SBC in early 50's Plymouth?

we did this to our 53 plymouth wagon no prob the speed way uni mounts just trim to fit and fab a tranny crossmember... sbc is the way to go

 

Put a Mopar in it . Keep it all Mopar .Tha way when you do your hole shot on cruise night ,park it and pop the hood, people will see that other engines perform well on the street besides a SBC.

 

Ah have a heart! We dont put mopars in your chevies. A good 340 (or 360) will give you anything your sbc will and your car will have some value besides.
right now down the road the Chevy guys wont buy a mopar and the mopar guys certainly wont buy a Mopar with a Chevy in it. I have often threatened to build a Mopar powered Camaro just to revenge this kind of thing but even I know that is WRONG.

 

A small block Chevy will fit in your stock Plymouth chassis with relatively few modifications. I put a 283 and aluminum Powerglide in a ’49 Plymouth, which is very similar. Almost any transmission you choose will require replacing the center cross member. I used a bolt-in cross member kit designed for a ’55-57 Chevy, but you could easily make one from straight tubing.


As you guessed, the steering box is in the way, but there are two common ways to get around it. I centered my engine/transmission in the chassis using a Hurst-type front motor mount plate. That placed the engine very close to the steering box, but I used ’55-56 Chevy exhaust manifolds. They are compact and mount high on the engine. They also dump well in front of the steering box on the driver’s side. I think Plym49 did his the same way.


(I included a picture, below. Note that it makes the engine/transmission angle look steeper than it is. I was test fitting a carburetor wedge because I was thinking about radically lowering the rear of the car. The engine/transmission angle is about 5 degrees with level suspension, so the wedge was unnecessary.)

The other way to get around the steering box is to offset the engine/transmission a little to the passenger’s side. That never occurred to me at the time. But there are other threads on this site explaining how others did it and, if I was doing it again, I would probably do it their way.

 

Drop the engine and trans in there for a test fit. You'll see pretty much what needs to be done. Pay attention to clearence for fan/radiator, exhaust/steering, bellhousing/firewall, oil pan/ steering links, etc. Set the engine so that the carb mounting flange is close to level. Take your time, get it straight, level, and centered. Measure a lot and write it all down for reference. Make your own cross-member or possibly modify the original. Make or modify some motor-mounts, or purchase "universal" ones. When you've got it all bolted in, measure for your drive-shaft...school yourself on this, it needs to be correct. Possibly ask your local drive-shaft guy...he'll direct you. Use these guy's suggestions concerning exhaust manifolds, then take it to your local Mr. Muffler for pipes and mufflers. Have confidence, but pay attention to details. Tip...cars that originally ran an inline motor usually have quite an indentation or "cove" in the firewall that serves beautifully for clearence for the rear-mounted distributors. Good luck. - Rick

 

Lowlife
Why do you have to put a V8 in?
I've just thrown a 245 Hemi 6 in mine with a Series 3 XJ6 Jag front end and Borg Warner rear (Aussie GM diff).
Picked up donor car for $200.
Should still drive OK, and it'll be different than every other SBC powered rod out there. The 245's big sister the 265 came from the factory with over 300hp, which is fairly respectable for a 6. Mine will only have 130hp, but it has no mods and still the single barrel Carter.

Hope to be driving in 2 weeks...can't wait.

Go with what you want mate. My 2 cents.

 

thanks again guys for all the info and input. Ive been thinkin maybe a slant 6 as a possible option here lately. I just pulled the original flathead last night and there was a hole you could stick your thumb through in the oil pan, quite the bummer. anyone kno anything about a slant 6? I can pick one up here locally thats still in the car and i can hear run with a tranny for $225. what do ya think?

 

I think you are better off with the SBC. Your car has high and tight inner fender panels so a slant six on the passenger side will have you swearing with frustration on how hard it is to maintain the dizzy.

Hate to break it to you MoPar bigots (and I am one myself as you might guess by my handle) but the SBC swap IS the TRADITIONAL swap for these cars. The SBC swap was the hot ticket in the late fifties and sixties.

The drivability, total cost of ownership and performance improvement will be the highest with the SBC. A side bonus is that it weighs way less than the flathead lump you are removing, so the balance of the car is improved.

 

Yes, I used the same driver side manifold.

Your swap looks super clean and the silver paint is a nice touch.

 

Sorry, this is simply your opinion.

A rebuilt 318/340/360 is just as reliable as ANY sbc on the road. And will perform just as well or better, as long as its not built or maintained by someone that works on SBC's. They're different animals. I'd be a lousy guy to work on an sbc too.

Cost? Ok, you have me on cost. The SBC is quite possibly the cheapest, most plentiful V8 engine on the planet. But why would you want that in your car? A small block mopar might cost a little more, but if you try to sell your mopar you'll see those expenses return and then some. As mentioned earlier, mopar guys won't want it unless they're gonna put something else in it (and therefore won't pay as much for it), and the chevy guys still won't buy it since its still a mopar on the outside.


Now, back to the actual thread-

Slant 6's are good engines and have a pretty large cult following. I've seen several turbo'ed /6's that were VERY impressive V8 killers. But it may cause clearance problems for you as plym49 mentioned. Although it would probably solve your steering box clearance issues! It will also be a swap with little or no reference help, as I doubt it gets done as often as a small block mopar or sbc. If I was going to go with a 6 I'd leave the stocker in there, it at least already fits. And what's more traditional than the original engine anyway, if we're going to let that make the decisions.

 

if you have the sbc it,s your best bet as i,ve said don,t be bully into something that you don,t want it,s a hot rod put what will work best for you the slant-6 is a good motor but i don,t think it,s a good chioce for you lot,s of clearance problems which will cause lot,s of $$$$ and you still have a 6 so you will put more $$$ just to get some power and cool factor but if your a 6 in a row guy go for it if you just want a good running car and you have the sbc that would be my chioce
good luck on what ever you chioce is

 

thanks again guys. I dont have a motor yet but am shoppin sure hard. i think im just gonna make myself go buy somethin this weekend so i can get started puttin it all back together. i was only thinkin the slant 6 because i figured it would be way easier to put in, but after all ive heard its lookin like sbc will be the way to go. im not anit mopar at all, its just that i have more bowtie wearers in my circle of friends. come to think of it im the only who even owns a mopar, let alone tries to work on one. but, in the end im still totally undecided. guess ill see what happens between now and sunday.

 

With the small block Ford being INCHES narrower than the Chevrolet, clearance issues could be a lot simpler with that engine.

That said, a 318 with stock suspension using A body (Duster,Dart, etc.) exhaust manifolds, and a rear sump truck pan sure sounds like sweet simple way to upgrade to a V8. No saddle mounts and overly restrictive log manifolds to clear stock steering components. No time consuming and/or expensive frame grafts either.

Still thinking about that subframe graft? Anyone that studies suspension geometry realizes how poor the 60s 70s GM (Camaro, Chevelle, etc.) suspension design really is. Break out your pencils, paper, and drafting gear, then compare all the Camaro suspension design parameters to the A body Chrysler for a real eye opener.

And as for those individuals that still think a small block Mopar (yes, even the Rodney Dangerfield of V8s, a 318) can't run with a Chevrolet, they just haven't been paying attention.

As for as cost; you can probably purchase a good running 318 as cheap or cheaper than just about any other small V8.

I get so tired of the "you gotta put a small block Chevrolet in it" types thinking that is the answer for every situation every time.

 

Amen Brother

 

In this swap, the small Ford is problematic because of interference between the front sump and the tie rods.

I don't think that anyone is saying that only Chevy motors should be used.

It just happens that putting a SBC into this vintage MoPar works pretty well, and, again, this was traditionally what was swapped into these cars.

 

I think that the legacy of some hundreds of millions of small block Chevy motors has answered the question of what works 'best'. Survival of the fittest, as they say, and like it or not those MoPar V8s just did not pass the test of time. That is not an opinion, it's a fact. The MoPar flattie lasted some 30 years, for whatever reason none of the later MoPar V8s did.

With a SBC you have the law of averages on your side. Break down in some lonely place on a Sunday, and which motor (at least in the contiguous United States) is the one that you are most likely to find parts or repair expertise for?

And as for the rest, I have done this swap: I did it when I was 16 and knew a hell of a lot less than I do now, and it turned out well. I love engine swaps and I like seeing unusual combinations, so you will never ehar me saying that it only has to be a SBC. I have a 322 nailhead in my rod, and as a matter of fact I don't like seeing SBCs in hot rods since they are way too common.

The OP did not ask about other motors, he asked how this one would work, and the cold hard brutal fact is that it works really really well.

I'll tell you the truth, I hate how limited the stock flathead 6 is. Now I love that motor also, and I have one in my 49, but damn they are weak in the lower end and in the lubrication. Slant six? Personally, I hate the look of any lay-down engine. If I was going to swap a straight 6 into one of these cars I would probably use a Jaguar XK DOHC hemi-headed straight 6. Torque monsters, killer looks and sounds, dependable as all get-out and since it is a tall engine it would fill up that MoPar engine bay quite nicely (another problem with the flatties is that the motor is way down low). My .02; YMMV.

 

well i finally bought a motor. I went out and bought a 350 with a 700R4. only issue is thats its TBI. Im gonna start another thread and TBI to carb conversion. any help on that would be great. thanks

 

Lowlife, how did your motor install go?

 

you obviously know NOTHING about mopar V8s "did not pass the test of time"? are you on crack!? whats that statment based off of? just cause chevy sold 1000000X more gives you a false sence of dependability cannot be the only fact you can go off of.