Torn between engines for my wifes 54 plymouth

voodoo wagon do whatever you want to do. my $.02 real hotrodders have been putting sbc in hotrods since nov 1954. read the history of the dream truck. main reason they fit the frames and crossmembers of the old cars even better than the flatheads. as years went by they became more plentiful. now the aspen diplomat k.memember you have to have pretty good fab skills plus they are ugly and prone to stress cracks. but itall depends on what you want your car

 

mopar all the way
my vote is for a 383

 

OK voodoo, Its time for an update! What say you?
Inquiring minds need some closure on this!

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I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Tex Smith Mopar book. It has a reprint of the article that Shadowmtkustomz shows on his blog. Excellent article for anyone considering doing this swap.
I am with the majority here who recommend the Mopar SB. They fit well, are inexpensive to buy, easy to work on, get reasonable fuel mileage, etc.
I did a sbc swap into a '52 Plymouth not long ago, it fought me a BUNCH! I didn't want to cut a bunch of reliefs in the frame, so it had to go in "just so", and I couldn't run a factory fuel pump- had to go electric. Also had to use a '56 Chevy left manifold, not nearly as easy to find as an A body Mopar left.
Nothin' wrong with an sbc, but I'd never recommend it to anyone after having done one.
BTW, I have three of those A body left manifolds if you need one.

 

I was thinking of doing this same thing with the motor out of my '98 dakota. a v6 w/ overdrive auto. would work well for your wifes car. could keep original rear and the ft. suspension adapt pretty well also....good luck

 

Is a 318 really that much more expensive to build than a SBC?
IMHO, the Mopar in a Mopar, Chev in a Chev, Ford in a Ford applies with 2 exceptions...
People (most) seem to be happy with a SBC in a Ford (Tbucket through to '48)
And, you can put a Hemi in anything!
The car wont be any more or less reliable or economical (and to be honest, the fuel is a small part of the running cost) wether it is a SBC or small block Mopar.
As has been said, the car will be worth more/easier to sell with a like brand engine.




But..bottom line is, it's your car, you do what YOU want with it.

 

Why all the hate for the most used or made motor ever SBC.
Plan on driving my coupe anywhere i wanna go. Dont really
think ill get good mpg but o'l well. should be pushing close
to 500 hp but then again that's all i ever owned was Chevy

 

Very Well Stated !!!! What the hell, do what everybody else does! Don't dare to be different, naw ...

 

I put a 350 / 350 in my '40 Plymouth, it dropped in like it was made for it. '79 Trans am rear fit the stock leafs, and a '69 Chevelle driveshaft fit without cutting. Drives great!

 

Where do people have such a hard time finding Mopar parts??? I can open up ANY performance catalog and find exactly the same make and type of part for BOTH SBM and SBC engines all day long! I can go down to the local parts store and say "I need a rebuild kit for a 350" and "I need a rebuild kit for a Dodge 360" and guess what? Both are in stock! And for damn near the same price, too! So, this lame-ass argument that "SBC parts are easier to find" is about as stupid as any argument gets! Or, maybe, it is just that there are a whole lot more broken-down SBC engines around that need fixing versus SBM engines!!! Hence, more parts!

"But, but, but, small-block Mopars are harder to work on and parts are more expensive!" Bullshit. If you have any wrench-turning abilities at all, you can work on BOTH! The only people that make the ridiculous points comparing parts price, availability, and ease-of-maintenance are people who have NEVER worked on anything other than a SBC. Period.

Oh, so I can't find a stupid cheap-assed Chinese chrome dress-up kit for my Mopar engine for $29.99, like you can a Chevy. Big friggin' deal.

It's YOUR car, put what you want in it, but ME? I'd keep a Mopar in a Mopar. But, just to piss off the Chevy guys at the shows, I plan on putting a stroker Mopar 400 or a 440 in my '65 Chevy panel truck!

BTW, I own BOTH Mopars and Chevys.

 

Rebuild the Flat head! Bore it, cam it dual carbs, dual exhaust, OD transimission and convert it to 12V. You will have a nice runner with History (In fact you 54 might have and OD transmission it already) P15-d24 for more details on parts