“…..Ya but it's a Hemi……..and can't afford a 426…..”

That is exactly what I think when I see a first Gen HEMI in any MOPAR built after 1963....someone who took the cheap way out.

There is enough difference between the 1st and 2nd Gen HEMIs that anyone who knows MOPARS can tell at a glance it’s not a 2nd Gen. Don’t get me wrong I like the 1st Gen HEMIs, I just don’t think they look right in anything made after the introduction of the 2nd Gen. I also think you would find that in the long run it would actually detract from the cars resale value.

As far as the value of the engine, a lot of people ask a ton of money on the 392s, but the ones that actually change hands usually go for $1000-1500 in complete, builder condition. As far as having the transmission..... that would be the heavy cast iron torqueflight with the big emergency brake on the back. It’s really only desirable to restorers. To put a modern torqueflight behind an early HEMI you will need a Small Block 727/904/518 and an adaptor plate that runs in the $500 neighborhood.

If you do decide to look at the engine make sure you look at and print out the engine ID Codes from the Hot Hemi Heads site. There were something like 13 different displacement 1st Gen HEMIs produced between Chrysler, Dodge and DeSoto. Almost every early HEMI I’ve seen advertised claimed to be a 392....over half were not.