I've got a family friend that has had a 392 Hemi from a tattered New Yorker for quite some time now.He's hurting for money now and the gears started turning in my twisted head...I've got a 69 Bee that's still some time from being road ready w/ matching #'s. The car is a 383 w/ 727 & an N96 hood.
Question is, has anyone done a 392 in a similar car?
Would the 727 work with it? I'm assuming there would need to be some sort of adapter on the bellhousing at the very least. Also concerned about the height of the motor because of the airgrabber hood. Would the K-frame need modified to mount it?

I'm not getting rid of the 383 but it does need rebuilt so I figured if I could get the motor for cheap, drop the 392 in with relative ease and not have to cut the car, why not?

Thanks for your input!

Cole

It has been done, and it's not a cheap upgrade.

Rebuilding the hemi isn't cheap and you will have to upgrade the front suspension due to those engine weight alot. Also, if you want power steering, you will need to have custom brackets made for it.

Then there is the carburation and linkage, that will set you back more money.

Radiator will have to have the inlet/outlet switched around to work with the cooling system.

motor mounts from poly powered b-bodies would be your best bet, but exspect those to need some modifications.

headers will be worth every bank account draining penny as those factory manifolds are very restrictive.

big block 727 wor'n work, but the 727 from a small block will work with the conversion.

In all, your looking at about $15,000 to do a proper conversion. For that kind of money, you may as well just buy a crate engine and pop it in. I had a friend who did the conversion in a similar year charger and has always regreted it. He feels like a moron everytime we bring up the car (the car still dosen't handle right).

Thanks for the info,

I was afraid of that...but it sure would look great in there!

The weight issue hadn't crossed my mind as being a factor, do you have a rough number for how much it does weigh? It's called the elephant motor for a reason I suppose!

the baby hemi's are pretty heavy and probably weight as much as a 426 hemi, though I don''t remeber. TO be honest, you could build a nice striker engine for half that and be up and running as soon as the machine shop is done. If you want underhood bling factor, high polish aluminum valve covers and aluminum heads will get you there, and still be fun AND funtionable.

A 392 with the aluminum upgrades such as intake, valley pan,water pump and so forth. The motor weighs in 40 pounds more then a small block chevy. They have the adaptors to use big block chevy water pump. They have the bracket to mount a GM type II power steering pump. Height is fine with low profile dual quad intake such as Weiand. Go to Hothemiheads.com Go to there forums. many guys have done this conversion.

hothemiheads has a lot of info and parts you'll need. They aren't cheap motors to rebuild and the conversion parts needed to put them into your car add up quickly. Although the initial buy-in price for these motors can be cheap, they are a terrible bang for your buck by the time the job's done. But you can't beat the cool factor of a vintage hemi so it's a bit of a wash...

You can spend 15 K on a conversion and it will be worth less than with the 383! If you want a Hemi then go with a new one. Then your Bee will be worth twice as much!

Thanks for the info guys! I'll check out the hothemiheads site for sure...if I do get my hands on the motor we've got a 47 Chevrolet Aerosedan in line for restoration that could benefit from a beastly hemi in it.

With the majority of old hot rods (regardless of brand) having nothing but sb chevys in them it'd be a nice change of pace.

The cost to rebuild it is substantially higher than what I had anticipated but to open the hood of anything and see that monster in there would be worth it in my book.

I guess what it comes down to is that if I am able to buy the motor from him, I won't be able to say no , just because it is a 392 Hemi!

Maybe if the 'Bee wasn't matching numbers it'd be a reasonable endeavor but since it is, I agree with the previous comment that I'd be better off sticking with the perfectly capable 383.

Cole

Just my opinion..................

Early style Hemis look ENTIRELY out of place in later model Muscle Cars, it's been done before, it's not cheap to retrofit one into a later car, they are super heavy with the added wieght of those big iron heads (750lb range complete), and not very practical HP=$ wise. Plus, they will never be what people expect to see when you have "Hemi" advertised on the hood, you will get allot of down in the mouth comments like "Oh, it's not a real 426 Hemi" (maybe that won't bother you, but you WILL get them!).

That being said, I think early Hemis are super cool in an older ride, In fact I have a 354 myself and it's going in my 57 Plymouth wagon just for fun.

So, my advice? Go ahead and buy the 392, but find something else to put it in.

waste of time if you ask me. save the 392 for a street rod.

One word of advice, if you do decide to buy it, make absolutely sure of what you're buying. They made 15 different hemis back in the day and everyone thinks they have a 392, but it's rarely the case.

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It's called the elephant motor for a reason I suppose!

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The 426 style hemi was the elephant motor. The early hemis were called whale motors.

Have you actually seen the engine? 99% of the time when I go on a hemi run its a 318 or 440. Heck in my area I could put hemi badges all over my car and the average joe would think my 340 was a hemi lol.

I did see the motor while the guy still had it in the car...I did NOT check any numbers though..It was in a 57 (couldve been 58) New Yorker. It has been several years since then, so I don't recall any details beyond the fact that it is a hemi of some type. Unfortunately the car was a rusty mess (even by Rust Belt standards) and was scrapped.

Cole

I'd spend the money on stroking your 383. the 392 is ok but in the end your mmoney's better spent on doing the 383 right.

I sold my 392 in april for 16,500.00 Motor was fresh with all the billet goodies.Every thing was brand new every last nut and bolt. All good parts Keith Black,Hot Heads,Racer Brown,Daytona Auto Design. Weiand, Was built for 34 Ford coupe project. Called it quits on the coupe and bought my GTX. 392's are very cool and make more then enough power on the street. They were torque monsters. The cost to buil it wasn't any more then a 440 would have been. I do agree motor is better suited to street rod or vintage eara ride. But if it is a real 392 grab it. You can't go wrong with a 392.

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It was in a 57 (couldve been 58) New Yorker.

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FWIW 392 Hemi (single 4 barrel) was the only engine available in either year New Yorker.

A complete, stock, running "Core" 392 engine will sell for around 2-3K on average these days.

them older hemi,s weight a bunch i cant see it only weighing 40-60 pounds more then a small block chevy i had a 331 hemi and it weighed 780 pounds thats a lot of weight to be putting on the front end