Tech Question
Tom Schaffhausen, St. Paul, MN, 1965 Plymouth Belvedere II hardtop 318
I want to do a motor change. I have a 1962 413 engine Iwant to put in my ’65 Belvedere. I bought a ’65 Newport that had theoriginal 383 engine and auto transmission. Will the 65 auto tranny bolt upto my 413 engine and then fit in my ’65 belvedere?
Tom-
Yes, it will all fit, all you’ll really need is an engine mount setup fromSchumacher. As you probably know, 1965 727 transmissions are highly prized -they were one-year-only: cable-shifted, yet sliding-spline output.
While this is a pretty nice swap, there a a few things about it that I findless than appealing, mostly relating to the engine weight vs. power deal.You can build a 408″ smallblock cheaply that will easily make as much poweras a near-stock (non-Maxi) 413, be an easier installation, and even keep thestock trans. Or, a 400″ ’72-up B-engine is nearly the same displacement, issmaller, lighter, has better heads (again, assuming a non-Maxi 413), stiffercylinder walls, etc.
Assuming that you insist on an RB engine, why not at least start with a 440?It weighs no more than the 413, and all ’67-up 440 blocks are stronger thanyour 413, most also have much better heads, too.
So, to be clear, my point is: if you’re going to go to the trouble of aswap, the cost of the “core” engine is one of the lesser expenses. Yes, the413 is certainly not a bad engine, but why not make the best possiblechoice?
Rick
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