HEMI engine swap tech help

Just put my Arruzza Hemi in my Cuda. Tight fit. It did go in but it is/was tight. As metalgod said it's tight on the passenger side shock area with the stage V's.

Few in the car :

Another :

last one :

Choppin, I suppose you still can get back on your blower motor on the firewall huh? Do you think there is room to put a small A/C compressor down around where the fuel pump would be? Below the altenator?

Had to take the blower motor out to get the engine in. Right now it's leaning back a bit without tranny in it, so I think when it's all squared away I will be able to reinstall the blower/heater box with no problems ( hopefully ). As far as an A/C compressor I'd think you'll have room if it's small enough.

Choppin, Can we get some pictures of your car once it is out of the garage? I really like your paint job. It reminds me of the 70's

What motor mounts did you use? Did you have a Hemi K Member?

I was considering using factory style exhaust manifold without heat tubes and heat riser. Also I herd that you needed to grind on your Hemi to get the mini starter to fit I thought if I used the factory manifolds I could use the 440 starter.
Also do you know where to purchase the "arruzza mounts"
Thanks for all the help
Bob Jack

I had John Arruzza build my Hemi motor, used his mounts. I don't see a problem with them at all but I haven't fitted everything yet. Give John a call and see if he has any mounts in stock. I'm going to run the 2 1/8 Hemi headers from TTI. Haven't thought of a starter yet. Picture of car below.

Sorry Cobratech, forgot to post John's phone number.

Arruzza Performance - 336/475-0426

a bit of advise here, just my 2 cents worth, it has been my experience that trying to do a hemi conversion"on the cheap" is a very bad idea, the starter will work, or you can just buy the mini starter very nice unit fits like a glove, if running a manual the stock bell housing will work fine but not for drag racing applications(clutch and flywheel will be about 1000.00!!!) the arruzza mounts work fine as i have listed above in my other post and the shock tower clearnce problem has been adress with thestage 5 covers, dont try to piece the car together with the wrong parts you will end up with more truoble than you can imagine, the stock exhaust maniflod will work fine but for the same cost you could put a nice set of tti exhaust on the car, they fit well and sound great, the small sanden a/c compressors will fit down there you may have to fabricate a bracket but thats no big deal, i would check the clearnce on that a/c blower motor, but if i remember correctley i think they are a bit lower in the firewall????anyone else have a a/c ebody engine compartmet shot. installing a hemi in an mopar is a spendy operation, everything has to be changed, front front suspension, torsion bars, brakes, radiator etc etc etc big buck job do it right and you will be able to enjoy the car and not spend alot of time fixing things, many people here have done this swap and are more than happy to help but i think all agree that trying to cut corners on this swap is a real bad idea

Here is where I got my AC mounting brackets and components. http://www.bouchillonperformance.com/
If the hemi is in the stock location you can use the stock heater blower motor.I have Barton valve covers on my motor and they still clear the blower motor.
I would stay away from the Schumacker mounts. They do not set the motor in the stock location.From the several cars that I have looked at with these mounts it appears that the motor sits much closer to the passenger side than stock.This will give you shock tower clearance problems with large valve covers.
I have my motor on a stock K frame in the stock location. TTI headers did not fit on my car with power steering.
Also I could not find anyone that made solid stock style motor mounts for a hemi. I had to have my own made.
Good luck these motors are a tight fit,

I appreciate your good advise. I realize it's very expensive to restore an e body. I have been working on this for two years already.. I just got it off a rotisserie.. I am not trying to do anything cheep just the right way once. I have used the mini starters before on my AC Cobra and had no problems but just herd that you had to do some grinding on the opening on the Hemi to get it to fit, I don't like to grind on anything unless is a absolute must. I am also aware that a lot of big block stuff will fit the 426 Hemi and am in the learning stage.. I need as much input (Good and Bad)as I can get to pull this off.
My car came with a 440 and Auto Trans. in it so I have a lot of parts that I would love to use. I want to keep it an Auto 727.
I already installed Hemi Torsion bars but what other front suspension parts would need to be changed?
Not trying to be cheep but I'm not rich ether..Just Mopar crazy.
Bob Jack

I would really like to here from some of you guys that have bought a crate Hemi. What kind of problems did you have?? Oil Leaks..Motor failure..
Its a Hemi..couldn't be all that bad..could it?
Bob

i dropped a hemi in a 72 Road Runner with a A/grabber hood. parts i used. mopar performance siamese hemi block, old style stage 5 hemi heads without a bolt hole for the alternator. indy 16 bolt single plane intake modified by milling 1/2" of the top. mopar performance valve covers, TTI big tube headers repo bower brake booster and bracket of un-known manufacturer, big bolck fluid dampner, stock 400 pulleys, flex tube dip stick, mopar performance mini starter, shumacher conversion mounts on a 400 K member. with the shumacher mounts the motor sits a bit to the passenger side and a bit higher than stock. the valve covers clear the right shock tower but the rub when i stand on it. DON'T buy the big tube TTI headers. they aren't worth the headaches on a street car. i have a buddy who has a 71 charger with the A/C mounted in the stock location. he had to modify the A/G base to get it to fit but it fits now. i am not sure how it would fit with a shaker aircleaner. he clears the A/C blower motor motor with cast valve covers also without mods. all i can say is PLAN in advance and go to the big shows and look for builds like you plan to do and ask alot of questions to the people who have done it before, nothing beats seeing instalations first hand instead of looking at pics.

Thanks Mr T tu U
Are the BIG Tube TTI headers the same as the 2 1/8" stock hemi header that TTI shows on there web page? I am having problems with there sit loading is why I am asking.. I think they are listing 2" or 2 1/8" header for the stock hemi. Did the Mopar performance Hemi you ordered come with the indy intake?
I hope these questions don't sound to stupid, but if I don't ask I won't learn and I can't afford to make any mistakes.
Thanks
Bob

Cobratech, I did want to add that you do not need to use the hemi positive battery cable($200+ dollars) I wired my car just like a stock 440 car.
I don't know if you are planning on a stock power steering box. But I couldn't get TTI's to fit my car but that was with the big tube 2 1/4" primary tubes.
I would not run tubes smaller than 2 1/8" with a hemi.

I have the TTI 2 1/8" headers and power steering and they fit well, no dimpling needed. I am using mounts similar to the Aruzza mounts.

Thanks DodgeCharger
I would make my own Positive battery cable before I spend 200.00 on one. I was planning on using the stock power steering box since I have already bought a new one from year one. It's sounding more and more like I need to just stay away from the TTI headers and use thew factory exhaust manifolds to avoid a lot of headaches. Unless someone can convince me that the 2 1/8 tubes will work with Hemi torsion bars, mini starter, stock power steering and everything else.
What exhaust manifolds did you end up using?
Thanks for your good advise DodgeCharger

Hemi_Jack
You say similar to the Aruzza mounts..will you share what type they are and where I might purchase some..Are they solid or insulated?
I see your in Puyallup..I live in Cle Elum
Bob Jack

I bought my driver's side mount from Chrysler Power magazine. It is a solid mount. I drilled the mounting bosses on the passenger side of the block and used a stock 440 mount on that side. The Aruzza driver's side mount is almost identical to mine. The passenger side mount he sells is better because it bolts to the block where the hemi mounts bolt. I tried the Schumacher mounts on my car and they raised the engine and caused some hood clearance problems for me. I am running a 3" oval air cleaner element though.

A shot of the A/C blower motor I had to modify. Actually I had to remove the valve cover to install the blower motor. Yes I did have to grind the block some to fit a mini starter into a stock 4 speed aluminum (####513 I think) bellhousing. I am running the Schumacher mounts. I shimmed them over to the drivers side. I cut a slice out of the shock tower with the engine installed. Worked through the fenderwell and welded a reverse slice back into the hole. I have Stage V magnesium covers. DO NOT CONFUSE THE CLEARANCE ISSUES OF THE COVERS WITH THE DESIGN OF THE HEADS!!! The heads are excellent!!! You can use stock covers with these heads. The newer ones, like mine, have 1 bolt hole in the right end of the heads. The problems requiring these "larger" covers is the exhaust valve retainers. It is my understanding the factory retainers were smaller in diameter. When "hopping up" the valve train using larger retainers will provider a larger selection in valve springs. That's why you occasionally find steel or sheet aluminum covers for sale that have been hammered on for clearance of the retainers. There are also raised port units which I have no clue about. My TTI's (2 1/8 tubes) fit without any problems. I fit the M.P. fan package on mine without a shroud...have heating issues... If you do not use the thick "Hemi" balancer (which you certainly do not have to) you can use regular B or R/B stuff. I used a GM 1 wire alternator W/factory B R/B alternator brackets. I used the stock throttle cable with a little "extender" to reach the front carb on the Stage V intake setup. Required the same extender for a Rat Roaster intake I had on it first. Made a flat air cleaner base (raised a little to clear the float adjusters) and used a stock oval lid and "stock" K&N air filter to clear my T/A style hood.
Curt

A shot of the "wedge" removed...Before the wedge was removed I had about 1/4 to 3/8 inch clearance...I was afraid of cracking the valve cover. Oh yeah...I have power steering as well
Curt

Kinda cheesy on the heater hose installation... I could not find a formed hose to work...Stock heater control cable, NAPA (I think) heater control valve.

You can see here that the heads are really NOT a clearance issue
Curt

Curt,
These are some great pictures..They sure help a lot to see how this goes together. I am not really into the massive horse power seen so a nice 426 Hemi without any stage V..automatic trans..slap stick and a posi will do just fine. I would like to use the TTI headers with a mini starter as long as I don't need to do any grinding on my new Hemi. It sounds like I may be able to use the 2 1/8 TTI headers and mini starter as long as I use the 727 ??
Thanks for your good information
Bob Jack

Grinding is really not a big deal...Just test fit the engine/trans/starter before installation. The only thing is touching up the paint on the block. I believe there has been a few different variations of these blocks so you may not have any problem. The only REAL STRONG recommendation I would make is have the engine broken in and tuned on a dyno BEFORE you install it. Who cares how much power you make? What makes it worth the money is proper cam/lifter break in...proper ring break in. There is no fear of washing out the engine and ruining the piston rings...No fear of going lean and resulting engine damage the first time you stand on it. These angines are NOT cheap...percentage wise the Dyno cost is not significant...compare that to your health insurance cost each month.
Curt

Oh yeah...I am not talking "run in on an engine stand" like some builders do..Don't let the engine builder talk you out of it (John Arruzza).

i have a crate motor , 426 , if you buy one , buy a gasket set and have it disassembled and checked by a comptent shop that knows hemis . unless something has changed the valves springs and retainers are a problem as are the head gaskets ...

seriously , buy the parts and build one from scratch .

Oh My!! I guess everyone with a Hemi has had these problems?

You can use Stage V heads with stock valve covers. Here's my little 650 hp elephant that Tim Banning sent to me.

The Stage V heads are cheaper than the MP iron heads and flow better.

Very nice 650 hp elephant 69 road runner. I see your project is in the same state as my Cuda, looks good!
Bob Jack

with Cobra. I am thinking of the same combo in my 70 Challenger. Not so much interested in the bigger HP numbers. 475 Hp is fine. I would like to run my power steering, PB and the A/C though.....if I can find room for the smaller compressor unit underneath, on top? hell somewhere.....

i have an arruzza motor and he does run them on a test stand, drains the oil, retorques the heads and sets the valves and timing and breaks in the cam, what he doesnt do is put the engine under a dyno load, no need to if it isnt a full on race motor, now not to start a big argument here but, it really doesnt make sense to me to dyno load a brand new motor? his combination of parts, head works, cam, compression ratio etc have know h.p and torque levels, so no need to dyno load the motor, i also have a banning engine as well, i specifically requested no dyno load on the motor, engine was broken in on the test stand, oil changed, timing set and sent to me, both engines started with the first click of the key and although i only have 300 miles on the banning motor, after a little carb work(jetting and power valving,typical stuff and a bit more timimg)the engine sounds awesome fires right up stays cool, even on a 100 degree day in town, and my install in a 70 cuda was very straight forward, i used the tti 2 1/8 tubes with power sterring, they practically fell into place with no mods,mini starter was simple bolt in easy deal, i did use a sctattershield which did require a very small half moon(hemispherical?) piece of the edge of the scattershield to be removed about the size of a quarter, the clear the tubes, only clearnce problem is on passenger side shock tower, which is undectectable at any rpm, used arruzza mounts, flexible milidon dipstick tube, used stock 440+6 wiring harness, stock 440 pulleys, griffin bolt in aluminum radiator with a shroud that i made,elctric fuel pump, twin holleys, car runs great so far, only 300 miles slight oil seepage from pan( i hate leaks) the arruzza motor went into my charger, hemi k frame hemi mounts etc, power steering power disc brakes, put entire assembly in from underneath, valve covers need to be removed and reinstalled after motor and k frmae are installed too wide for lower section of engine bay, no problems at all after that, charger is stock looking resto, with factory correct bellhousing and linkage, 956 radiator, hemi cluth fan etc etc, arruzza motor was dead on out of the crate very crisp, very responsive, carbs were dead on, ignition very close, car only has a few miles on it yet so can not really compare the two as to performance but they should be real stormers i am sure, the ebody swap is pretty simple i do agree on the staement of prerunning the motor on a test stand before install if it is a factory crate or a tear down and reassembly but the test run would be real cool and offer much more info. the stock 727 will bolt up and work fine if it is in good working condition, all your factory linkage will work with out any modification and the correct kickdown linkage is available through Newcombs Hemispherical parts( if hes still around?)if your car has factory a/c you should be able to make it work with the new smaller compact compressors, pretty straight forward swap with out alot of problems, just takes a little patience, and alot of money!

oh yeah something else i do not know what valve covers the crate motors come with but the factory original hemi covers had a large dished section on the front section of the drivers side front cover this was needed to clear to battery and battery tray, if the crate motors have this set up your ok, but with my charger i used the stage 5 covers and modified them to look like factory 70 covers but without the dished area, any way what i needed to do sice i wanted a factory looking engine compartment in the charger was re configure the battery tray, shorten it and move it forward and just use a samller high powered battery with a topper on it with red caps looks pretty good no one has called me on it yet, so if you have battery tray clearnce problem you may want to put it in the trunk for underhood room, just an idea

I should add that Tim used 2 valve cover gaskets for the stock covers to get them to clear the valvetrain.

I put a Hemi in my 69 B body this weekend, aluminum heads, and as previously mentioned, clearance on the passenger side shock tower is minimal. Using schumacher mounts, tti 2-1/8 headers, flaming river steering box, and powermaster ministarter. I dropped the center link to put in the passenger side header, it then went in pretty easily. The driver side is another matter. I didn't trim the pad on the k member like schumacher recommends, and it definitely wouldn't go in last night around the manual steering box. Will be trimming the pad today and seeing what's next. I didn't have any problems clearing the blower motor when dropping the engine in. Originally I was going to install from below, but, after measuring overall width of the engine, I didn't want to remove the valve covers for the install. I did remove the steering column in preparation of installing from below, and to paint it. Glad it's out of the way right now.

the blower motor on a non a/c b body is on the inside of the passenger compartment, is your car a/c equipped? i have heard alot about the header troubles with the schumacher mounts? i used the arruzza mounts in a hemi e body swap and the 2 1/8 ttis practicall fell into place from underneath, no clearnce problem no sterring linkage problems, my car has power sterring with no problems, wonder what the deal with the schmaucher mounts is? i wouldnt want the motro any higher than it already is and the stock location was designed for a purpose, interesting to stay the least, good luck

dart_sportsatellite,
Do you mind if I ask what hemi you used? Was it a crate or custom built?
Bob

hi
as other people have said the big tube headers are 2 1/4". my motor is a custom build one. maybe to give you inspiration on low dollar build i purchased everything for my motor USED over a 3 year span. the only new stuff i bought was gaskets, rings and bearings. i built the whole motor including the headers, mounts and carb for less than $2000.

I called Cummins today after finding out that they are the new manufacture of Chrysler's 426 crate Hemi. They have taken over the reproduction of the motor. I talked to the engineers involved with the project and told them of the bad flack that the crate motor was getting from the old time Hemi builders. I asked them about the honing of the cylinders without torque plates(Being Done), lifter valley clearances(insuring proper clearance), lack of valve guides in the cast cylinder heads(guides are part of the cylinder head casing then machined) and they assured me that they were aware of the problems that the past builders of this Hemi had done and have made any and all corrections to the Hemi. The said they knew of all the problems I addressed and that every bit of care and quality was going into the NEW Hemi as they put into there Cummins Diesel Motors. They said anyone buying a New Hemi was getting a quality motor not the old motor that had all the problems that we have talked about here. They sounded honest to me..Here is there phone number to judge for your self but I feel a little better: 1-800-387-0009 ext 846
Bob Jack