im putting in a newer la 318 in my 54 desoto and im wondering if the mounts are similar. i know the early hemi and the poly small blocks share the same mount, but im not sure about the la blocks. im tryin to get everything kinda figured out before i dive into this thing.
Not exact, but pretty close. Remember that the Hemi block is longer than the A-LA so some 'adjustments' will be needed. If I may ask, why not use the 276? .
i had all intentions of keeping the 276 in there, but when i started to think about replacement parts and pricing i decided to put in the 318. the 318 also came with everything i need to put A/C in the desoto, minus the underdash unit. im not getting rid of the hemi, ill find something to put it in. prolly my 28 ford, whenever i get around to finishing it
The 276 isn't much on moving those big cars. If you could find a good running 330 or 341 that would be a pretty good boost in power. The hemi is roughly 7/8" of an inch shorter than an LA-318 but about the same as the old poly 318. A Wilcap trans adapter is about 7/8" thick so would make the hemi as long as the later 318. Here's an idea if you decide to keep the 276 in the car. Gat an adapter for an A-727 and get the benefit of the lower 3rd gear. That would help alot. Bill
try www.allpar.com lots of info open all highlighted items in stories to lead to other tidbits of info-lists of early hemi#'s,poly,LA,zuntov-designer endless,open all categories-history over 1000 hours to be sure.
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