blasphemy

[el dub]

or hot roddin.  Guy lives around the corner from me. Chevy LS 1 motor. He tears it up around here at the stop lights

[6spd68]

General REEliability? 

[myk]

We'll, it's not what I would do but to each their own, and the LS1 is a great motor with a lot of respect for it...

[Mike DC]

  
There was a time when I would have said blasphemy.  But not as much now, because Mopar won't make what I want.  I must admit I have considered switching too.  

GM & Ford have been making aluminum block V8s for 10-15 years.  Mopar still isn't making one, and it's not because nobody is complaining about Charger & Challenger curb weights.

(Yeah I know the aftermarket makes alloy Mopar V8 blocks - for $5000.)

[jaak]

Its the opposite of this (Mike Finnegan's 55 Chevy with a Hemi in it).....

[timmycharger]

Looks like its an SE with cruise control 

[68RT440]

Yuck. I work at a hot rod shop and we put LS motors and small block chevys in all of the old Fords that we build, but a Cheby motor in a Mopar...that's hard for me to swallow..

[68X426]

I would rather see a Slant 6 in it. 

[JB400]

It's just wrong, no matter how you look at it.  I wonder what the price difference is between the LS and a modern Hemi?

[Patronus]

02 

[VegasCharger]

It's just wrong, no matter how you look at it.  I wonder what the price difference is between the LS and a modern Hemi?

[Mike DC]

 

I wonder what the price difference is between the LS and a modern Hemi?

There is probably an overdrive auto tranny behind that LS motor.  The GM 4L60E goes under a B-body without hacking anything.  Don't forget the costs of that when you compare a modern Hemi.  Keisler was selling that same tranny conversion for our cars for about $4k. 

[JB400]

Done some pricing:

Gen 3 Hemi:
 Both are plug and play

        5.7 FI:  $7,625  Source:  http://www.bpeusa.com/P4510593.asp

        6.1       $8,990                 http://www.bpeusa.com/P5155067.asp


LS engine:

     plug and play
       
      LS3 E rod:     $7,978.97          http://www.summitracing.com/parts/nal-19257230

     

Transmissions:

       Mopar A518:     $1,199            http://www.wholesaletransmissiondistributor.com/A518_46RE_4_speed_rebuilt_automatic_transmission_p/a51846re9899.htm

        GM  700R4:  $625   http://www.wholesaletransmissiondistributor.com/product_p/700r48393ca.htm

        GM  4L60E:  $649                
http://www.wholesaletransmissiondistributor.com/product_p/4l60e9496cp.htm
       

[Mike DC]

       
Somehow I doubt that GL owner dropped $8k for a brand new LS3 in that car. 


The Mopar A518 doesn't fit without some hacking. 
The driveline angles are still screwy unless you do SERIOUS hacking and fabricate the entire crossmember at the tunnel area.   

[Ghoste]

Blasphemy.

[Mytur Binsdirti]

What a waste of a good car. Not the drive train, the paint job.

[wingcar]

I have a problem with using a different make of engine in any vehicle.  I love seeing old Mopar Street Rods (a rare sight), but when the hood goes up only to reveal a GM engine....it just seems so wrong. 
I know a Chevy small block is much cheaper and all that, but still it just doesn't cut it in my mind.  You may as well put some "SS" emblems on it as well.....(Just my two cents, and yes I know Dom's Charger in the Fast & Furious series is powered by a Chevy engine.....but, that's for the movies)

[Ghoste]

I'm with you 100%.  I don't care in the least for Chevy drivetrains (in general) (or Generals)(sorry, couldn't resist) in 32 Ford hot rods even if they are fiberglass kits.  I don't get excited about a Ford drivetrain in Camaro, a Mopar one in a Vette or whatever.
Now a Ford big block in a British sports car is impressive.  Same for a 440 in Toyota or a Chev in a canoe.  And of course an old style Hemi in any hot rod is cool.
Hypocrite I know but I just like what I like.

[myk]

I thought the owner put an LS"1" in the car?  Financially speaking, the LS1 is arguably a better buy than whatever Mopar options exist.  You can buy a complete, running, solid 300 hp LS1 for under a grand, but that same grand won't even buy you the "correct" Mopar bare block, assuming you can even find it.

Even then, I still say nay, but it's his project...

[Wicked72]

 

[HPP]

Not a big fan of crossbreds unless you own an orphaned brand. There are enough mopar parts out there to not crossbred.

My wife's Suburban has an LS. My Ram has a Hemi. She's always borrowing my truck because its more fun to drive. What's that tell you about pedestrian vehicle power output?

If you want to be a cheap hot rodder, then why are you playing with Mopars to begin with?

[Mike DC]

     

and yes I know Dom's Charger in the Fast & Furious series is powered by a Chevy engine.....but, that's for the movies

The car builder has gone on record saying that is purely a prop-car practicality.  It's not a Chevy in the fictional storyline.  The studio's official specs for the car still calls it a Hemi.  They actually showed a 426 Hemi block at Dom Toretto's place in one of the more recent movies.

[bill440rt]

Not sure what the hub-bub is all about.      It's just paint & decals. 

[HPP]

That is the same logic the shop that built the recent LS powered, purple Challenger has used. All of their fleet, including a couple of Fords, are all powered by LS engines so when they grenade one, and they have already lost two in the Challenger alone, then they can swap in another from another car and keep things moving.

While LSs do seem to make good power for a seemingly low investment, the same logic above could be used for a new Hemi approach and it will always have higher power potential than any LS ever will.

[Homerr]

Nothing to see here, move along.

[Baldwinvette77]

Yeah im not big on brand loyalty either, but i wouldnt put a chevy in my charger unless it was post-world war 3 and it was all i could find 

[fy469rtse]

Baldwinvette,
ha ha ha , you are building a post world war three car ? whats going to be in the mad max tribute car

[Baldwinvette77]

Baldwinvette,
ha ha ha , you are building a post world war three car ? whats going to be in the mad max tribute car

Anything i can find really, Pontiac, ford, chrysler, just someones running leftovers from an engine swap project or whatever i can dig up, keeping it authentic to the mad max world... but with the help of internet ads  

[E86/A47]

"I've got a Chevy with a Mopar Cam!" from I'll Be Your Johnny On The Spot by Ween, https://youtu.be/s26XpHL214s

[el dub]

I know another guy who has a 440 in his 67 mustang fastback. go figure, these guys just like challenges. like all hot rodders.

[5hunert]

Were the movie General Lees Chevy equipped?  In the opening jump of the Dukes movie, you can see a Turbo 400 oil pan in the "pre-Cooter Jump car as it goes over the demolished bridge.

[Mike DC]

                         
No Chevy motors in the "Dukes" movies.  Those were a different car supplier than the F&F movies.    

The 3 really big jumps in the 2005 movie were cable-launched bare shells.  The tranny pan under there would have been a mocked-up dummy.  Those cars had no drivetrains or trunk ballast.  


Live stunt guys can jump that big.  They have done it before.  But these days Hollywood is liking unmanned cars for the biggest jumps for other reasons.  It needs less money spent on safety precautions, they can use much worse-condition cars and sometimes get a second take out of it the next day, etc.  

   

[Ghoste]

Probably insurance costs and stunt wages too?

[bull]

I posted a story here a long time ago about a guy who was catching hell for putting a Viper engine in his Mustang. http://www.theturboforums.com/threads/335582-Project-Sniper-Sn95-Viper

It's funny how people are ok with their favorite brand of engine going into a competitor's car but when a competitor's engine goes into their favorite car brand they freak out. I have to admit that describes me too. I would put a Chevy engine in a New Yorker for a demo derby but that's about as far as I'd take it.

[Homerr]

Wait until you see what Mytur has under the hood.

[5hunert]

I posted a story here a long time ago about a guy who was catching hell for putting a Viper engine in his Mustang. http://www.theturboforums.com/threads/335582-Project-Sniper-Sn95-Viper

It's funny how people are ok with their favorite brand of engine going into a competitor's car but when a competitor's engine goes into their favorite car brand they freak out. I have to admit that describes me too. I would put a Chevy engine in a New Yorker for a demo derby but that's about as far as I'd take it.

One of the coolest cars at a recent mopar show was a '57 t-bird with a 426 Hemi in it. It was a street/drag car that had been converted back in the '60s.

[marshallfry01]

Looks like a very nice car to me! Most generals have shitty interiors, but this one looks very nice. Only thing I don't like are those knock off vectors.

[HPP]

I'm surprised there haven't been any snide remarks about the black engine bay to go with his chevy engine.

[Mike DC]

I'm surprised there haven't been any snide remarks about the black engine bay to go with his chevy engine.

           
It's part of the GL uniform to have a black engine bay. 

The (fictional) GL started life as a black Charger before the Duke boys rebuilt it.  The engine bay looked black throughout the TV series.  Sometimes even the underside of the hood was black too.  

[Ghoste]

Yes, sort of the one exception to the black rule. 

[HeavyFuel]

The GL is part of Mopar heritage, and draws alot of attention to itself and the owner.   I think the expectation is that the whole car will be a "tribute".  

When the engine is something other than MP, first reaction of most spectators is likely "WTF?"      


But I guess if the hood rarely goes up....         who cares?


Personally...I wouldn't lift the hood in public, but I'm one of those 'purist' types that everyone likes to make fun of.   

[freddyd02]

What a waste of a good car. Not the drive train, the paint job.

Do tell Mytur, why would a paint job "waste" a good car?

[lukedukem]

                         
No Chevy motors in the "Dukes" movies.  Those were a different car supplier than the F&F movies.    

The 3 really big jumps in the 2005 movie were cable-launched bare shells.  The tranny pan under there would have been a mocked-up dummy.  Those cars had no drivetrains or trunk ballast.  


Live stunt guys can jump that big.  They have done it before.  But these days Hollywood is liking unmanned cars for the biggest jumps for other reasons.  It needs less money spent on safety precautions, they can use much worse-condition cars and sometimes get a second take out of it the next day, etc.  


I was told that the scene (2005) when they pick up the car from cooters was a small block chevy. It was on a thread here when I was looking for the mufflers that made that sound, and someone said that the sound was from a small block chevy. I'll try to locate the thread

Luke
   

[freddyd02]

Why did you quote that lukedukem?

[JR]

I cringed a little seeing this car the first time, but then I got to thinking about it.

This guy has 330+ reliable, fuel injected horsepower, probably has Overdrive transmission to go along with it, has unlimited aftermarket to tune the LS however he wants, and now has a turn key, hop in and go Charger to drive the wheels off of.(and it sounds like he does.) Not to mention it has to handle and stop better than a 440 powered one due to the lighter nose it has now.

I'm impressed he put in the time to keep the factory floor shifter and console instead of taking the easy way out and sticking in a garbage, tacky B&M shifter. That shows he probably did the rest of the car right too.

I still find General Lees silly, but this guy has one that will probably outrun most other replicas and drive better doing it. (Would probably drive better than my own 440 R/T come to think of it).

So, in the end, I can't knock him for it. Whoever buys it from him can convert it back. Or stick a new Hemi in since all the hard details are done.

[1974dodgecharger]

U guys act like u don't drive around with your hood up?

[400sforever]

I spend about 7 grand to build extremely nasty 512 cubic inch mopar monsters. . Money well spent. .very streetable and will dominate any ls chevy stuff. Just my opinion!

[kanadanmajava]

I used to be very strict with my opinions about correct brand engines. Now I think that if the "new" engine is more interesting than the old one it should be ok. I'm not completely sure if LSx is more interesting than a SBM or a BBM engine but I don't totally hate the idea. The interior is indeed nicely done as there isn't anything hinting about engine upgrades.

[Mike DC]

I was told that the scene (2005) when they pick up the car from cooters was a small block chevy. It was on a thread here when I was looking for the mufflers that made that sound, and someone said that the sound was from a small block chevy. I'll try to locate the thread

Luke

It was a Chevy motor sound.  But it wasn't coming from the GL onscreen.  It was a sound effect the editors added.  The onscreen GLs were all Mopar motors.



The studios & filmmakers don't know or care what motor is in a stunt car.  They hire subcontractors to build & maintain the prop cars, and the motor choice is up to them.  

There is one supplier who puts GM motors in everything, and he does a lot of big movies like "Fast & Furious" these days.  Other suppliers don't all do that.  The car supplier for the earlier F&F movies kept Mopar engines in the Chargers.  Same with the recent Auto Trader DOH commercials.  

[lukedukem]

I was told that the scene (2005) when they pick up the car from cooters was a small block chevy. It was on a thread here when I was looking for the mufflers that made that sound, and someone said that the sound was from a small block chevy. I'll try to locate the thread

Luke

It was a Chevy motor sound.  But it wasn't coming from the GL onscreen.  It was a sound effect the editors added.  The onscreen GLs were all Mopar motors.



The studios & filmmakers don't know or care what motor is in a stunt car.  They hire subcontractors to build & maintain the prop cars, and the motor choice is up to them.  

There is one supplier who puts GM motors in everything, and he does a lot of big movies like "Fast & Furious" these days.  Other suppliers don't all do that.  The car supplier for the earlier F&F movies kept Mopar engines in the Chargers.  Same with the recent Auto Trader DOH commercials.  

Thanks for clearing that up for me mike.

Luke

[Ghoste]

Why would they choose a sbc for the sound?  The average viewer would have no clue or care what engine they were hearing and the big block Mopar sounds better anyway.

[Mike DC]

           
It probably had less to do with getting the perfect sound and more to do with what they had on hand.  Recording stuff like that means revving the crap out of the motor and blowing a GL motor was not a good plan.  They didn't keep a batch of motors on engine stands ready to fire up; it would have been in a car.  The GLs had mufflers.  Etc.

[Ghoste]

Okay, yeah that makes sense I guess.

[hatersaurusrex]

Someone should just waterjet some LS valve covers that say 'Mopar' on them and then the crapstorm would really begin...

[Moparman01]

No argument to me justifies putting a chevy motor in an classic Mopar! Honestly, I don't have much respect for all the "hot rod" fords running around with GM power, 5.0 fords are a dime a dozen, no reason you can't throw one in your duece coupe!! That kinda thing has always been a pet peeve of mine, I don't think you are a true car guy when you cross breed American car engines/bodies. Sounds harsh I know, but again there really is no good argument to make it ok. Reliability?  A nice 318 could be plenty reliable in that GL. Reliability and power you ask? Get a 5.7 Hemi from a salvage yard, wouldn't take any more work (probably less with the swap kits on the market today) to shove a modern Hemi in that car than the LS chevy. Cost, well let's face it, if you can afford to build the car in the first place you can afford the few more bucks to build a good Mopar power plant for your car (that goes for the street rod Ford guys as well!!) With all that said (and I know sounding a jerk) I do say blasphemy to that Charger!!