what will bolt to a 53 Plymouth manual 3spd it has an r10 overdrive too? I've heard people using similar years behind hemis, what fits and with what bell housings? can it handle the power?
The original '53 ****** will bolt up to the shorter bell housing used on '55/'56 Plymouth and Dodge V8 models. That bell housing will fit many Mopar V8 blocks from '52 up DeSoto, from '53 up Dodge and from ''54 up Chrysler until about 1962. To my knowledge, it will not fit the "big block" 350/361/383/413 engines series that began in 1958 models. Prior to '55 (there were no Plymouth V8s) Dodge and DeSoto stick shift models used a very long bell housing and input shaft. Those early long input models are not only very rare, that longer version does not work well in your '53 Plymouth. In 1962 I swapped a '55 Dodge 270 hemi into my '53 Plymouth convertible using the original '53 Plymouth ****** and the stock '55 Dodge bell housing/clutch etc. I don't know how easy or difficult it will be to find the '55 up V8 stick shift bell housing/flywheel/clutch etc., but that is a "bolt on", if you can find the parts. Ray
Plymouth, Dodge, Dodge truck, DeSoto and Chrysler flathead sixes up to 265 cu in. The big Chrysler - DeSoto six will fit into a Plymouth with a little work, although it is 2 or 3 inches longer.
I found a 54 331 and a mid 50's dodge hemi both are automatics though so ill still need the bell housing clutch etc thanks for the help are the trannies the same so it can handle the power? ill guess ill take it easy in overdrive don't want to break that
what years were the 3spds interchangeable from? I believe the trans is the same length with or without overdrive.
As long as it's not a 3 p***enger coupe 3 spd., I believe they are the same. 3 spd. out of a 3 window/p***enger business coupe is barely 2 ft. long.
The Dodge engine will be the easier one to install...even in a 53 Dodge it is a very tight fit. Will the 3spd live very long? Better chance behind the 241 than the 331. When you are collecting parts remember that you cannot use the flywheel from your 208-218 Plymouth even though you will still need to be using a 146 tooth count flywheel....it must be from a 230 Dodge or larger engine. .
aren't the factory 3spds behind the hemis the same trannies? I found an engine and bell housing etc but looking at my options for cars found the 53 Plymouth, 52 Plymouth concord, 47 dodge business coupe and a 40 plymouth coupe didnt know which cars I could possibly use the bellhousing to adapt the hemi. I guess if the business coupe has a shorter ****** the overdrive wont work then, I really wanted that one they are so cool
Plymouths from '49 thru '52 came in two wheelbases.....111" for 3 window business coupes, Concord 2 door fastback sedan and the Suburban all metal wagon. These cars have the short tail housing ******. The deluxe 2 & 4 door sedans, convertible and woody wagons used 118" wheelbase ch***is and the 'full length' transhousing. Plymouth first began offering the OD trans in '52 model year. As for hemi suitable bell housings, especially the shorter type, '55 up V8 models are the place to look. So far as I know, the trannies were the same thru '56 models....I believe the '57 models got a new/different/better trans. '54 and earlier V8 Dodge and DeSoto are pretty rare with fully manual trans, most were Fluid Drive or some version of the M6 semi-automatic (Dodge "Gyromatic" for example), but even when equipped with full manual prior to '55, had the very long bell housing and input shaft. To my knowledge, there were no full manual transmission Chrysler V8 cars prior to '55 and not common thereafter anyway. Ray
They made the Fluid Drive standard equipment on Chrysler, DeSoto and even Dodge in the forties. I don't believe they offered a manual trans on the Chrysler V8 in cars, they may have in trucks, and there may have been a few, extremely rare manual trans D500 racing Dodges with optional Chrysler V8 and manual trans. In 57 or 58 they supposedly offered a 4 speed Pont a Mousson trans in Chrysler 300s but only made about 8 of them. I say "supposedly" they were offered, but I think it was a gimmick to put them in "stock" cars, none were sold to the public. By the way Pont a Mousson was a French firm connected with the Facel Vega French made luxury cars. They used Chrysler hemi V8s and developed their own 4 speed to go with them.
Yes, I have one....a stone stock '53 Dodge Coronet Diplomat (aka 2 dr hardtop) with a 241 hemi and 3 speed manual with OD. On two widely seperated occasions, I have also used '53/'54 Dodge 3 speed manual trans, with the long input shaft, to convert semi-auto Dodges to full manual trans. One was OD, the other not. I have also personally seen a '53 DeSoto wagon with 276 V8, 3 spd w/OD. Also, I was lucky enough to see a '57 Dodge Coronet 2dr post, D-501. A factory hot rod built in small numbers, primarily for pro racers I think. They were 354 hemis, this one a 3 speed manual....reportedly with Chrysler rear axle and brakes. (I do not know if Chrysler rear axle and brakes differed from regular Dodge V8 parts, that was the claim) This car was originally campaigned by Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick, who later was known for his Pontiac drag racing victories. I believe I am correct in saying that Chrysler offered 3 speed manual trans in the '55 300, though I think most had Powerflites. Ray
I found and worked a deal for the bellhousing for the hemi 3 spd for the short bell hemi 54,55 etc exactly what I need, dont know what it came out of. now I just need the car with the matching 3spd. it will actually fit even pre war Plymouth's and dodges too, I found with the dodge hydrive i'll have to get a short input shaft for the trans for it to work and that will also recess the motor quite a ways back into the firewall, not necessarily a bad thing, since you are eliminating the space once occupied by the torque converter. I imagine Im going to have to do quite a bit of hacking to get a hemi in these cars anyways
You seem to be somewhat confused, or I am, by your posts. Dodge, in US models, did not use Hy-Drive....only Plymouth did, in '53 and early '54. The transmission itself was the same as fully manual 3 speed stick models and that means the (relatively) short input shaft. Dodge and DeSoto, thru '54, except for '54 Powerflites, used a longer bell housing, roughly 15" long. If that is what you have acquired, it is not the best option. For a manual trans installation, it would require the long input shaft found only in the now hard to find '53/'54 Dodge manual shift vehicles. What I have tried to convey, apparently without much success, is that '55/'56 Plymouth/Dodge V8 bells will work with what I understood you to have, a '53 Plymouth 3 spd w/OD trans. You could also use '57 thru '62 bells for the engine you want to use, but they might require a different trans due to changes that occurred in '57 models. None of this should require firewall surgery. The greatest point of interference, when installing an early Mopar V8 in a '54 or earlier Plymouth, is the steering box to starter motor. Your first post seemed clear enough......and was easy to answer......your subsequent posts are very confusing as to what you are wanting to do. Makes it much more difficult to give solid recommendations. Ray
I think I am getting the picture.....you have a '53 OD trans, but no car, yet, to put it in. You CAN use a business coupe for this project. The fact that they had short tail housings does not prevent using the longer trans, only requires shortening the driveshaft........ Ray
"I believe I am correct in saying that Chrysler offered 3 speed manual trans in the '55 300, though I think most had Powerflites." It depends what you mean by "offered". I always understood they came with Powerflite as standard equipment with no options "offered", however Chrysler did build some cars that were supposedly never available, if a guy with dough came along and wanted one bad enough. Never heard of a manual trans 300 or 300B. The Keikaefer Mercury Outboard Motor company sponsored Chrysler 300 stock car race cars in 1955 and 56, wonder if any of them had manual trans? As they were certified stock, and Bill France would have used any excuse to get them off the track and stop them beating the Fords and Chevs, I suppose they must have been Powerflite equpped.
Yeah sorry for the confusion. I am acquiring parts to put this together and I'm jumping around quite a bit. I am buying and shipping the bellhousing flywheel and clutch from what appears to be a 54 or 55 3 speed manual from a Chrysler Hemi could be dodge idk it's not long though. I had found a 53 3spd od trans in a 53 Plymouth I wanted the o/d trans and wouldn't mind do the swap into the actual car but I'm undecided on that I like the business coupes. That's why I was asking the interchangeability of the 3spds. The semi auto trans in some of the cars as I understand it have the same pattern on the 3spd trans but a different input shaft since it is essentially the manual 3spd but with my bell it won't be as long as the clutch and torque converter and would set the engine back is what I'm ***uming maybe wrongly.
Sorry for the confusion the weird clutchless manuals and semi automatics in some cars has confused me quite a bit. I'm trying to select the best project car for the swap now that I have the parts to swap it in. I'm trying not to cut the driveshaft. Id like to get an overdrive car, if not I'll just upgrade latter when i get more money. Im building a mid to late 50's drag car pre "g***er" style my budget is probably similar to someone attempting to build a car then except parts are alot more expensive. I'm a horrible welder but I can weld which explains why I'm trying to Lego this car together (find as many factory parts to make the car as I can)
Hello! anyhelp is appreciated!! I Have a 1953 Coronet Coupe with the 241 Red Ram and the GyroMatic Trans. If i wanted to swap ******'s for a 3 or 4 on the floor, which ****** would be best for this application? thanks in advance!
I suggest you read through my several preceding posts in this thread to get some idea of the various factory component combinations built by Mopar in that period. It is sort of complicated to comprehend if you haven’t had hands on experience with Mopars of that era. And floor shift complicates it even more. Given all that, my recommendation would be to source an aftermarket adapter kit that would couple Mopar V8s from the early ‘50s thru ‘61 to a GM or Ford bellhousing and use a newer GM or Ford 3, 4 or 5 speed trans with the common floor shift systems. The best bet may be the BW T5 transmission because it has 5 speeds, 5th is OD and they are all floor shift. You likely will have to relocate, modify or replace your stock engine/trans support crossmember. There are numerous sources for these trannies in OEM applications with various gear set ratios. look into www.britishV8.org for a comprehensive list of OEM T5 applications. Or, keep it simple and find a Mustang 5.0 T5 from the late ‘80s to early ‘90s and call it a day. Ray
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