LS Swap '65 Valiant

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I'm not a big fan of the LS for a mopar but like said before it's their car, if they don't butcher the car too bad, someone can always swap it out later.
 
Think this question is funny, you should see all the questions on reddit from gomers who think they can simply put any engine in any car in an afternoon. No clue about mating to the transmission, engine brackets, and the gazillion interfaces and interferences. Some kids even imagine they can just throw in an electric motor to get a BEV.

An LS engine is good for tuner parts and knowledge, but easier is a Magnum 5.2/5.9L to replace a small-block engine, but won't mate to an early transmission (pre-68?) without mods and using its OD transmission requires reforming the trans tunnel. That gives MPFI and crank-triggered ignition, but problems with heads cracking. I would wait for an easier solution. Someday, an e-motor drop-in with new super-light solid-state batteries in a small package, always just over the horizon.
 
BillGrissom said:
Think this question is funny, you should see all the questions on reddit from gomers who think they can simply put any engine in any car in an afternoon. No clue about mating to the transmission, engine brackets, and the gazillion interfaces and interferences. Some kids even imagine they can just throw in an electric motor to get a BEV.

An LS engine is good for tuner parts and knowledge, but easier is a Magnum 5.2/5.9L to replace a small-block engine, but won't mate to an early transmission (pre-68?) without mods and using its OD transmission requires reforming the trans tunnel. That gives MPFI and crank-triggered ignition, but problems with heads cracking. I would wait for an easier solution. Someday, an e-motor drop-in with new super-light solid-state batteries in a small package, always just over the horizon.
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I was not planning on mating to any mopar transmission. I was looking into newer five or six speeds, and of course I would have to shorten the drive shaft, strengthen the rear end, etc. I never expected it to be an easy project.
 
JGizmo said:
I was not planning on mating to any mopar transmission. ..
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Sorry for my confusing sentence. I meant that you can't connect a Dodge Magnum V-8 to a 1965 transmission without several mod's. One is a spacer ring so the torque converter snout fits tight in the crankshaft hole. Another is to mount a crank pickup in the transmission bell-housing (cut slots). All Magnum swaps I've seen use the later OD transmission, which loses the 1965 shift linkage.

Shortening a driveshaft is fairly easy and there are conversion U-joints to mate some driveshafts to other-sized differential yokes. A six-speed Tremec would allow the shifter to just stick up thru the tunnel and I recall there are aftermarket handles to optimally position the handle. Might have to fab a clutch pedal. Tremec might have a hydraulic clutch or perhaps retrofitted with one, so no fussing with linkages. Others have swapped an LS into an old Mopar so google.
 
Apparently ‘Ol gizmo there didn’t witness the brutal assault the poor bastard took who asked about an LS swap last weekend! Next!:rofl:
 
BillGrissom said:
Sorry for my confusing sentence. I meant that you can't connect a Dodge Magnum V-8 to a 1965 transmission without several mod's. One is a spacer ring so the torque converter snout fits tight in the crankshaft hole. Another is to mount a crank pickup in the transmission bell-housing (cut slots). All Magnum swaps I've seen use the later OD transmission, which loses the 1965 shift linkage.

Shortening a driveshaft is fairly easy and there are conversion U-joints to mate some driveshafts to other-sized differential yokes. A six-speed Tremec would allow the shifter to just stick up thru the tunnel and I recall there are aftermarket handles to optimally position the handle. Might have to fab a clutch pedal. Tremec might have a hydraulic clutch or perhaps retrofitted with one, so no fussing with linkages. Others have swapped an LS into an old Mopar so google.
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Thanks for the info!
 
72DartGuy said:
Apparently ‘Ol gizmo there didn’t witness the brutal assault the poor bastard took who asked about an LS swap last weekend! Next!:rofl:
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If you're talking about the thread that got like 200 replies that was mine haha
 
65 Cuda 340 said:
Except that in 1960 (and 61) a big block Mopar would have been the old extended crank version, and the only available automatic would have been the old cast iron Torqueflite. Three speed manual, too, but . . . .

Anyway, I know that in 1962 the Dragmaster team built an A/FX max wedge 62 Dodge Lancer with the new style (modern) big block. I'm not aware of anyone putting a big block Mopar in a first generation Valiant or Lancer before then. But I also doubt that very many SBC's were ever swapped into the earlier Valiants or Lancers, either, or that Hurst ever sold many kits to do so.

Hey - I'm up at 4 am. My dog had to go out, so I figured I would check in here while I was up. . . .

View attachment 1715936740

View attachment 1715936741 .
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Well, I just found out that someone did put an extended crank (pre 62) big block in a first generation Valiant before Dragmaster built their 413 Lancer. Recently got an April 62 issue of Cars magazine off ebay, had article on the swap inside. The swap used an extended crank 361 bolted to a 57 Plymouth cast iron Torqueflite and ran a 57 Plymouth rear end. Even more interestingly, the swap was done by original Ram Chargers member Dan Mancini. Whole article is five pages long; here's the lead.

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