57 desoto with a hemi. what's it worth??

[police1]

hi. can anyone tellme what size hemi and how rare it is in a 57 desoto? the car itself is a four door and pretty solid car. the body itself wouldnt need very much to restore but i was wondering more about the drive train? what should i offer for the entire car? the motor turns and the guy said it ran about 15 years ago. all original car too. thanks guys for any input...

[charger490]

the engine is a 413 wide block i would guess charger490

[BigBlackDodge]

341 maybe. What kind of Desoto is it?

BBD

[The70RT]

the engine is a 413 wide block i would guess charger490

413 wasn't a hemi

[PocketThunder]

Looks like its the 392 Hemi. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_FirePower_engine

[John_Kunkel]

The lowest price '57 DeSoto was the Firesweep, it had a 325 poly engine. The next up Firedome and the top line Fireflite both had 341 Hemis (2-barrel and 4-barrel respectively).

The performance offering, the Adventurer, had a 345 Hemi.

Price depends on model, condition, number of doors, etc.

[PocketThunder]

     Didnt even read my own link far enough..

[police1]

wow! thanks for all of the quick replys. the car itself is worht restoring. its a four door though and does need a total restoration. trunk pan would need replaced and a little work at the lower dog leg area of both front fenders but the rest of the car is super solid. i was more interested in it for the motor but i wondered also what kind of performance you could get out of that model of hemi and what it might be worth to buy it for for the parts...

[253862656971]

I was at an auction last weekend.  There was a 54 coronet there with a 354 hemi and a DeSoto with a big block of some kind.  Both were fixable but rough.  The Desoto had quite a bit of rust and it was pink.  THe Coronet was parked in a field for all its life.  The coronet brought $1000 and the Desoto brought $250.  So I would say a grand or less for it.

[41husk]

There is a guy here in town trying to sell a very solid 51 desoto 4 dr it has a flat 6 in it.  He said he has $1500 in it but would take a loss to get it out of the yard.  The problem with those older models is, they cost just as much as a Charger to restore, parts are even harder to get and after you finish the value is a fraction of a muscle car in the same shape.

[The70RT]

There is a guy here in town trying to sell a very solid 51 desoto 4 dr it has a flat 6 in it.  He said he has $1500 in it but would take a loss to get it out of the yard.  The problem with those older models is, they cost just as much as a Charger to restore, parts are even harder to get and after you finish the value is a fraction of a muscle car in the same shape.

I agree. Plus it is a 4dr. If I got it cheap I would yank the hemi then dump the body on ebay and eventually put the motor in a street rod when I build one.

[police1]

what kind of performance can you get out of these hemi's? i am thinking about using it  in my 69 charger...are there a lot of performance parts out there for these motors?? what does anyone think i should offer for the car? hes asking $2,000

[BigBlackDodge]

what kind of performance can you get out of these hemi's? i am thinking about using it  in my 69 charger...are there a lot of performance parts out there for these motors?? what does anyone think i should offer for the car? hes asking $2,000

There is some older hemi stuff out there..............but you'll go faster cheaper by building a big block for your Charger. They put the older hemi's in everything back then (except Plymouth's for some reason........not the performance branch of the company I guess) so they're not as rare as the 426's.

2k?........hmmm........any pics of it?


BBD

[The70RT]

You wouldn't get the power of 440 without spending a ton. I think highest HP back then may have been around 300. 2000 bucks? Thats a lot if you were going to use just the motor and trans. You would have to do a lot of work to get it in there and running. Im sure it needs going through also. You could buy and build a 440 close to what you would have invested in that set up and it would look and fit right.

[Daytona R/T SE]

Here's my opinion: Leave the early hemis in the older cars they were designed for, unless you're building a 40 Willys with a blown 392 

By the time you rebuild this old Desoto engine, get it to bolt up in your Charger, get the exhaust to clear the steering, K member,etc. get a tranny that will work in your car and the necessary adaptors ( You REALLY don't think you can use that PUSHBUTTON '57 Tranny do you? It's cast iron and weighs a TON ) New driveshaft, cooling wiring,custom oil pan, etc. You are getting pretty close to the cost of a new 426 Crate hemi...now IF you value your time at all...you've already surpassed the cost of the 426 which your car was designed to accommodate in the first place.

If you insist on putting that odd ball engine in your charger this place knows everthing you need to know:

http://www.powerplayhemi.com/



My advise: Go 440 or save up your pennies and go 426....

[bull]

Yea, 392. It's a good engine but not nearly as famous (or expensive) as it's big brother.

[PocketThunder]

Yea, 392. It's a good engine but not nearly as famous (or expensive) as it's big brother.

Wouldnt the 426 be the younger brother, since it was "born" after the 392?

[bull]

Yea, 392. It's a good engine but not nearly as famous (or expensive) as it's big brother.

Wouldnt the 426 be the younger brother, since it was "born" after the 392?

Yea, but my "big" brother is 5'10" and 170lbs and I'm 6'1" and 280. I meant bigger, not younger.