1956 plymouth savoy engine swap help

A few years ago I visited a buddy who owns a 58 Plymouth rag top. He had the old original 361 engine out at the machine shop and just for funzies he dangled his 392 hemi over the hole...dropped it in with the only clearance problem being with the right valve cover/heater box interferance and it could have been fixed with little trouble. If an old elephant motor will fit, any mopar motor should physically fit in the hole.

 

I have to go with a 241/270 low deck Dodge Hemi. You can still buy a 1x4bbl Offy manifold and hook up pretty much any ****** nowadays. If the car has the PowerFlite and you want to go with a TorqueFlite you will have to live with two push ****ons instead of three as the PowerFlite was a two speed. Since the Plymouth Poly block was very similar to the Dodge block (push rod holes) it should drop right in.

Rebuilding the Red Ram Hemi will cost more than “modern” small block V8s if you want to hop it up; but there are some pretty reasonably priced rebuild kits that should result in a very crisp high torque street motor. There are also inexpensive goodies to allow you to run a modern profile roller cam too, with a minimum of machine work.

The other motors suggested would be fine, but nothing beats the grin factor of a Hemi, in my opinion.

 

there is a HAMB - 55-56 Mopar group here....it's free to join....

 

318 LA and a 904 are almost a bolt in look at my albums for some pics of how I did one in my 52 ply

 

OOPS!! it was a 413!!

 

I read all the posts but no one addressed the rear end my 55 just has a 4 bolt flange coming out of the differentual I know this is stock so do you use the stock drive shaft with the 318/ t flight

 

Usually replace with a modern 8 1/4, 8 3/4, 8", or 9". Solves other problems also.