Chevy Crate Engine

[bountyhunter]

Okay I don't want to start a fight or get stoned out of this forum or anything, but has anyone put a Chevy Crate Engine in their Charger? I'm just curious, I know there was a post awhile back about Chevy vs. Mopar Crate engines but Im wondering if anyone has done it? What their experience has been with this???
Okay everyone be nice....

[Rolling_Thunder]

I honestly don't see any reason not to do something like that...   I have a Ford transmission in my Charger (Tremec TKO) and some people put GM overdrives in theirs (Keisler kits) - why not install a GM engine...   you may catch some flack but it is afterall its a bigger bang for the buck.   

[suntech]

Personally i would not do it in a Charger. I am going with mopar motor (Hemi), and Tremec T56 gearcase (viper style), and Mark Williams modular rear, because i feldt it wrong to put a 9 inch Ford under there ( yes i know the third member has Ford parts) 
On the other hand, most 30´s ford hot rods has chevy engines, and everybody feels that is the natural thing to put in, and i would do the same thing, if i was building a car like that.
The purist would dislike a not correct date code on a jack hanger, and since i am not like that, i would say do like you want. I see the bang for the bucks angle! Building a Hemi is not sheap!!!

[Silver R/T]

you can always drop in a new "hemi" in there

[Ghoste]

Or a Mopar Crate Wedge.  If you want bang for the buck, that is a route worth looking at too.

[Shakey]

I never understood why anyone ever swaped drivetrains between makes.   

[dpm68]

I put a 355 Chebby in a Toyota 4X once...

[pettyfan43]

Chevy crate engine in a Charger???!!!??!  That would SUCK! Why would you detune the car? Put a real engine in there and enjoy. Besides you can BUILD a nice 383 or 440 for what a crate engine costs. Not to mention all the ridiculous fabrication and aggravation you are gonna go through trying to stick a brand X crap pile under the hood of a Charger.

If you wanted a crapolay engine, buy a Chevelle.  PLUS you are gonna spend a LOT of money time and aggravation to cut the value by 50-75% on the car.

Chevy people aren't gonna want to buy it and Mopar people are gonna laugh at you and not want it either.

Why put yourself through all that crap? Just drop a nice 383 or 440 in the thing and be done.  A 383 is a GREAT flexible engine for a driver.

[Daytona R/T SE]

I'd haul all of my cars to the crusher before I'd ever even consider bolting a Chevy engine into any of them.

[G-man]

chev engines are not as good period. I for the 1st time got to see what a stock 383ci feels like in a 68 charger (my own 1) and it hauls ass.

[Charger-Bodie]

Chevy crate engines are a good deal, and less money for what you get, But you can build a mopar engine just as reasonable.

Not to mention all the fab work to change it over and the cost to do so.

If you want a Chevy buy one.

[dpm68]

I did say that I once dropped a Chevy 355 in my Yota 4X but I certainly would not do it in my Charger or Satellite. Just clarifyin...

[The70RT]

Most people put chevys in ford street rods because it's cheaper,you can make it fit easier and weighs less than a ford small block. Chevy is cheaper to build too but if i had a 40 ford I would still want a ford engine in it. If you want to get laughed at sure go ahead but by the time you did all the mods on it you would end up questioning yourself anyway. Oh by the way stupid question 

[68charger383]

I don't see the big deal, I see a lot of chevy guy's putting 383 motors in their car

[Blown70]

I never understood why anyone ever swaped drivetrains between makes.   

AGREED!!!

[Troy]

I don't see the big deal, I see a lot of chevy guy's putting 383 motors in their car

yeah, but those are Chevy stroker motors.

I think the cost for a Chevy crate might be tempting but by the time you get it to fit into a Charger you could have saved a bunch of money, time, and hassle by just dropping in a motor that came in the car from the factory. Based on price, a Chevy small block is the option you'd be looking at and Mopar small block can be had cheap (like free). I can't imagine that you're talking about $10k+ big block crates. A Mopar 360-410 stroker crate isn't all that expensive and it will fit with no modifications. You can even build one yourself for less than ~$4k or a stock-type rebuild probably for less than $1k.

Troy

[IowaCharger69]

The GM Goodwrench crate 350 280 horse motor is around 700$ my cost cause I have an inside connection. That is impossible to be. An engine with a warranty and the best used/aftermarket part support in the world for 700$! I would have done it in a heartbeat if my 400 turned out to be crap.

Thats pretty hard to turn down, but the fab work could throw the whole idea out the window for many people.

[Charger_Fan]

I never understood why anyone ever swaped drivetrains between makes.   

AGREED!!!

I play with other brands too, but I've never had the burning urge to swap drivetrains between them.

[LoneStar Mopar]

Personally I love the chevy v8 engine. However it has no place in a mopar, especially a mopar muscle car. Leave the small block chevys for the ford guys to put into thier old cars.

[Joshua]

I never understood why anyone ever swaped drivetrains between makes.   

You've never driven a stock Model A have you??

[Daytona R/T SE]

The GM Goodwrench crate 350 280 horse motor is around 700$

Thats pretty hard to turn down.

Cheap don't make it right.

I can get you a "Date" at the rest area out here on Interstate 70 for $20.

That's cheap...but really easy to turn down

[IowaCharger69]

Ok, we all know cheap "aint" right. If I had a small block sitting around, and I had the knowhow to put it in my Charger I would. One more on the road. Not everybody can afford to be so righteous.

[The70RT]

If it has or had a 318 in it you can still find a good used one for a few hundered. Even if you had a small block chevy to put in you would need to modify:
wiring
exhaust
driveshaft
motor mounts
trans mount
trans linkage
maybe a different radiator
custom power steering lines
custom ac lines
custom trans lines

[Daytona R/T SE]

Ok, we all know cheap "aint" right. If I had a small block sitting around, and I had the knowhow to put it in my Charger I would. One more on the road. Not everybody can afford to be so righteous.

So sell your charger and then you can afford a dozen chevies to stuff your $700 motors into

[bull]

Go buy a Chevy and stop annoying us.

[IowaCharger69]

Wow, attitude for wanting to keep more of these cars on the road instead of filling up junkyards. Are you serious? 

[Daytona R/T SE]

Quoted from IowaCharger69 before the edit: 

"Go buy a chevy? Attitude because I want to see more of these cars on the road? Are you serious?

Go buy another crate HEMI, or have some shop build you another 10k motor from the block up. AWESOME! You are so rich and cool.

I love my charger enough that it wouldn't matter how much effort it would take to get it on the road. Money on the other hand doesn't come so freely to me. So I might have to buy a 1000$ basket case, throw some Bondo in it, and make that 305 sitting the corner of my garage work. It must be nice to trailer your cars around and ship em off to body shops for someone else to restore. I do the work myself with whatever means I have. If that means running around in a 1000$ Frankenstein so be it. At least I/he/whomever has to has kept another one of these cars from landing in a junk yard. Besides, what better power plant for the Hazzard jump cars we see every year.

When you start listing the things you would have to change you do so to prove your point of how difficult and unrealistic it is to make the swap I laugh. Anyone that has ever built any kind of rod, rat or not, fully expects that stuff. Shit, I have already done that stuff to my car and its got a 400 in it.

I guess I am just too used to buying cars that need work. I guess I haven't so pretentious that I am willing to pass up any opportunity to have a running Charger.

Dude, to answer your question, putting a small block in your Charger sounds awesome. Go to one swap meet and get everything you need to do it for 500$ a bit more if you have to buy a welder. Make it work and drive the hell out of it. Enjoy it."

End quote.



My thoughts:

If I were that piss-poor broke I don't think I'd be screwing around wasting what little money I had on these old cars. I'd be cruising around in a ten year old neon, working two jobs and going to night school trying to make something out of myself.

I'm not rich, I do all of my own work (Except paint) I started screwing around with these cars when they were just 10 year old "Gas Hogs" that nobody wanted.

I love my Chargers enough not to f%&k them up by slapping a shitbox 305 into them just to get them "On the road"

[bull]

Are you serious?

Yes.

Here's one that looks like it would be a good fit for you: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,49717.0.html

[IowaCharger69]

Are you serious?

Yes.

Here's one that looks like it would be a good fit for you: http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,49717.0.html

I know that there is a "new" thread about that car, but it was on these forums about a year ago. Way to be fresh and original.

[G-man]

If you cant afford a 1000 bux for an engine, you definatelly can not afford to even have a Charger. I just paid out 500 bux for 2 mirrors and seat belts. No im not rich but in debt and own no house. Do 2 weeks of work, dont spend a cent and there is your 1000 dollars. If thats too complicated, sell the charger rather then stick a chev in it. Doing that is as idiotic as turning down a 1 milion dollar job cause ur 'happy' where u are earning 30k. Sure u might be happy to stick a 305 in it to get it on the road... but seriously, you need to see someone.

[Daytona R/T SE]

I really think you need a time out, kid. 

[bull]

How was communtity college by the way?

What's a communtity college?

[Back N Black]

Man! you guys are harsh.

[Steve P.]

Take it easy now guys.. Dropping a Chevy motor into a Charger is better than wrapping it around a tree.  It may not be the popular thing to do, but it is his car. He asked for opinions. Going after someone any deeper than that is bunk.   By the way, I put a Chevy 350 into a Dodge D-50 once. Pulled a 4 banger and 4-speed out and put in a 350/350 automatic. That little truck screwed and most people had no idea what hit them when they got smoked by a little D-50.  I had the truck and drive train all for free. I did some fab work for motor mounts. Cost me nothing. Then had the exhaust all bent up to take both pipes out the back on the right. That cost me a few hundred bucks... That's all I had in the car and I sold it for $1600.00 on X-mas morning after beeeeeeeating the crap out of it.  Ask VegasMike about it some time.. Hehehe...

That said, my opinion is to stick with a mopar engine in your Charger. You can find sooooo many good deals on drive trains now it isn't funny.. Check Craigslist in your area. I find many good deals on there. Check here. Let people here know what you need.....  Where there is a will, ....................

[NYCMille]

Totally agree with Steve. Good luck man.

[BB1]

You are a retard BH.

[bull]

The gist of it is this, if you're that worried about every penny it's kind of silly to be messing with classic cars in the first place. In the grand scheme of things you're not going to save that much are you? It's going to cost at least $700 for the 350 plus God knows how much for the headaches of screwing around with fabrication on motor mounts, exhaust, etc., vs. maybe $2k for a drop in Mopar engine without your "inside connection" (I can get a rebuilt and warrantied Dodge 383 right now for $1,800) Like I said, if you're so broke that $1,300 is going to scuttle the whole project you might as well bag it.

[ChargersETC..ETC..]

GM 454 is better then a 350     but... I don't think a swap into a mopar would be quick or easy

[mally69]

And here is to your cheap heap of a chevy engine 

[Daytona R/T SE]

The gist of it is this, if you're that worried about every penny it's kind of silly to be messing with classic cars in the first place. In the grand scheme of things you're not going to save that much are you? It's going to cost at least $700 for the 350 plus God knows how much for the headaches of screwing around with fabrication on motor mounts, exhaust, etc., vs. maybe $2k for a drop in Mopar engine without your "inside connection" (I can get a rebuilt and warrantied Dodge 383 right now for $1,800) Like I said, if you're so broke that $1,300 is going to scuttle the whole project you might as well bag it.

   What he said 

[Steve P.]

Another problem with the Chebby to Mopar body is the Chebby oil pan. Chebby oil pans are mostly rear sump. That's a problem in a mopar as our cars have front steering with will colide with the Chebby rear sump.

I got away with using a Vette pan and pick up. It was STILL damn tight.

[Mopar2Ya]

I just never understood this... There are so many Mopar choices. On a GC SRT8 forum a TBSS ownered posted a '49 Dodge w/a Cheby crate...I asked how much the engine cost(figuring it was GM cheap) he stated it was $22K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get a nice Mopar for that much. As they say, "to each to his own." 

[The70RT]

I just never understood this... There are so many Mopar choices. On a GC SRT8 forum a TBSS ownered posted a '49 Dodge w/a Cheby crate...I asked how much the engine cost(figuring it was GM cheap) he stated it was $22K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get a nice Mopar for that much. As they say, "to each to his own." 

I think a lot of it is there is a lot more Chevy people out there and that's ALL some know about. Plus the old Fords are more plentiful so they go Chevy for size and being easier to work on in the old rods.....and of course most Chevy parts are cheaper. I am tired of seeing Chevy's in all the antique stuff myself. It seems some use a Chevy engine then the other Chevy guys razz them and say "you have a ford or a Plymouth" and then they say yeah, but it's Chevy powered 

[Ghoste]

I think some of it is myth as well.  I agree that many things Chevy are much much cheaper but in the overall build I am not so easily convinced.

[squeakfinder]

I never understood why anyone ever swaped drivetrains between makes.   

You've never driven a stock Model A have you??

Or an old Jeep CJ for that matter.

[squeakfinder]

I can see putting chevy small blocks in other brand vehicle's. But, when it comes to muscle cars 


It would be like putting a 289 ford in a first generation Camaro.

[bountyhunter]

Wow, it was just a question, never said I was gonna do it. Its nice to see everyone's personalitlies when someone asks an honest question. Thank you to everyone who had some genuine positive input, I posed the question knowing I was gonna get some flak. For the very small percentage who had something negative to say and couldn't convey their view point constructively beside calling me a retard I have nothing to say to you. I'm holding back. Okay...turn the page...I want to again just thank those who were willing to help me out, you guys have always been very helpful and I love this site.
Thanks DC, Johann

[Back N Black]

Most people who dislike the Chevy or ford, never driven one. I can tell you i like the Ford Mustang and the Chevy Impala. I have 20 plus years in the Mechanical trade and each one has its place in the muscle car era. This is my first Mopar and believe me this is not the end all be all. 

[pettyfan43]

I can see putting chevy small blocks in other brand vehicle's. But, when it comes to muscle cars 


It would be like putting a 289 ford in a first generation Camaro.

I knew a guy that had a 68 Camaro with a 426 HEmi in it!!! He had a 68-69 Charger and a truck pulled out in front of him and KILLED the Charger, He had bought the Camaro intending to build a racecar with a 454, BUT the Charger got mashed, and he had that Hemi just sitting there.......... 

[pettyfan43]

Wow, it was just a question, never said I was gonna do it. Its nice to see everyone's personalitlies when someone asks an honest question. Thank you to everyone who had some genuine positive input, I posed the question knowing I was gonna get some flak. For the very small percentage who had something negative to say and couldn't convey their view point constructively beside calling me a retard I have nothing to say to you. I'm holding back. Okay...turn the page...I want to again just thank those who were willing to help me out, you guys have always been very helpful and I love this site.
Thanks DC, Johann

You have to remember, to most of us, the thought of a brand X engine wrapped in the coolest sheet metal ever wrapped around 4 wheels in just silly.

The Charger was available with everything IN the Mopar Arsenal.

Consider this, 400 blocks are CHEAP and you can get a 440 Crank and rods VERY reasonably  and build a 451 torque monster that will absolutely pull your house around
if you can find a place to hook it, and this is NOT an overly expensive powerplant to build.

It will drop right in the car and be MILES ahead of the chubby in terms of serviceability and the shear LACK of aggravation in getting the thing in the car. Not to mention it will run rings around a 700 dollar chubby crate engine.

Also consider this, if you did cobble up all that junk to get the chubby in the car and manage to get the thing going, if you break something important, You ain't going to any parts store to buy parts to fix the thing, you are back to cobbling.

Just some food for thought.  No offense intended.

[ChargersETC..ETC..]

There is nothing wrong with GENERAL MOTORS GM or  CHEVEROLET CHEVY engines  .
Infact I am so pleased with them that anyone is a GM supplier and would like to donate a New 454 ,502,572 engine ,transmission etc..the whole works to me to install in my 1969 Charger let me know maybee we can work something out

But please ignoree the posts that bad mouthed GM  they obviously aren't interested

Thanks

[The70RT]

There is nothing wrong with GENERAL MOTORS GM or  CHEVEROLET CHEVY engines  .
Infact I am so pleased with them that anyone is a GM supplier and would like to donate a New 454 ,502,572 engine ,transmission etc..the whole works to me to install in my 1969 Charger let me know maybee we can work something out

But please ignoree the posts that bad mouthed GM  they obviously aren't interested

Thanks

Im interested now. you stated " anyone is a GM supplier and would like to donate a New 454 ,502,572 engine ,transmission etc..the whole works to me to install"   

I don't think that's gonna happen anytime too soon  If you do and you get extras I gotta Cutlass convertible that would take that setup too. As far as being interested in Chevys....sure a lot of us are but WRONG site   

[pettyfan43]

The fact is that I have had a few GM cars, 57 Chevy, 71 Buick GS and a couple of others. plus a couple of Fords 68 Cyclone and a 67 Mustang GT390 and I can tell you from experience.  Mopars have the GMs and Fords in the BAG just on the sheer cool factor.

A 69 Charger makes a 66-67 Chevelle pale in comparison. 
And a  71 Cuda delegates all the other Pony Cars to a race for second.

As for Chevy engines, the ones I have had were all overrated. Give me a nice 340-360 or fat block mopar any day.


Those have their place in a Chevy. But then I don't even like putting Chevys in Buicks or Pontiacs. or anything else that didn't come with one.
That is just a personal thing to me.

But then I've always wanted to build a 55 Ford F-100 with a 440/727 and 8*3/4 so What do I know??? 

[Ghoste]

If there wasn't competition, there wouldn't be a need for performance cars and like any good competition, some of us are going to be rabidly passionate fans of the "home team".  Agreed, the name calling is overboard but at least we don't cause riots like a European soccer match.

[G-man]

Mopar or Sell Car. PERIOD.

[squeakfinder]

I think when it comes to a second gen Charger the power plant is important. People would ask me what's under the hood?
I'd tell them a 400. They would give me a confused look  . Then I would have to explain, the 400 was the replacement for the 383 and it really is a good engine blah blah blah.  After I got a 440.. Nooooo problem with people understanding what that meant .

I've had several vehicle's with small block chevy's, there good engines. But in the long run, you will not be satisfied.

[bull]

There is nothing wrong with GENERAL MOTORS GM or  CHEVEROLET CHEVY engines  .

I don't think anyone is really saying that GM engines are junk. Most people are simply saying that using a Chevy engine instead of a Dodge is kind of a dumb way to try to save money given all the hassles it's going to create. Now if the world was clean out of Mopar engines, or even if they were difficult to find, his plan would make sense but last I checked that's far from being the case.

[Ghoste]

Perfect Bull, and that goes to the heart of the Model A analogy too.  People stuck smallblock Chevys in those things because they were cheap and easy to install in old cars that were cheap to buy.  Chargers aren't cheap but reliable and powerful Mopar engines can still be had which will drop right in.