Which Hemi and why in my 36 Dodge truck?

You can spend a lot on unessesary bling/eyecandy.

 

Gotta ask....who has either?
Body/frame parts to help complete mine
Seeking hemi as well

 

...specifics would be helpful...

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73RR....
In order of preference
392 Chrysler
354
331
It all depends on whats being offered, etc...

 

Should I not stay away from extended bell housing blocks?
If so which ones are they so I can id when the opportunitycomes along.
Just trying to keep costs down

73rr...thanks for the tip..a little pricey unless it doesnt need rebuild soon

 

The only long tails are Chr 331 51-3(in theory some 54s) In the past you were limited on what ******s you could get an adaptor to work, maily sticks. IF you're planning a stick the engines are somewhat cheaper. The extended tail may cause fitting problems beyond the usual encountered in fitting a hemi end. Gary is/was? working on an adaptor for putting (C4 or 904?) behind them.
On saving money the 354 & all of the high decks have decent nominal C/R. The Dodge & DeSoto low decks are low nominal C/R, around 7:1 & some have measured out close to a full point lower than that. With the higher nominal C/R you might just use Egge cast pistons. With the low C/R engines custom forged would be the way to get decent C/R. The replacment 331 cast pistons are 8.5 that match the '55s nominal C/r.

 

Late to the thread, but I'll throw in my .02.

I've got a '37 Dodge that I'm going to put a hemi into, although I've got a few OT musclecar projects to deal with first. I swear, it'll get done some day!!!

BUT, I will say that putting a 392 into a '36 is probably going to require cutting the fenders to clear. I've seen ONE Chrysler hemi in a '37 PT50 (same body as a '36 Dodge) that didn't have its fenders cut to clear the valve covers. It ran a MII front suspension, and you'd have to pull the fenders to pull the valve covers. But, that big 'ole Chrysler was under the fenders!

I definitely had visions of running a 392 in mine, but I've changed that back to a 291 DeSoto or maybe even a 270 or 315 Dodge. I want the hemi, but I also want to keep my stock beam axle and my fenders intact. A 330 would be a better choice than the 392 for clearance, although it will still be tight. The engine bay is plenty long enough, but even with the engine sitting on the firewall the fenders taper in dramatically, which makes putting a Chrysler hemi pretty entertaining if you don't want to cut the fenders for valve cover clearance.

Now, if you don't mind cutting the fenders, any of them will fit.

 

That statement cant be used to describe early hemi builds. the cheapest would be to build a 331. the engines are cheap enough and you can find aftermarket parts much easier than all the other blocks.

 

Actually, in todays market, that would be a bargain for a core 392 even with some truck freight... but I certainly understand that we all have budget constraints.

...still working on the c4 adapter...Just don't have piles of cash to devote to the project since Momma decided she wants to build a new house...
The adapter will happen, and I had hoped for this Spring, but, well, spring is now here. Maybe later this year.

Only if you include the cost of the core engine will the rebuilding cost vary alot. The 'little' guys certainly cost less than a 354 and they cost alot less than a 392. But, the overall difference between a 241 and a 331 is negligible, and the machine shop costs should vary little.
The 'extras' are where folks lay down piles of cash...chrome this, aluminum that, adapt something else....
At the demands of a customer, we piled on some bling awhile back on a 392 project...almost $2000 for a little bit of aluminum and chrome.
NONE of it made horsepower! NONE of it made the engine more reliable.

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I run a 57' 325 Dodge hemi. Smaller in dimension and weight than a Chrysler, has all the good looks and makes good power. Plenty of speed stuff available at Hot Heads.

 

New here on this subject. Looking for a dodge 241-270-315-325 to put in my 52 ply wagon. Would like to use a t5 or tremec 5sp. What do you have, what does it need and how much? Thanks, herb

 

I would like the name and number for this fella! Looking for a hemi and 5spd combo for my 52 ply wagon! Thanks, herb

 

Herb ......pls stop jacking my thread
start your own.
Note to the rest here...
Most are good, very good posts....What I learned so far
This will cost more than sbc...hmmm
Do prefer early hemi look & sound
Need to make sure ....rear sump, non ext bellhsg, make all adptrs if possible
While searching for blocks did notice prices vary....even for the 331 $500-1500
Some run, spin, or froze up. And I mean any where in that price range.
Even got some shipping quotes that were reasonable...some not
So...on we proceed
***uming i get a local 37 frame....I will probably use the stock suspension as much
as possible to save $$.
Is this viable? Or do I just put in the mustll?
Auto or stick? Which would have less concerns with early hemi?
Been hearing torque flite 3 spd?
who's got parts?

 

******: go with the type you want! Do you want a stick or A/T? If A/T I'd go with the small block 727. Simplest thing is an A/T with a floor shifter like the Z Gate. Who has parts? Was that directed @ the engine or ******? If engine: Gary "73RR" is Quality Engineered Components, T R Waters has parts, so does Hot Heads. Besides the 4 Sale section here, Hot Heads has a Cl***ifieds section, there's E Bay, & Craigslist.

 

like I said, 36dodgeram on the HAMB has maybe has 2k into his engine/****** build with all the adapters for a 350T ******. That 1954 331 (short bell housing) was made for that truck and really there isn't much fabbing to do, you can reuse what ever is there and it works great. Everything is stock, the only thing he had to do was trim the fenders

Here is a link with pictures:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=632610

 

Tanks 59apache....
I did talk to him and I am leaning in that direction. He was/is a great help
331 with auto

 

It was designed as a truck for truck-kinda-work, so the frame should be adequate for a dd.
MII ? no $$ savings there. If you need IFS then consider the Jag. Dunno about the width, but they are still damn fine systems even after 26 years.
Plenty of suppliers and donor cars can be had cheap.

TF or manual? The TF is pretty straight forward, the only add-on to an adapter package will be the part-throttle kick-down linkage. It is required.
If you want manual it is possible to do it without an adapter if you locate the appropriate oem bellhousing. There were several used by Dodge in cars and trucks that are 'kinda' short to accomodate modern input shaft lengths. A few notes on my web site about this. You can use a hyd slave or, get creative with a hyd T/O.
All of the EarlyHemi (exc 51-53 331) and Poly variants as well as the pre-62 A engines use the same adapter package (or bell-flywheel parts).

There are plenty of engine parts suppliers; inventory and prices will vary not only with the supplier but for the engine you finally choose.

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I've had some practice putting an early hemi in a '36 Dodge. Not as hard as it looks. Here is my recipe for anyone attempting this:

Yes you will spend a lot on the rebuild, even shopping around and having a friendly local shop, staffed by old men familiar with these engines, I spent around 3K. Add intakes and adapters, bling, etc, the sky is the limit. Just stuff the receipts in a shoe box, but don't ever add them up! Don't spend much extra on a "running" engine, it probably needs rebuilt anyway.

My 331 went in without cutting the frame or firewall, I did have to remove the original transmission crossmember. Hot Heads engine mounts located the engine perfectly, by switching the stock motor mounts left for right. Nice and low, it cleared the floor and stock axle. Fab a trans crossmember, remove a couple rear leaves. Stock front springs only sagged 1 more inch, it rides smoother now.

You will have to move the stock steering box back to the firewall, just lengthen the drag link, and shorten the steering column. My stock radiator cooled the 230 flathead for 25 years, wouldn't cool the 331 for an hour! Relocate the stock gas tank behind the rear end. Choose a rear end, early 70's Nova fits perfect.

I agree with some earlier posts, I used the hemi for the looks, and sound. It delivers both perfectly! There are easier and cheaper combinations. I showed this truck with a flathead for 30 years, everyone walked past it. With the Hemi, they come looking before I can park it. Yes the hemi is worth every penny you will spend, and relaible as anything else. I've had no problems.

I hope this helps anyone with '36 to '38 Mopar trucks. Here is a couple pictures to show It Fits!

 

Here's a real nice example of what you can do with a '51-'53 extended bell 331 Chry. The only items not original to the motor are the '54 heads & 4 bbl intake.

 

I hope this helps anyone with '36 to '38 Mopar trucks. Here is a couple pictures to show It Fits![/QUOTE]

Try and put hoods sides on it without blisters, won't happen. And cutting/notching fenders to me seems a little silly also but that's just me. You both have very nice trucks, just don't want a new builder to think they will be running a full hood with this set up. Nothing wrong with hoodless as long as it's got a Hemi I guess............................

 

I have noticed $$$ vary even for the same condition ones out there. Still on the learning curve. Leaning towards something in the 3** cubic range considering wt vs hp?

 

In the weight/size to Cubes you're looking at a high deck. A high deck Dodge is better than a low deck DeSoto, A high deck DeSoto would probably cost a bit more than a 331, but you get same or more cubes in a smaller lighter package. A 341/345 puts you close to the 354.

 

Once again... I don't understand why everyone is so afraid of early 331's with the extended bell housing. Sure, not as easy to mount an automatic transmission behind, but they are AWESOME for mounting a manual behind. AND, you can do just about anything to them that you can do to a standard 331 and 354, with a lot of the parts being interchangeable. Oh, and they are reasonable on the wallet.

So feel free to send me all your ****py extended bell 331 blocks.

BTW... this ****py 331 is an extended bell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxAW3oV8tw8
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AxAW3oV8tw8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Now checking into buying a mopar 8 3/4 rear end, its been narrowed to 55"+-,
will this be strong enough for an early hemi with torque?

 

They were used for 426s & 440s, Have you decided on a CID yet?

 

Yes....a 3** that fits into the budget

 

With a 3** and a 727 an 8 3/4 is plenty strong for anything short of dropping into gear from neutral at high RPMs, maybe even then. People often over cam, carb, ****** & rear axle cars. in the early 80s a saw a line of Aspen/volares in a junkyard. they were, of course mid 70s cars and not 60s muscle, but I was suprised when I noticed the 225 /6 with stick cars were 8 1/4 axled and the 318/904 cars had 7 1/4 in them.

 

An idiot in an engine shop can screw up a rebuild of ANY engine, it is not exclusive to the early hemi engines.

 

...but can happen when an EarlyHemi rebuild is given to a shop that does not often do any Mopar work...

.

 

An idiot in an engine shop can screw up a rebuild of ANY engine, it is not exclusive to the early hemi engines.[/QUOTE]



...but can happen when an EarlyHemi rebuild is given to a shop that does not often do any Mopar work...


That's a fact! Some shops just machine them like a regular sbc, but the "seasoned" builders of these motors have the torque plates to do it the right way. My buddy ended up with a set that I am going to use in my next build, and I am praying the machine shop I am using knows what they are.


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So many projects..so little time