Hello everybody I'm The Rusty Nut, I made my introduction yesterday when I joined the forum. Now, I would like to introduce you to my current project "Miss Daisy". She's a 1950 C50 Imperial Limo and is all original down to the factory hydraulic power windows and 4wheel disc brakes. All though she only has 32,000 miles on her she's in desperate need of some attention. The factory flat straight eight is locked up pretty tight so it's comin out for now till I can get parts rounded up for a rebuild. Mean while I managed to pick up a pair of caddy 500s at my local boneyard and designated one for Miss Daisy. A TB400 or an overdrive will turn a newer rear end which I haven't decided on yet. The plan is to temporarily modernize the drivetrain with out modifying anything perminantly. Soon as I figure out how to post pics on here I'll load em up.
My goal for this project is to preserve its natural aged body with a coat of dull clear and restore the interior as close to factory as I can, doing the work myself. No I don't have much of any uhpolstery experience but I'm not afraid to jump in and learn. The drivetrain will be temporarily replaced with the caddy motivation as mentioned earlier just till I can get the original stuff refurbished. Why a caddy plant? Why not? It's different than the run of the mill small block Chevys we see everywhere. I'm not knockin the Chevys, I'm a chevy fan myself but like to see something different.
Has anyone attempted to put a caddy motor in a early '50s imperial. I've done some measuring and it looks like its going to be a close fit around the steering box. The fender wells will have to be removed to make room. Anyone know if fender wells from a regular '50 imperial will fit the limos? I'm not going to cut my stock parts.
I don't see much point in putting in a modern drivetrain if your going to "restore" the OEM drivetrain later. 500 Caddy should get the job done, I'd put in a Hemi or BB Chr. There's a wide choice of modern axles from the Big 3 that will fit with a spring perch change. 66-7 Chr C Body axle is supposed to be a bolt in.
Since the original motor was an inline, there isn't a lot of width in that engine bay. And Caddy motors are wide. So, maybe not the easiest engine to fit. You will have problems with the steering box with any v-8. Exhaust and starter are often trouble with any swap like this, more so with a big 500. If you want the easiest to fit, a SBF or SBC or Nailhead.
I don't know who you are trying to kid, us or yourself........but if you go forward with this swap the car will NEVER return to original. If you really wanted the stock flathead straight eight you would be spending your time, effort and money on rebuilding now, not embarking on a fairly difficult swap that will require removing and/or modifying parts essential IF the original power train were to actually be reinstalled. Just decide what you REALLY want and do that.
But I love this car. I think it would be a great cruiser. Modernizing is a good idea, but I think you need to plan it out better. Since you didn't ask , here's what I would do : Small Block Ford motor (preferably 5.8 roller motor, optionally stroked to 408 if you need extra torque and have the $$) which is narrow enough to fit in that compartment. Distributor up front means firewall can be left alone. AOD transmission actuated by original column shift lever. Will fit under floorboard. Get the proper cable and Lokar brackets. 8.8 rear end out of Explorer, or pre-91 Dodge Dakota, to keep the same bolt pattern. Stock wheels. Now, some options. Disc brakes are a must in today's traffic with a heavy car. So, option 1 is disc brake conversion on stock suspension. Option 2 is adding Power rack pinion steering. Cavalier unit, shorten steering arms to retain steering travel. Option 3 is FatMan or similar. Gives complete new front suspension. Use a serpentine belt or some complete stock system that will get you a/c and probably power steering. Hey, it's a limo. Power brakes, with underfloor or firewall mounted booster. Rebuild stock gauges with modern sending units. If you buy some spare suspension parts (harder to find for the big Chryslers then the 6-cyl models) the modifications needed for the disc and rack conversion could be undone. The rear end could be saved intact too. But let's face it, no one ever goes backwards from a well done modernized car that suits today's highways.
What a slop mess start. Leave the exterior aged? Temporary drivetrain? This project has all the making of a rat rod, or perhaps the usual he****-that's-too-expensive-to-restore-so leave-it nasty deal. What's wrong with using the stock straight 8? Not fast enough to put around town? And 4 wheel discs? I'm ***uming the OP has no clue that the 1950 Imperial used a very unique disc system that is very hard to find parts for and tricky to get right. A lot of projects never fly even when they are well conceived - this one is not even that.
Here's a chart that might give you some helpful engine dimension specs... http://www.carnut.com/specs/engdim.html Wonder how a Buick straight eight might work in a swap like this?
The Rusty Nut - A 1950 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine is a pretty rare car ... per the Imperial Club website, only 205 were built ... and very few exist today! I realize the H.A.M.B. is a Hot Rod forum ... but I'd say if this car is as nice as it sounds (complete & low mileage), it would make more sense to just rebuild the straight 8 ... and you'd have yourself a real cool cruiser. If you really feel the need to put a modern drivetrain in it, then why not stay MOPAR? ... Maybe a V-10 like Goodguy's '48 T&C: <object width="640" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AHTwpiojzKY?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AHTwpiojzKY?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> click4to view a 16 minute video
I used to have a 50 Windsor limo for many years and would like to find one that is in much better shape then the one I had,there was a 50 crown Imperial limo in the cl***ifieds that I was thinking about looking at but not sure if I want to mess with those hydraulic windows so I am going to keep looking for a Windsor or Desoto version. I had visions of a early hemi with a modern automatic trans and other goodies for a long distance cruiser but realized mine was way more work then I could handle at the time so I sold it to someone in South Carolina for parts for another that had history,I did have fun driving my rusty limo and probably should of kept it as I could use a long term project to work on during the winters.
If you plan on rebuilding the straight eight you might as well just do it and forget the engine swap. Any engine swap is going to take practically as long, and cost practically as much money. There is not just the engine to think of but trans, driveshaft, motor mounts, exhaust, etc etc etc. A straight eight or straight six Chrysler product is a tough one to do an engine swap on. The engine compartment is narrow and the steering box is in the road. There is no real good solution to this. I hate to admit it but a Chev 350 fits the best with the least interference. You may have to offset it a bit to the right. A Dodge 360 or 318 will fit with a little more h***le. Anything bigger and you are on your own. I'm afraid you have to go one way or the other. The idea you will spend a couple of months and a few thousand $$$$ bucks swapping in an engine, then go ahead and redo all your work again, after spending more thousands on rebuilding the straight eight, is just a pipe dream. I would take the head off the straight eight and figure out just how much work it needs. If the cylinders don't need boring and the crank does not need turning you can rebuild it with new rings, bearings and gaskets for a few hundred bucks. On the other hand if it is real bad (cracked block etc) it may be impossible to rebuild at any price. Rebuilding the original motor would be easier and cheaper, if it is not too far gone.
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