Tech Question
Mike Bowman, Cleveland, OH, 1965, Dodge, Dart, 170
On a 1965 Dart 170, is it possible to swap in a 426 Crate Hemi without toomuch headache? My biggest concern is fitting the elephant into that littlespace. There is no power brake booster, thank goodness. Original engine isa 170c.i.d. 101 hp slant six with three speed on the column. What mods doyou recommend in the suspension to handle the increased weight and whatdrive train swaps would you suggest? I’m sold on the new Tremec 5-speedtranny. This is my first attempt at building a car. I figured that I mayas well start off big. This is intended to be a street and strip mid-lifecrisis car, not a resto or bracket racer. I just want to have the fun of aHemi before they plant my remains…(ha ha!!) The budget is about $18,000.Your advice is valued and wanted. -A loyal Mopar guy.
Mike-
Jeez. Did you ever hear of learning to crawl before you walk? Even in a’67-up “widebody” A-body, this isn’t exactly simple, especially for streetuse. But in a narrowbody, this is far from a driveway bolt-in. We’re talkin’a few weeks at a professional chassis shop to do it right, and a real hackjob otherwise.
If you really want my advice, save your money – and the car by using a 360crate engine. Not only will the swap be far easier (only real hassle wouldbe the exhaust, and Tri-Y headers are now available to ease that job), butthe car might actually have a slim chance of turning and stopping.
Rick
Comments are closed.