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Member
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| question - 57 w/ a 325 poly, auto trans. currently - will swapping to a 57 354 hemi be fairly straight forward? Is it possible to use my existing auto trans.? Just exploring right now.......but need advise.... |
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Expert
Posts: 1506
 
Location: Colo Spgs | Sir
I may be "straight forward". Many would rather you keep the original engine in the car.
Rodger & Gabby
Colo Spgs |
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Member
Posts: 23
| thanks for the input. But can anyone shed any light on this? |
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Expert
Posts: 1730
 
Location: Michigan | Assuming a Plymouth? I swapped a 301 poly in my 55 Chrysler with a 354 hemi and it just bolted right in. 2pd / 3sp trans should be a bolt up as they didn't make different transmissions for the different brands. The only thing you might need to have is the proper adapter plate. Not sure how different the 325 block is from the 354 block from a trans mount / engine mount perspective. |
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Member
Posts: 23
| Thank you for the input Beltran - I appreciate it. But its Dodge. Probably a truck motor? |
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Expert
Posts: 3035
Location: N.W. Fla. | All early Hemis, early Polys & pre '62 A Polys are the same @ the back. Should bolt right up with out a problem. The engine mounts are probably wider apart, Wayfarer can probably answer that.
Edited by Mopar1 2013-10-19 11:04 AM
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Board Moderator
Posts: 3186
Location: The not-so-great, dirty-white North ( Michigan) | All early Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth motors are the same bellhousing pattern.
Chrysler, on the other hand, used an extended bellhousing pattern from 1951 until early 1954. After that, its the same as the rest.
An early extended bellhousing can be cut off and a flange welded on, but it takes someone that knows how to weld cast iron.
As for motor mounts, George is correct. The blocks are different widths (Chrysler, Dodge and DeSoto), and so that needs to be addressed, as well as the fact that the Dodge blocks (also Plymoths using Dodge based blocks) used a front "chin" mount though 1955. They had no "ears" on the block sides for attachment.
As for Dodge truck motors, the larger 331 and 354 "Power Giants" have the old style pre-1955 cast iron timing covers and different water pumps. The blocks also might still carry the lower core plug holes the later passenger cars dispensed with when the front ends were revised to stamped timing covers ala Dodge engines. So that may have to be addressed if you want to use later passenger car parts on them.
The heads are also different on heavy duty versions featuring no outlets for water in the front of the heads (like pre-55 Chryslers) and also potentially water-heated manifold crossovers and sodium cooled exhaust valves with positive valve rotators that had HUGE valve guides. The rear main cap was also thicker on some of these engines which affects intermediate shaft length and oil pumps.
As George said, check with Wayfarer or with HotHeads for parts substitution and availability on the truck motors. Both good sources. |
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Expert
Posts: 1906
Location: Ontario, Canada | The trans will likely bolt up ok but you will need 354 only motor mounts. |
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Expert
Posts: 3035
Location: N.W. Fla. | LD3 Greg - 2013-10-19 10:34 AM
The trans will likely bolt up ok but you will need 354 only motor mounts. 331/354 and as far as I know 392 mounting ears are all in the same place. As far as the differences between truck & car hemis (unasked about!) go to the HAMB & put "Hemi Tech Index" in search & start reading. Forgot to excluded the long tail 51-53(some 54) 331s on the Bell comment.  |
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Expert
Posts: 1622
Location: Seville, OH | I am doing the same swap except with a manual trans. My understanding is the Chrysler blocks are slightly longer so that the motor mount locations must be moved forward. When I originally inquired about the swap, no one mentioned the wider mounts on the engine. My motor is currently in Ohio and the car is in California so the swap won't happen until spring. Mine is a passenger car engine. I did have a 57 Power Giant and the motor mounts were on the front cover. I don't recall if it had the ears or not on the block. I might still have pictures.
Edited by Swept57 2013-10-20 11:34 AM
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Expert
Posts: 3035
Location: N.W. Fla. | Swept57 - 2013-10-20 10:33 AM
I am doing the same swap except with a manual trans. My understanding is the Chrysler blocks are slightly longer so that the motor mount locations must be moved forward. When I originally inquired about the swap, no one mentioned the wider mounts on the engine. My motor is currently in Ohio and the car is in California so the swap won't happen until spring. Mine is a passenger car engine. I did have a 57 Power Giant and the motor mounts were on the front cover. I don't recall if it had the ears or not on the block. I might still have pictures.
DeSoto hemis are physically bigger than Dodges & Chrs are bigger still, width & lenth. As far as I know all Chrs, DeSotos and high deck Dodges, and the '56 270 Dodge Polys have ears.
Edited by Mopar1 2013-10-20 8:52 PM
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Expert
Posts: 3035
Location: N.W. Fla. | Seems to me there's a Thread buried on here on putting a 331 car hemi into a '56 Plymouth, might be of use. Where is the sumps on the 2 engines? same place? |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9706
Location: So. Cal | That would be my car. When I swapped the 277 "A" poly out for the 331 hemi, I didn't notice any difference in motor mount position - either length or width. I used the original poly mounts to bolt up the motor at first, and it worked. But I ended up needing to offset the motor to the left to center it in the bay better (the factory put the original motor 1.5" to the right of center). The original mounts interefered with my exhaust, so I eventually used aftermarket mounts to get it done. The '57 engine bay is quite a bit wider than the '56 so you may not need to center the motor like I did. The motor mounts are also different.
Many people have done this swap in a '57 Dodge/Plymouth so I'm sure that it shouldn't be too hard to do. |
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Location: STL, MO | I put a Chrysler in my 58 Ply, used the 318 poly mounts in their stock location |
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Expert
Posts: 2120
Location: atlanta | Handygun - 2013-11-02 6:31 PM
I put a Chrysler in my 58 Ply, used the 318 poly mounts in their stock location
I know the 318 poly mounts won't work on a 325 Dodge hemi, at least not mine. |
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Expert
Posts: 3035
Location: N.W. Fla. | I used "A" Poly uppers when I put the 331 into my '60, with fabbed lowers. |
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will a 354 hemi....
