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Debate: To 5.7 Hemi swap or To old school big block in my 67 Coronet HELP!!!!

If it were a racecar, I'd go old-school. Now days, with injection and the MDS....you can have the power and mileage. I'd go gen-3, with all the electronics.
 
It's YOUR car, do what makes you happy and what meets your needs. Gauging a project's direction by consensus of the masses is never a good thing.
 
just a suggestion, but you said you got the mod mani. i would put the six pac fuel injection on that hemi, that would be sexy as hellllll.
 
IMHO I think that the real issue is in the add-on issues. Transmissions are different from all your choices. 5.7 must use a transmission that will work and bolt in(NOT counting any extra work for non-stock) Manuals must have clutch pedals installed. Big blocks will use a different transmission from your 904. Overdrives OR correct gearing for what YOUR intended use need to be worked out before you decide or waste a lot of money.

For me the 65 Coronet had a big block 727 and highway gears already. A 440 that I had bought from a 70 highway patrol car for the motor instead of a 5.7 Hemi(when they first came out) because replacement part are easy to find for a RB type engine, for a daily driver.

Value is going to be the same for a clean install of whatever you decide, so that is a non-issue.

What do YOU want for the end product? And what is the best way to achieve that goal?
 
ALL Good points guys...keep em coming.
I want clean under the hood. nice and tidy...wires neat, stuff where it should be, all detailed.
I want dependability as its a fun family car for me to take on cruises, shows, out to eat, church, etc...
I would love to get it done and drive it on the power tour next year...that is a goal of mine.
 
So I will add a couple of thoughts:

I am trying to bridge old school and new by adding fuel injection and an overdrive to my big block. So I will get some of the reliability of the FI and driving manners of the OD, while retaining the original look. Plus it's an Air Grabber and I wanted to keep that functional.

One deciding factor may be time. I suspect that the 5.7 swap will take more time and custom fabrication than the big block. I know they are making more and more kits for this type of swap all the time, but I have to believe all the sensors and computer elements would take some time to engineer and install nicely.

The good thing about a decision like this is it is a win-win either way! I don't think anyone will dislike the result in the end...:headbang:
 
hotwire has what you need for electronics. The NAG1 setup[as I'm using] is the most difficult and expensive.
 
It's really not that hard of a swap. The parts are not in kit form but are all offered. By far the most difficult solution is the fuel system as there isn't an aftermarket tank setup for it. But Tanks inc makes a kit that many have used.

The trans choices are many but only a few if you don't want to mod the floor. The 727 and 904 will work as they share the bellhousing with the smallblock. The A833 works too but will require a 3/4" chop of the input shaft tip.


The fuel injection setup with a hotwire harness is 6 wires....the rest plug in and you're done. Its actually very easy. If you had all of the parts figured out and purchased I'd venture a weekend or two and you would have it done.
 
do what ever makes you happy,
who cares what someone else thinks,
it's not their money, time or efforts going into the car...

the downside is all the comments that you'll here from the crowd about wrong engine for the era type stuff
just ignore them...

I have seen some gen 3 hemi's that are made to look "old school", to an extent too,
best of both worlds...

I'd run an EFI instead of a carb thou... just mhfo
check these guys out ; http://www.fbthrottlebodies.com/

like my signature says...
 
If I want the fuel mileage and modern conveniences of efi and the suspension braking and handling of today's cars which will be exceeded by tomorrows cars in a few years then I'd go buy the most modern muscle car is challenger mustang camaro. What not. These cars where original only once these cars look drive and feel the way they do for a reason. Just my opinion. One thing I can show you examples of tho if you are worried about what it'll be worth down the road is that the modst recent efi swaps aren't the way to go. They are old news in no time and common place in no time. Look how many 5.7 swaps are being done and now they all want 6.1s. Take my 1990 example as listed previously.
 
dieseldazzle said:
If I want the fuel mileage and modern conveniences of efi and the suspension braking and handling of today's cars which will be exceeded by tomorrows cars in a few years then I'd go buy the most modern muscle car is challenger mustang camaro. What not. These cars where original only once these cars look drive and feel the way they do for a reason. Just my opinion. One thing I can show you examples of tho if you are worried about what it'll be worth down the road is that the modst recent efi swaps aren't the way to go. They are old news in no time and common place in no time. Look how many 5.7 swaps are being done and now they all want 6.1s. Take my 1990 example as listed previously.
Click to expand...

You make a very good point, but I'm not sure I 100% agree with the comparison. Those 350 TPI's etc were just small blocks and could never touch a well built big block in stock form. The difference here is a 5.7 can perform as well or better than mild big blocks and is strong enough for some serious power increases as is. True, future motors will bring bigger power (such as the 6.1...) but at what point does a guy looking for a cruiser finally have enough power?

I say do the 5.7 and if you need more, adapt a small blower kit and BAM, you got your panache back. Though I also would think keeping the fuel injection is the way to go.
 
I think the point that is repeatably missed in this thread is that he uses it for lots of road trips. If he crams a 440 under the hood his days of economical road tripping are over as fuel economy will be single digits at best. Now if he jams a 5.7 under the hood he'll have 383 output and 20+ mpg. If 10 years from now the 5.7 isn't cool anymore he can pull the thing out and drop in a big block or something else as the original architecture is still there. And besides his 273 was never going to increase his value of this car...anything he chooses will do that over it.
 
I had a carb'd big block in my car, thought it would be better if I just put efi on it....man was I wrong. I should have stuck to my original plan and put the gen3 in it (which I am doing now). You cant beat the gen3 for reliability, gas mileage, and driveability. If you plan on actually driving the car and enjoying it the gen3 is the only choice in my opinion. Old big blocks are great motors. New technology is just superior in almost every way. You may not make big block torque, but you want have to adjust valves or carbs.

I keep telling my old car buddies I am going to race my blown 426 gen3 hemi and drive it on the street. They keep thinking of it like old motors that something needs constant adjustment. I am arguing with one guy now about the hood. I told him then only time I will need to open the hood is to show off the motor, he got pissed and walked away. I cant wait to SHOW them what I have been telling them the last 3 years as I have built this car.

PS...thats a 1000 horsepower, whipple supercharged, gen3 426 getting 25 mpg on the highway completely docile street legal monster I can get in and drive coast to coast if I want to.
 
kb67mopar said:
i think the point that is repeatably missed in this thread is that he uses it for lots of road trips. If he crams a 440 under the hood his days of economical road tripping are over as fuel economy will be single digits at best. Now if he jams a 5.7 under the hood he'll have 383 output and 20+ mpg. If 10 years from now the 5.7 isn't cool anymore he can pull the thing out and drop in a big block or something else as the original architecture is still there. And besides his 273 was never going to increase his value of this car...anything he chooses will do that over it.
Click to expand...

qft.
 
lxmodguy said:
I had a carb'd big block in my car, thought it would be better if I just put efi on it....man was I wrong. I should have stuck to my original plan and put the gen3 in it (which I am doing now). You cant beat the gen3 for reliability, gas mileage, and driveability. If you plan on actually driving the car and enjoying it the gen3 is the only choice in my opinion. Old big blocks are great motors. New technology is just superior in almost every way. You may not make big block torque, but you want have to adjust valves or carbs.

I keep telling my old car buddies I am going to race my blown 426 gen3 hemi and drive it on the street. They keep thinking of it like old motors that something needs constant adjustment. I am arguing with one guy now about the hood. I told him then only time I will need to open the hood is to show off the motor, he got pissed and walked away. I cant wait to SHOW them what I have been telling them the last 3 years as I have built this car.

PS...thats a 1000 horsepower, whipple supercharged, gen3 426 getting 25 mpg on the highway completely docile street legal monster I can get in and drive coast to coast if I want to.
Click to expand...

Why won't it make the torque? The first 5.7 345hp motors are rated at 375 torques at 4400. And they have only been getting torqueyer.

- - - Updated - - -

Funny how we are comparing a new, 5.7 in this case, to a big block. Its only 5 cubes bigger than a 340 which which made 275 hp and 340 torques. 5.7 is lighter, makes 345hp or more hp and 375 or more torques
 
Well nobody ever want to hear this, but we put a whole much of early mopars on the chassis dyno and the warmed over 440 cars usually make 270 horsepower and 400 plus torque at the wheels. A stock 5.7 usually makes 260 horsepower and 300 torque. A 2009 vvt usually makes 310 horsepower and 325 torque. That's on a mustang dyno. I do dyno days for the local modern club and classic club.

Posted via Topify on Android
 
Something to be said about a wiggley front end and the smell of exhaust and the look feel and smells of a 40 plus year old car to me I guess.

I can't tell you how many 3,000 mile plus road trips we took in my lifetime in everything from slant 6 cars to 440 cars from 66 belvedere wagons to 66/67 chargers coronets 65 big block 4 speed satellite, new yorkers, 428 ltd ford, 63 fury wagon I mean the list goes on.

Yes if you want an insane output for a very tame motor and reliability ( pending electrical bugs very common in most swaps) then go with what is the latest fad and put a 5.7 efi motor in it and throw some boost at. I remember when side pipes, shag carpet tpi swaps and 700r4 swaps were the trend. Good old carb on a big block will never leave you hang in and never go out of style and will be cool as long as mopars are brother. To each there own. Be different put a fast efi system and twin turbos on your 273 and put a 5 speed behind it I mean sky's the limit
 
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