Thread: Hemi Engine Transplant

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Evening fellow board members......i need some sugestions, help or your opinion. i am presently installing a 392 hemi & 700R4 in my 33 plymouth coupe and need to know the best way to locate the motor mounts in the engine compartment as to how high or low the motor should sit????? maybe someone knows of this swap that was done by someone else and can get me that information.............
Thanks

I diddnt know the 700R4 would bolt up to that engine. Anyway, draw out per scale the existing mounts on a pad. then draw in youre engine. Make sure that you will be able to locate a oil pan that will clear, as well as a set of headers. Then, simply get a set of custom mounts welded. Hope this helps.

As your finding out each swap is unique, and in some cases may involve compromise.

I'm doing a 354 Torque-Flight/37 Dodge PU swap. I wanted to keep the crankshaft centerline close to what the origial drivetrain was, which also would center the cooling fan on the water pump in the radiator.

Problem number 1: The floor on the 37 is flat with no tranny hump, and the TF case is much larger than the old 3 spd. To cure this problem, most of the swaps I've seen on pickups of this era set the engine way too low for my taste. My solution was to remove most of the floor (a previous owner had already butchered the firewall so that will have to be rebuilt anyway). This gave me the clearance for the tranny.

Problem number 2: This engine had been in a 57 Plymouth (long story) and to fit in that car had to use a 57-58 Chrysler oil pan which is the same one your 392 would have come with. These pans are center sump and would not clear the steering rack. 331-354-392 oil pans and pickups interchange and the 56 and older and industrial pans are generally rear sump and not usually as expensive as an aftermarket or custom pan.

With the front end sheet metal off I used a chain hoist (they don't leak down like a cherry picker will) and engine leveler to place the engine and tranny exactly where I wanted it to sit. After measuring height, level, distance to firewall, pan clearance, etc several times and standing back and looking at it several times (to include checking fender clearance by setting them on the truck) I started on the mounts. A real time saver was to build the rear tranny crossmember first to center the rear of the tranny, but not bolt it down so it could be moved a little as I was centering the engine. I bolted the motor mounts to the engine (I'm using a set of mounts from a stationarly industrial Hemi application). Using cardboard I started by making templates from the mount to the crossmember. After I was satisified, I built the mounts and tack welded them in place. With the eninge sitting in place I reameasured everything several more time before I finished welding them in place.

Problem 3: The fenders would not clear the heads which I found out while trial fitting the motor. By triming the fenders a little I got enough clearance to make it work, and by triming the lower edge where the hood side curtains roll under to a 90 degree angle, they can also be used if I choose to.

Problem 4: The Hemi's are WIDE, and to hook up the steering a custom steering column had to be made, along with a steering shaft that is 3 piece with appropriate steering joints and couplers.

Problem 5: the nose of the truck is narrow, so custom brackets are going to be built for the PS, AC and Alt to move them closer to the eninge.

At this point my engine is set in and a cardboard template is made for the firewall and floor. The shop is plugged up with some other projects currently so the PU is currently on hold, but I should get back to it in the next few months.

There's a couple pictures in my gallery that show the engine sitting in the truck if your interested.

I started to think about motor mounts for my '32 ford/331 hemi project and realized that the hemi block mount tabs are at the front of the block. I'm not keen on having the rear mount all the way back at the end of the Powerglide. I hope to exchange the Wilcap adapter plate I bought from them at the L.A. Roadster swap for one with the side tabs so I can put my mounts there.
This might not be a big concern with a 700R4, but I thought I'd chime in.

Originally Posted by Tee Gee

I started to think about motor mounts for my '32 ford/331 hemi project and realized that the hemi block mount tabs are at the front of the block. I'm not keen on having the rear mount all the way back at the end of the Powerglide. I hope to exchange the Wilcap adapter plate I bought from them at the L.A. Roadster swap for one with the side tabs so I can put my mounts there.
This might not be a big concern with a 700R4, but I thought I'd chime in.

Glad to have you here, but know that you've "chimed in" to a thread that's from 2004. What's great is that MikeP last posted, and he's still here, active on the forum today!! Not often that happens, for sure.

Yeah I haven't been active on this site but I was searching for interesting threads and ones that pertain to my current projects. I intended for my post to be both informative to and maybe bring my some input from other members.

i know the 392 with a blower is a tight fit in a 29 ford A just let it hang out . no hood tin was going to work . steering was fun

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

i know the 392 with a blower is a tight fit in a 29 ford A just let it hang as no hood tin was not going to work . steering was fun

you can work out were the center line of the crank is on the 34 in the photo