1950 plymouth engine swap

[Pushrod Scott]

hi folks, been a while since I was on here. I have some questions and hope to find some help. I have a 1950 Plymouth special deluxe with a bad flathead 6 in it. I have a 270 super red ram hemi I want to swap in. has anybody done it??? Pics??? what problems??? the hemi has a 4 speed trans with granny gear from a truck on it but I would really like to use the 3 speed column shift from the Plymouth, will the 3 speed work??? any info would be great. thanks

scott

[DJ194950]

May I first ask one question?

Is the hemi good to run as is?

I believe the answers could very well affect answers forthcoming.

Just me questioning as a hemi will look great but is it worth the time,changes needed, money spent?

DJ

[knuckleharley]

Really nice looking car,but if your money is tight you could probably sell the hemi for enough to buy a good 318 and 904 to put in it if you want a V-8,and have money left over to update the braking and exhaust.

Or if you are in love with the idea of a hemi in your Plymouth,you could always look around for a bolt-on early hemi 2 speed auto trans setup. Almost zero demand for them,so if you can find one it would be cheap.

 

Or there are always adapters from outfits like Hot Heads to bolt a modern 3 or 4 speed auto trans to your hemi. By the time you buy everything it's not exactly cheap,though.

[Plymouthy Adams]

many things to look at prior to that final decision to cut and move forward....steering issues due to encroaching with the drip in V8. exhaust issues, room for fan/radiator position and connections or at least be open for modifications.  Inner fender if actual protection from elements and overall looks.  battery relocation could come into play along with heater relocation or upgrade to different factory setup or aftermarket.  Electrical will come into play also and am sure the list goes on these are the first that pop out of my mind...

[Pushrod Scott]

the hemi is a good one, running with 43,000 actual miles, no smoke at all. I have another flatty stashed away but it needs rebuilt. the hemi has a trans but it is a big trans which would mean a lot of firewall work too. I also have a mustang 2 setup, but I was trying to find the quickest easiest install.

 

 

[Niel Hoback]

1 hour ago, voodooking said:

 "Trying to find the quickest easiest install."

That would be a 23" flathead six.

 

 

 

[dpollo]

I jigged up a Red Ram 241 with the long bell housing as used in 54 and a standard 3 speed with overdrive.  This was in a 52 Plymouth convertible which originally had a 23 inch 217.  The obstacle was the starter and the steering box as well as the driver's side exhaust. The oil pan was also a problem.  I sold the RedRam and am going to use a 230 with Fenton equipment and a 3/4 cam. I am not saying this swap is impossible, but it is going to be challenging.   I have installed a 283 Chev in a 50   (easy) and a 225 Slant six ( not so easy).  I agree with Neil Hoback.

[Pushrod Scott]

thanks, you have talked me out of the swap!!! think I will just put the hemi in my 54 chevy truck, and put a six in the Plymouth!

 

[Niel Hoback]

Good plan !!

[knuckleharley]

4 hours ago, voodooking said:

thanks, you have talked me out of the swap!!! think I will just put the hemi in my 54 chevy truck, and put a six in the Plymouth!

 

I'm thinking you are going to end up happy that you did. You can drive the Plymouth all day with a 218 Plymouth or 230 Dodge flat 6 in it at 55-65 mph,so what else do you need out of it? It's too heavy to be a race car and not heavy or long enough to safely pull a travel trailer,so unless you drive in the mountains all the time,the flat 6 will serve you as good as anything else.

Edited July 4, 2017 by knuckleharley

[Plymouthy Adams]

13 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

.........................,so unless you drive in the mountains all the time,the flat 6 will serve you as good as anything else.

so tell me, those folks that owned these cars and drove them in the mountains daily....how did they do this....?

Edited July 4, 2017 by Plymouthy Adams

[knuckleharley]

1 minute ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

so tell me, those folks that owned these cars and drove them in the mountains daily....how did they do this....?

Slowly,and often in 2nd gear on the steeper grades.

This didn't bother most of them in the early 50's because most of their driving was on 2 lane mountain roads where sometimes 35 MPH might seem insanely fast.

Anybody that thinks you can pull 7 degree grades in a 50's or earlier flat 6 car or truck todays 4 lane interstate highways and keep up with the 65 MPH traffic is delusional. Different times,different conditions.

Don't believe me,get off the interstate and on a highway like Va 33 heading towards West Virginia or back from W Va to Va in your modern car or truck and then tell me how fast you drove. The road is so damn narrow and curved in places it was impossible for me to stay in my lane in my extended cab 3/4 TON PU while towing my trailer. I think it would have been impossible even without the trailer.

Then take your flat 6 car or truck out on the 4 lane interstate heading in the same direction and see if you can keep up with the traffic.

[Plymouthy Adams]

grew up in WV....know many of the roads well....but this did not prevent the car from being used back in the day or prevents it being used today....if you out to win a race....get a race car......by your earlier statement it sounded like if you did not live on flatland...you needed to upgrade by chunking the flat 6.... somewhere folks got to remember the purpose of the car when and how built....if that does not suit you then stay away from that car/setup

Drove my brothers hemi Durango loaded to the hilt and three adults at speed (73 )from SC to Charleston WV and never once did it come out of OD even in the mountains.....I was totally amazed...I expected a few downshifts....never happened fuel mileage was unbelievable...

[knuckleharley]

" grew up in WV....know many of the roads well....but this did not prevent the car from being used back in the day or prevents it being used today... "

No,but who wants to pull up hills running 35 MPH in 2nd gear and have stuff like Honda Civics buzzing past them at 60 MPH?

My post was a warning to the younger generation that has no personal experience driving these old cars,and I stand by what I wrote. They are perfectly fine for daily use even these days as long as you don't live in the mountains. If you do,you are not going to be happy driving it with the original engine in it.

The same goes for the flathead Ford V-8's and other flathead engines of the period. By the mid-50's the nationwide 4 lane highway existed,and people were wanting to drive faster,so the even Ford,Mopar,and Chevrolet went to OHV V-8 engines.

I never drove one in the mountains,but I suspect the old straight 8 Packard flatheads were an exception. You could take off in high gear with one of them without riding the clutch or having it stumble. I suspect the same was true with the flat 8 Hudsons and Pontiacs of the late40's and early 50's.