Projects 41 plymouth coupe 392 hemi build thread

Mounted the engine mounts on the 392. Going to test fit the engine and gearbox in the chassis on saturday! Hopefully all my measurement have been correct.

 

IF by some chance it doesn't fit, I'm sure there are several HAMBers who would sacrifice to take that Hemi off of your hands so you could get a motor that would fit. haha

Good luck!!!

 

Sounds like a good plan. Maybe a 350/350 combo will fit......

 

Eric,

I will glady pay the freight. LMAO That Hemi is Sweet!


BTW nice skirts for sure...Maybe I should hide my deep dish Weld Rod Lites, that way it will be a "Sleeper" as well.

Best of luck with the install, and check those pinion angles.

 

Thanks Glenn! The main reason I want to install the engine in the chassis is to make sure everything fits correctly and so I can work out my drivehaft length. Initial pinion angle on the rear will be set at 3 degrees down at driving height. From here I can work out if I need to tilt the engine/transmission futher to cancel out the rear angle. Having the triangulated 4 link should make minor adjustments easy. The maximum length of the driveshaft will be measured with the engine/shaft/rear being in one straight line. This way the driveshaft will never push into the gearbox too far.

 

Eric,

Yeah...Measure twice and cut once. LMAO Good luck, I can't wait to see more..."Get er done!"

 

One thing to note on the motor mounts. If you're using 'through bolts' that go through both block tabs (front to back), be very careful about how you tighten them. You may want to use a nyloc nut - so you don't try to tighten them to hold a lock washer. Just snug them up and go a bit more - not too much.

The best way is to use shorter bolts that only go through one block tab - such that you have bolts on both sides - that can be tightened. The reason is that it is very easy to put one long through-bolt, tighten it up and break the ears/tabs off the block. Many an early Hemi block has been screwed up by this . . . just wanted you to know if you were at this stage!

 

Yeah no kidding, I've cut things three times and they were STILL too short!

 

Thank you Bored&Stroked for the advice. I got the engine mounts and bolts through Hot Heads, and yes, they supplied separate bolts instead of long ones. These guys have been there before.

 

In that case you haven't cut enough, try a fourth time. This should work. Let us know how it went.

 

Well today is the big day! Going to move the Hemi from inside of the house into the chassis. I've must have measured a million times when installing the engine and gearbox mounts, it just has to fit. My brother in law Han came over early this morning to give me a hand.

There is a 2 foot drop into my garage when coming through the garden, so we fiddled around with some wooden supports and got it inside. Removed 4 of the chrome intakes and took off the gearbox to prevent it from swinging. Then moved the crane to above the chassis......looks like I'll have to remove the front wheel to get it in the right position.

 

The suspense is KILLING me!...

 

And what a day you choose Eric, Holland is the warmest place in Europe at the moment and you are struggling with 800 lbs.
Good luck and keep us updated.

 

I know, I know, but this morning I had the mobile crane AND my brother in law to help, so we got started at 08:30 while it was still cool outside. More progress pics soon...

 

All right, part two of the installation! Took the left front wheel off to get the mobile crane placed correctly. Lowered it all down carefully, lining up the engine and gearbox mounts. Without any force, got all the bolts exactly in place. YES! A perfect fit within a millimeter tolerance. Am I glad I spent countless hours measuring and measuring. This has made it all worth it and has been a perfect day!

After taking a few pics, we hoisted the engine/gearbox out of the chassis again and moved it back into the house. (for insurance purposes) Enjoy the pics!!

 

congrats!

 

Congrats on a good fit Eric. I do have a question for you, I was looking at picture four, specifically the upper A-arm of your suspension, and was wondering how you are going to adjust the camber. Is that bracket bolted vertically or are my eyes playing tricks on me?

 

please dont use rope to install that hemi ''

 

It's looking great!! Still trying to get over there. The company just got sold so I'm not sure how that will affect me.

 

Thank you OahuEli! I've dug up some old pics of my build for you. The "top hats" have slots in them where the bolts protrude through. Here you can adjust the camber. Hope this answers the question.

 

Cool, I've never seen that setup before. Must have missed the pic from the earlier post, or I'm suffering a case of age induced cranial flatulence.

 

just thought i would chime in, been watching for a while, sure is coming along nicley and that 392 is sick, got to give it to them old hemis!

 

Looking good, REAL good.

 

Thank you moparob and SlmLrd, the comments are appreciated. Hope to have the chassis ready for sandblasting and paint at the end of the month. (haven't decided whether to paint or powdercoat yet though) Once that's done I can finally start assembling. Been waiting for that moment for a long time. To mount something for the last time is going to be great!

 

Kinda funny, your last sentence made me think of a crazy ex girlfriend.
As for the paint or powdercoat, I'm told powdercoat will stand up to road chips better since its thicker and more uniform. It may be more expensive but worth it in the end.

 

Yes,powdercoat will stand up a lot.I've builded my bike twice and powdercoated the frame both times.The sandblaster guy,whose services i've used really hates that stuff.The parts has to be sandblasted before powdercoating.Glass will work too,i have blasted with glass aluminum pieces that i wanted powdercoated.
I have usually used paint remover for the parts,before i've taken powdercoated parts for sandblasting,so the blaster wont get nervous breakdown.
If you find a powdercoater who has enough big oven for the frame,just go for it!

 

Thank you guys. The only downsides to powdercoating I've heard/read are that stone chips are harder to touch up and that there is less flex in the powdercoat compared to a painted chassis. I've done some reading the last few weeks and I'm leaning towards powdercoating as well.....

 

'Course you could always paint it with a brush & roller, touch up would be a breeze...

 

It was a shame we didn't meet up last time. Hopefully you'll keep your present function within the company and we'll cross each others path soon!

 

Didn't have much time today to work on the body, but got the right rear fender mounted. It will need some minor adjusting before I can weld it on.

My buddy Martin had done a little work as well. Welded up the roof line above the passenger door and started cutting away a part of the rotten lower cowl. I'm actually thinking of buying this part, together with the rocker panels from the Plymouth doctor. This should save me a lot of time........still thinking what is wise.