New project with a huge motor

[HotrodLono]

- an official, "Made in Canada" model

[Plymouthy Adams]

That hood ornament would be the first thing in the trash can..

[Tim Keith]

A 265 with 1/8-inch overbore would yield 283 inches. That's a huge motor, by my standards.

[Mark Haymond]

I have a 50 Plymouth. The bench seats and ride are very comfortable. With the V8 and automatic, modern brakes, and rack and pinyon, you could enjoy driving that car. If you keep the 318 stock, it will start every time and be boringly reliable. You can use it to make rescue runs to your friends who are on the roadside with carb, electrical, and mystery problems with their tweaked out high performance projects.

[HotrodLono]

I have a 50 Plymouth. The bench seats and ride are very comfortable. With the V8 and automatic, modern brakes, and rack and pinyon, you could enjoy driving that car. If you keep the 318 stock, it will start every time and be boringly reliable. You can use it to make rescue runs to your friends who are on the roadside with carb, electrical, and mystery problems with their tweaked out high performance projects.

I'm following your thinking Mark. I dont plan to hop it up, stock is fine.

All my buds and myself are into pre muscle cars. We're also all card carrying members of BCAA ( free towing)... just in case.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have a 50 Plymouth. The bench seats and ride are very comfortable. With the V8 and automatic, modern brakes, and rack and pinyon, you could enjoy driving that car. If you keep the 318 stock, it will start every time and be boringly reliable. You can use it to make rescue runs to your friends who are on the roadside with carb, electrical, and mystery problems with their tweaked out high performance projects.

if the tranplanted 318 is boring then what would the stock flathead 6 engine be? The 318 in any state of tune will be hoot in the older hoopies especially compared to the stock eng and trans..even given you did not upgrade the rear, that would only make the 318 more fun off the line....if not I cannot begin to guess at what went wrong with your transplant...

[40P10touring sedan]

HotrodLono, The ford idea was fine but not without it's added hassles for size...the new 318 idea is an easier project imho -your car though so my opinion counts for squat...lol- I'd keep the donor motor trans and rear end all together and try to de smog the car as much as possible so you don't have to try and mount all or any of that stuff in your car.

This isn't the AARC, or we'd all be over there with our 100% stock cars...in this forum you have found the fairly purists{and more power to them} and those of us who build what we like of our cars. Build yours however you like but do stay around for the rest of us, who like you, "tweek" alittle. Your among more friends than enemies!

BTW, if I did ever go for a ford power plant my choices would be either the 351C or a 400M with the added stroke...but that's me...last car I played with 10yrs ago was a 70 cougar from bakersfield.

[40P10touring sedan]

if the tranplanted 318 is boring then what would the stock flathead 6 engine be? The 318 in any state of tune will be hoot in the older hoopies especially compared to the stock eng and trans..even given you did not upgrade the rear, that would only make the 318 more fun off the line....if not I cannot begin to guess at what went wrong with your transplant...

Boring even if the flathead was modded...maybe there too....they do have that danged rpm limit to get past. I'm keeping a flathead 6 simply to have the "hey, look at that" effect....raw speed, power and performance parts were never part of the equation...you can't liken a flathead 6 to a lil hemi or a small block..she is what she is and to me that's "cool". This is my path to drive down though and not everyone elses choice.

[Plymouthy Adams]

the physical size is not that much different..ford and mopar have similar dimensions small and big blocks given they each have the style water pumps that entend forward of the block due to the timing chain housings..the FE is a bit taller..but with these old hoppies..that is not a problem as it would be in a much later styled flat hooded vehicle..for a Ford small block..you can eliminate a good amount of that snout..I have never messed with any Ford big blocks in fabrications...

http://www.carnut.com/specs/engdim.html

[Plymouthy Adams]

Boring even if the flathead was modded...maybe there too....they do have that danged rpm limit to get past. I'm keeping a flathead 6 simply to have the "hey, look at that" effect....raw speed, power and performance parts were never part of the equation...you can't liken a flathead 6 to a lil hemi or a small block..she is what she is and to me that's "cool". This is my path to drive down though and not everyone elses choice.

not one time did I liken the 318 to the flattie I only commented on the fact that in your reply you thought the 318 would be a bit boring of a transplant..to that end I made my post...

[oldodge41]

Funny how we all read different things into a post.

"If you keep the 318 stock, it will start every time and be boringly reliable."

I took that as a compliment to the reliability of the 318 and the lack of required fiddling and maintenance to keep it that way. I am a huge fan of the small block Mopar but that 429 would have been cool too. I have a 360 on the stand I bought 10 years ago to rebuild for my Dart or the '41 but the slant six and flat head have really grown on me. I guess I have become a "six in a row" guy. My muscle car and street rod friends think I am nuts. I kinda like it that way. :p

[Plymouthy Adams]

in that light you are right..reliable is the 318 but still guess using the term boring with reliable..threw me for a loop...while not rockets and especially in the later years due to the 2.32 rear ratio that was stock with most of them for mileage purposes..they were not hot off the line and this may is where I attributed the fact some may think it boring..sad part is the A500 and A518 were in production at the end of the car RWD era yet the car never got this..the fact one could use a 3.23 for the 1-3 gears and the OD getting you back to eco mode would make the car very performance minded in comparision to what they were..and be so close to the 2.32 in OD that it would not be worth mentioning..

[HotrodLono]

Final game plan in place.

After days of reading, researching and filtering and I DO MEAN days, I've got a game plan for the build.

On the underside: Areostar coils, fatman drop uprights, scarebird disk kit.

Rear end from an S10 4 x 4, 3 inch lowering blocks.

Motor/ tranny and all I can pull from my lebaron (318 auto- power brake master)

Roof: 7 inch chop in front 8.5 in back, shaved ,frenched headlights and so on.

The final look will be:

Work will begin as soon as I finish the door panels for the interior in my Shoebox. I'm looking forward to it, it's going to be a fun little car.

Edited December 10, 2012 by HotrodLono

[Mark Haymond]

First you dream the dream. And I like the photoshop concept images of your new project. I think you're going to pull this off well. Please stick around this forum and let us know how it goes.

Re boring: I meant the reliability would be boring. No weekly roadside emergencies, no call from the wife saying the car stalled at the traffic light, no drama on the way to a car show, no guy at the auto store who says they can't source that gasket or water pump. Stock reliability can be a good thing.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Mark..going back I see your reference..I was on a tangent..blew right through that like a runaway freight train....I have never found reliability boring...but if you are one that must always fidget on things..the 318 will surely disappoint you as it will run with the least amount of care of about any engine out there..to that end one would be right at home with about any little British car...the common known tendency of working on it through the week so you can drive it on the weekend is not far from truth..but dang they are fun...

[HotrodLono]

my measurements on the chop are not accurate but at least you get an idea of the roof line i'm after.

[Scruffy49]

I like where you are going with it. I've toyed with the idea of replacing my blown up 218 with the 318 out of my 69 D100 more than once. And would do so if it wasn't for that pesky rear mount distributor. I'm looking for a nice 352-390 FE and C6 to replace my stock 318/727.

If those are 15" wheels on that car you have the wheel covers I've been hunting for all over this area. I have one on my 49 B1B-108, it looks great but have had zero luck finding any more of them. You might consider test fitting those rims and covers to your 50 project... if not, what would you want for the covers? They'll clear the hubs on my truck...

And save the 429 for a hot rod Power Giant (57-60), Sweptline (61-71) or 62-66 F100...

[HotrodLono]

, what would you want for the covers? They'll clear the hubs on my truck...

And save the 429 for a hot rod Power Giant (57-60), Sweptline (61-71) or 62-66 F100...

$50.00 plus the trip if thats fair?

[thrashingcows]

I love the before and after pics...Think your car is going to look sweet!!

I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to swapping motors and trannies...like to keep the drive train brand loyal...but that's just me. But as others have said I'd prefer to see a Ford FE motor in a mopar, then just another belly button SBC.

I too had a 2dr M-body years ago...started a 440 swap into that car...too young, lots of time, little bit of skill, and no money....car ended up at the wrecker. But have lusted over those 2dr cars for years.

Good luck with your project...keep us updated...and I'll be following along with your build.

[HotrodLono]

thanks Brian.

I guess it was a little adventuresome to think of doing that swap. It comes from not having the car in front of me to be able to see what i'm up against.

Looking forward to getting into it for sure.

[BeBop138]

Really like what you have in mind---anxious to watch the build....thanks......Lee

[40P10touring sedan]

not one time did I liken the 318 to the flattie I only commented on the fact that in your reply you thought the 318 would be a bit boring of a transplant..to that end I made my post...

Didn't say ya did sir...."I" just said you can't liken a flathead 6 ...to anything but a flathead 6. Ya love em or hate em...

[40P10touring sedan]

What about mid 50's plymouth or chrysler tail lights?

{this coming from the guy who wants to run a pair of tombstone taillights on his car, so my styling thoughts may be suspect}

[OldDad67]

I like where you are going with it. I've toyed with the idea of replacing my blown up 218 with the 318 out of my 69 D100 more than once. And would do so if it wasn't for that pesky rear mount distributor. I'm looking for a nice 352-390 FE and C6 to replace my stock 318/727.

If those are 15" wheels on that car you have the wheel covers I've been hunting for all over this area. I have one on my 49 B1B-108, it looks great but have had zero luck finding any more of them. You might consider test fitting those rims and covers to your 50 project... if not, what would you want for the covers? They'll clear the hubs on my truck...

And save the 429 for a hot rod Power Giant (57-60), Sweptline (61-71) or 62-66 F100...

Have you ever considered a Packard? Just kidding, now I'll hear some flack!

[Scruffy49]

I'd run that. I'd even run a 289 Studebaker if it looked that nice. Wish i could get my alcohol 340 or my 392 Hemi back, but they are long gone.

Ah well, I do have a 413-3/727 combo in one of the old toys. And just got 5 wide whites for the 49 project (already mounted one up, they look some kind of good). 15s for the driver wheel/tire combo, 16s with wide whites for showing off... and have a lead on spotlights and the correct radio for the 49! Cheap (even better)!