Thread: how to put a v-8 in???

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i need some more advice how hard is it to put a 350/350turbo in where a flat six/three speed was? and where the hell do i start>????

Would be nice if you could get one of those mock up foam engines and trans units to set on your empty frame. That should give you a good idea of exactly how it should go in, where the all of the mounts and supports should go or would be needed.

Never made this type of swap myself so, you will need some expert advice from one of the frequent engine swappers in residence here to help.

just have to jump in and get your feet wet .. set it in a place where you wont have to modify your stock oil pan then make mounts for everything else..

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If the vehicle was ever stock with a 350 ( or a sibling ) the sweetest way is to buy one with the 350 in, and then you have everything you need.

I once put a 302 into a 68 falcon, which was straight six stock.. the donor engine came from a 68 galaxie, complete with engine mounts, trans brackets, etc. The swap was very easy.

I bought the galaxie for the motor, and after I finished the swap, I sold the galaxie body to recoup some of the co$t.

There are alot of companies that offer mount kits. I put a 454 chev in my 59 pickup, made my own mounts, more fun that way. Headers cleared steering and everything. Now if I only knew how to get the picture off my phone to put up here?????

I am thinking this short list is more what you are looking for:

engine mounts
exhaust
radiator
radiator hoses
throttle & transmission brackets
A/C, alternator, power steering brackets
flywheel or pressure plate
transmission bell housing
shifter linkage
trans mount
driveshaft
fuel line
electrical harness

what did come in a plymouth in 49 or around that year as far as a v-8,i dont know myself but maybe some old skool rodders in here would!i guess ill have to sink or swimm!!!! Damn i love this stuff.. i want to hit the ground run'in on it but got to play it smart.i sure thank all of you for the input.i dont now any one around here that is even into cars unless they buy them built.

an early HEMI V8 would fit as they were introduced in Dodge/ Desotos in 1950.. You could put in a 331 Desoto Hemi in it fairly easy.. A Early Poly engine would also fit, they are not as desirable as an early HEMI so they'll be cheaper.

Originally Posted by 49 club coupe

i need some more advice how hard is it to put a 350/350turbo in where a flat six/three speed was? and where the hell do i start>????

That combo fits old fords too.

Hey! it's a MOPAR, a 440 and 727 swap would be sweeter! saw one in a '50 Dodge wagon at one of the local cruises,also saw a '48 plymouth with a 360 and 904 real nice fit.There are a lot of MOPAR sites on the web you may find some info and pics.

thanks guys ill keep you posted on the progress!!

I'm not real sure that anybody has answered your question!!! The easy way is to find somebody else that has the same car/engine combination that you have, and ask them. The hard (read normal) way to do it is as follows.
1---Before anything else. measure from firewall to inside surface of radiator core. Write that measurement down somewhere so you don't forget it. Remove car hood. .2---Pull old engine and tranny out, and unbolt driveshaft from rear universal and remove it.
3---If you haven't already done so, remove radiator and set it aside.
4---Beg, borrow, or steal an engine hoist of some kind, pick up new engine and tranny (as a unit)---tailstock of transmission should be angled down at about 30 degrees from horizontal when hanging free.
5---Lower engine/tranny into gaping hole where old engine used to live. This assumes that you have crawled under car and determined that the car does not have an X frame of some kind that would interfere with the new transmission.
6---Lower engine into place---if the car has a solid rear crossmember where the original tranny mounted to, either remove it completely, or at the very least ensure that the tailstock of the new tranny is sliding in over top of it---(this requires having at least one friend or else 4 arms). I prefer having the old crossmember totally removed, as they will seldom be in the correct place.
7---Have a block of wood, or a number of flat peices of board, to set under the oilpan of the new transmission---8" is a good starting height.
8---This is where luck comes into play. If you are lucky, the engine can be lowered untill the carburetor mounting surface on the top of the intake manifold is close to level. (2 or 3 degrees too high at the front of the motor isn't going to hurt anything)--the car is going to sink another 2 or 3" when the load of the engine is put on the front suspension.
9---Use a tape measure to center the engine in the car---and yes, the exhaust manifolds should be on the engine now, unless you really want to run custom headers$$$$$. If you have lived a pure life, the stock exhaust manifolds are not going to interfere with the steering box and the oilpan is not going to hit the front steering linkages.---If on the other hand, you have lived your life like me, there will be interferance, which will necessitate removing the stock exhaust manifolds, and fabrication of custom exhaust headers at a later date.
10--Now the painfull part---Slide the engine towards the rear of the car, as you lower it, untill you have about 3/4" between the firewall and the back side of that Chev engine rear mounted distributor. Again, if you are one of the lucky people on this earth, the engine bell housing is not going to interfere with the transmission tunnel and firewall in the car body--otherwise, its cutting torch time.
11---Now, the engine is centered side to side, and fore and aft, and reasonably level. Remember that measurement that you took from the firewall to the inside face of your radiator???---Well, set a 20" diameter peice of plywood against the front of the engine fan blades. and see what that measurement is from the firewall. In a perfect world, it should be about 1" less than the dimension to the face of the radiator.--You have a few options here---A--most chev engines use a spacer behind the fan blades, which can be shortened a bit (on a lathe). B-Chev engines have a long nose, and a short nose waterpump. which will both fit most chev V8 engines---that will buy you about an inch, by swapping from a long nose to a short nose waterpump. c---Sometimes, on some cars, the radiator support cradle can be moved a couple of inches towards the front of the car, for additional clearance. D--Getting rid of the mechanical fan completely, and going to an aftermarket electric fan can grab another 1 1/2" clearance. In a "worst case scenario" you will have to get out the cutting torch and cut the firewall of the car body away, and let the engine move rearward, untill you can get some kind of cooling fan in behind that radiator.
12---Okay, if the engine fits and doesn't require that you do major surgery to the car body, block the engine up from underneath (the old pile of boards under the oilpan trick) and level it from side to side. If you are lucky (again), the mechanical fuel pump, which is stuck out on the passenger side at the front of the engine is going to clear everything. If not, you may get away with removing the mechanical fuel pump and putting on a cover plate and gasket, then running an electric remote fuel pump which is not attached to the engine.
13--- Now---Pattern making skills. I strongly recomend that you use a set of stock Chev motormounts, at least for the part that bolts to the engine---This will have the urethane anti vibration block molded to the mounts.---We are not planning on drag racing, so we don't really want a solid mount.---Trust me!!! Get out the construction cardboard, scissors, and pencil and make patterns from which you will cut 3/16" or 1/4" steel plates to attach these motor mounts to the frame of the car the engine is going into---(Yes, do use the side mounts, not the old Hearst style front mount, unless you want to flirt with broken transmission cases).There are about a million ways to make engine mounts, and I am not going to do an "in depth" on that---do some of your own eresearch.
14--- With the car blocked well so that it can not move, squirm underneath (this is the one time its nice to have a pit in the garage floor) and see what is needed for a rear crossmember/transmission mount. Again, use the stock Chev rear tranny mount with the urethane isolator block, and fab up some type of crossmember that will run from inside to inside of frame, with a plate in the center, offset to either front or rear of the actual crossmember that you can bolt thru into the Chev tranny mount from underneath. You may have to get creative and make a crossmember with a "dropped" center section to clear things. I prefer to use a 2" square tube with a minimum of 3/16" wall thickness. You could use round tube as well, but its not as nice to work with. Some people prefer to make these crossmembers a bolt in unit. I generally weld them solid to the frame at each end, because anytime I ever had to pull a Chev tranny, it was easier to pull the tranny and engine as a combo, and in that case the rear crossmember does not have to be removeable.
15---Fab up your motor mounts, try them for fit---this step is real important---TRY THEM FOR FIT with the motor still blocked up and level, hanging on the chains. Get them perfect and tack them into place on the frame.---Same with the rear crossmember.-REALLY GOOD TACKS!!!
16---Now your going to hate me---Unbolt the engine mounts and pull the engine and tranny BACK OUT OF THE CAR!!! Get in there and weld all the new motor mounts solid---Get under the car and weld the new crossmember solid. Clean up you welds and paint the engine compartment----This will be your only chance!!!
17---Lift engine on hoist, put it back in car. Pray that your fabricated mounts didn't move when you were welding them solid (thats why we wanted real good tacks on them).
18---Remove hoist, start fabricating exhaust system and figuring out a shifter.

A footnote to the above----In a perfect world, the centerline of the crankshaft should be parallel to and in line with the center of the car, when veiwed from above.---However--If buying an inch or 1 1/2" can save you a world of pain in terms of custom fabrication, then it is okay to offset the engine a bit to one side or the other. the universal joints will accomodate this with no problem.---In fact many vehicles actually come this way from the factory.---Brian

You can put any engine/trans into anything, and most of us have at some point. I doubt there is a conversion out there that has not been done already. Some body either here or on HAMB can probably even give you specifiics about your combo. The main point is to just jump in and start. Show your progress with your questions and the guys here will guide you through it.
John

You know what? thats what i needed!thanks alot.sometimes us younger rodders dont have to many freinds that do this $#!t and the older guys are usually to busy to help.Ive been so frustrated at this car that ive almost gave up a time or two.this place is probably the only reason i still have it.ill try and get some more pics of the things ive tried to do.plus i have had problems uploading pics.Besides have you seen the price of anything outher than a chevy engine? i would kill to have a 331 hemi but cant find a reasonable(my pocket book)price.