500hp Engine Options

Yah you need a lot of research. I agree with your buddy. Sure a hellcat will add value. But at what cost? $18k for the motor how much for a tranny. Power steering alt ac brackets The metal work to fit it all in there tunnel work for the tranny.
I'm thinking $30k is conservative to get your car that driveline.
Then compare what a repopped 426 costs you and I would say values between the two finished projects don't make up that difference.

But even so. This is far from building a 440 and dropping it in. Do you pics of the car what does this project look like right now? And if you got a guy that will get a Hc motor in your car in 30 days I want his contact info I may use him too.

Don't believe what you see on tv when chip goose restores a car in 5 days lol. Real life is different.

Hellcat may add value now but long term it's not the way to go.

In the 80-90 tpi swaps and magnum 5.2/5.9 swaps were the way to go

In 90-2000 ls1 swaps and hemi 5.7 swaps were the way to go

Nowadays ls3 and hellcat swaps or larger srt motor swaps are the way to go.

You can't give away the tpi swaps the magnum swaps and even some of the 5.7 hemi swaps

If you live in the now and are just gonna dump the car in the next ten years then great. Swap away

BUT

That same guy that even in the 80s decided to build a powerful strong well thought out big block.... is still desirable and valuable.

Superb Bee said:

Yah you need a lot of research. I agree with your buddy. Sure a hellcat will add value. But at what cost? $18k for the motor how much for a tranny. Power steering alt ac brackets The metal work to fit it all in there tunnel work for the tranny.
I'm thinking $30k is conservative to get your car that driveline.
Then compare what a repopped 426 costs you and I would say values between the two finished projects don't make up that difference.

But even so. This is far from building a 440 and dropping it in. Do you pics of the car what does this project look like right now? And if you got a guy that will get a Hc motor in your car in 30 days I want his contact info I may use him too.

Don't believe what you see on tv when chip goose restores a car in 5 days lol. Real life is different.

Click to expand...

True on the mystique of big block and its value over time. But lets not forget macro trends. Global warming etc. At some point people may not want carbureted engines at all - or worse they could end up outlawed. At the tend of the day I don't see well built high hp drivable builds going out of stye either. Six n one hand. Half a dozen in other.

Regarding getting it done in a month or so Google Roadkill 68 Charger. They did it in 3 weeks. And my guy helped them sort it. So while no guarantees Baileys shop is on of best of best!

like I said you are watching too much tv, lol...
I had a little time off from work, my sons and my brothers helping, and we took a 69 GTX from a solid resto project to a done driver in 2 weeks, its not impossible, BUT we yanked the 440/727 and changed bearings, cam, rings, timing set, oil pump, and seals, had a set of heads done on the shelf, and had a 727 fresh from another car, needed drivers floor and trunk the rest was solid, did shocks, brakes, all the lines, covered the seats, headliner, sticker and detailed the gauges, rebuilt the doors, and painted the car in that 2 weeks, me and my brother probably averaged 9 hours a day in there for 12 days, and my kids another 3-4 hours a night and all day saturday.
We got it done but the chrome for the vent windows and bumpers took a month longer, and we had the seat covers in hand when we started, and the car still had to be dropped off for the vinyl top...
BUT if someone had to pay me for that and I was a real shop with overhead, it would have been $15K...

Money can get anything done, we all know that, you put an add on this forum right now saying you will pay $200 an hour cash for each guy capable to finish your car and a plane ticket and my garage has a 2 post lift, rotisserie, paint booth, powder coating oven, huge blast cabinet, tig, plasma, mig, and every tool you can imagine that you would need for a 68-70 b-body restoration ready to go..

But in the beginning of the thread it seems you were worried about cost, now you are ready to drop 30K on an hc motor.

1 more note, If you are serious about a HC swap, buy a donor car, you can get an entire car for $44K 2015 with under 10K miles on it, have everything you need for the swap, sell the body with clean title vin number for $15-20K (easily, a friend of mine did it, kept the motor, trans, harness, fuel system, some exhaust parts and the cluster, sold the car for $20K cash with a clean title, the buyer was from NY said he was putting in a chevy circle track motor and tranny for a trans am style race he does, but there was 10 others that wanted it, and countless people that wanted, wheels, hood, seats, etc.. i think he sold it short...)

IMO a donor car is the best way to do a swap, side by side, entire harness, clusters, and fuel module... It ran in car A it will run in car B... Just food for thought...

Evoking said:

2) learning I can have a new Hemi motor with a cam and thunderous sound that will not only perform better but be way more efficient and also add more value than it's incremental costs over a 440 build. I do NOT need Hellcat power. But the cost difference between HC and N/A 6.1 isn't much for my source at least.

Click to expand...

Just comments. I mean these with respect of course.


"Thunderous sound" and modern efi muscle is a oxymoron. Nothing... absolutely nothing compares to the sound of classic 440-500 cid 10:5 - 1 naturally aspirated detroit iron... Watch peoples heads turn at a local cruise when a even a mild 383 with flow-masters pulls in compared to a HC with a 3k borla exhaust. They don't even turn their heads for the HC...

FWIW I think you are looking down the barrel of spending a fortune (and being without a driver for a lot longer than you may expect) with a HC transplant.

Build a B or RB stroker with modern heads (450-500 hp) and a 6 pack for the fun and nostalgia. BTW resale on sixpack setups is very sound investment as many people want them. As others have said if its a driver don't focus on peak HP. Biggest mistake is people overbuild a street machine which makes them impractical. Save some $$$ for a gearvendors OD and you'll have a serious street machine that can be driven anywhere.

Id start with a LOCAL respected Mopar builder and be honest about your use / intents. Trust me , you will be back to see them when it comes time to work out the bugs (timing, jetting, heat, etc.) Dropping off a box of parts is not a route i would recommend in your situation.

I built a 493 6 pack stroker two years ago and will drive it anywhere. Breaks the tires in first / second shift with 3:23s and 295 cooper cobras....

Another thing to consider is the difference in emissions. Depending on the state you live in, you will have to have the car meet emissions standards of the engine year you are transplanting. That mean with the HC engine, you will need all the emissions and exhaust components to pass smog and obtain the certificate from the smog controller.

A similar year engine exchange requires no changes.

Good points above. With respect, this thread is two years old.