 340, and it should be in the 450 HP range. But that's far from a standard rebuild as far as cost goes. A '53 Desoto should have a straight 6 or a Hemi in it. Desoto never made a poly engine, so no worries there. If it is a Hemi, it should be a 276 FireDome, which would be an awesome engine. Not as many speed parts as the Chrysler Hemi's yet, but I've noticed even in the last few months there's getting to be more stuff out there for them. Definitely more expensive to build, especially if you go all out. But even just bumping up the compression a point or two (stock was like 8:1) would make for a pretty strong engine. And if it IS a hemi, and you don't want to go down the road of building it, SEND ME A PM!!!! I'm local to you, and I'd be happy to buy it if that's not the route you want to go. I also have a couple Mopar smallblocks (318/360) and a extra 904 auto or a 4 speed 833 overdrive I'd be willing to consider trading...
Got me on that one! They sure did. Still not a Desoto poly, but you could find a Desoto with a Poly in it. The '53 though is still probably a 6 or a Hemi though, unless someone else has already done a swap.
so therefore we are not comparing apples with apples A 500+ engine at that price is a different beast to a good running 318/360 or even a base 350 chevvy
True. Oh I forgot I have custom front wheel breaks made by Mark Williams. The guy building my car talked him into making front breaks. So neaner neaner! ;-)
Yes, and no. The junior series Firesweep used both the Dodge chassis and engine. But the senior series Firedome and Fireflite used a 341 cu. inch hemi, and the top-of-the-line Adventurer used a 345 cu. inch hemi that put out 345 horsepower.
I have a 1952 S17 with perfect body and interior BUT the engine/trans are very rough. I was looking into swapping a 318 and appropriate trans using swap kits but the steering shaft stopped me in my tracks. Butch's Cool Stuff will sell me motor mounts that allow me to shift the motor to the passenger side an inch but other than gathering info I do not know anyone that is actually done this type of swap.
Not exactly a 'popular' car to start with but certainly an interesting one. There are some 'similar' swaps over at www.p15-d24.com so check them out. As George mentioned, on the smaller Dodges and Plymouths, the engine needs to shift to the passenger side 1½" or so to clear the steering. The S17 was available with the 276 Hemi so any of the EarlyHemi engines should drop in with minimal fussing. The A and LA will likely need the 70-72 A-body driver side exhaust manifold. .
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