• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Early B Body Gen 3 HEMI swap. Who has done it?

It is larger than the 727 currently in the car. The 8HP70 fits in the 66 and up B bodies with a little minor trimming to some of the bosses on the transmission case (nothing structural). Only minor trimming of the floor brace above the transmission tail housing is necessary. I'd like know conclusively that it will fit the early cars just as well. Or to know conclusively that it won't, so that I can pursue other options. We are problem solvers after all. I'm just trying to flesh out as many problems as possible before the build begins. This ensures a smoother process once the build starts and keeps me from having a half assembled project cluttering up the shop while we sort through the inevitable problems on the fly. We are known for getting projects done quickly and with a high level of quality, and that is due to proper research and planning. It is something we are quite proud of.
Well I've only done 1 6.1 5spd in a 68, and wasn't excited about the drivetrain angle but it did work out ok.
I'm thinking there will be Trans tunnel issues, but hope you figure it out
 
Well I've only done 1 6.1 5spd in a 68, and wasn't excited about the drivetrain angle but it did work out ok.
I'm thinking there will be Trans tunnel issues, but hope you figure it out
I suspect you're right. If the early tunnel is any smaller than the later B body tunnel then there will be an issue. Just hoping to find someone who has actually done this swap, so that I can pick their brain.
 
I did, ya should read my thread that I linked to.
 
Maybe the customer needs to adjust to the 727 idea if the purse strings are tight.
 
Love the Orwell quote... I'm aware of all of the advantages of this swap. Do you happen to have any personal experience with a conversion of this nature in an early (65 and older) B-body?
Sorry, just my ebody and a 67 Coronet wagon. I used a 5-speed NAG, and a 727/gear-vendor. Neither required much floor mods. No thread on the 67.

Ma's `cuda. A long time coming.
 
Last edited:
Sorry it wasn’t detailed, measured out for ya. Perhaps you should stay away from this swamp and keep the stock trans.
 
It is larger than the 727 currently in the car. The 8HP70 fits in the 66 and up B bodies with a little minor trimming to some of the bosses on the transmission case (nothing structural). Only minor trimming of the floor brace above the transmission tail housing is necessary. I'd like know conclusively that it will fit the early cars just as well. Or to know conclusively that it won't, so that I can pursue other options. We are problem solvers after all. I'm just trying to flesh out as many problems as possible before the build begins. This ensures a smoother process once the build starts and keeps me from having a half assembled project cluttering up the shop while we sort through the inevitable problems on the fly. We are known for getting projects done quickly and with a high level of quality, and that is due to proper research and planning. It is something we are quite proud of.
From my research, there's more tunnel reconstruction than that needed to put the 8HP into the later cars (I have one going into a 71 Coronet). It involves both tunnel and crossmember mods. The TKO manuals and some of the 5 speed autos don't require much massaging.

Possible that the 66-70 cars are easier than the 71-74's though.
 
From my research, there's more tunnel reconstruction than that needed to put the 8HP into the later cars (I have one going into a 71 Coronet). It involves both tunnel and crossmember mods. The TKO manuals and some of the 5 speed autos don't require much massaging.

Possible that the 66-70 cars are easier than the 71-74's though.
Holley has a video where they run through a 6.4 HEMI swap with an 8HP in a 66 Charger. It is pretty slick, but space is tight everywhere. Exact placement of the engine in the engine compartment is critical for everything else to line up and work, but they make everything for the swap. Oil pan, motor mounts, trans mount, trans hoop reinforcement (it needs to be notched), headers and even a complete exhaust. If they made all of these parts to fit the early B body we'd already be done with this project.

See video link below or search "How to Swap a Gen 3 Hemi into Your B Body Mopar with Bolt-On Parts" on Youtube.

 
Just a suggestion for you guys. Can you get a mockup model of the engine and transmission to set in the car and see what needs to be addressed?? Might be worth the investment to be able to sort out some of the problems. Some later b body parts may work with some modifications.
 
I’ve never done it.

I think QA1 makes a front suspension to Hemi swap the 63 B body.

Check with them.
 
Qa1 makes the upper and lower control arms that will fit the 63, but the tubular k-frame is designed for 66-70 b-bodies. It fits, but locates the engine back something like 1.5 inches, compared to the 63 k-frame.
I just installed a 6.4/727 into a 63 belvedere wagon for a friend, using the Qa1 stuff. Since the 63 uses that weird firewall that jets out, I had to clearance a 5 inch spot for the short runner valve at the back of the intake. That's using the Holley mounts. If I would have used the US car tool mounts, I could have cheated it forward a 1/2 inch, and it would have been fine. No way would there be enough room for a HP80/90 trans with the stock tunnel. US Car tool does make a tunnel for the swap, but I hope you don't have the factory console!
Gen3 Hemi Swap
 
Qa1 makes the upper and lower control arms that will fit the 63, but the tubular k-frame is designed for 66-70 b-bodies. It fits, but locates the engine back something like 1.5 inches, compared to the 63 k-frame.
I just installed a 6.4/727 into a 63 belvedere wagon for a friend, using the Qa1 stuff. Since the 63 uses that weird firewall that jets out, I had to clearance a 5 inch spot for the short runner valve at the back of the intake. That's using the Holley mounts. If I would have used the US car tool mounts, I could have cheated it forward a 1/2 inch, and it would have been fine. No way would there be enough room for a HP80/90 trans with the stock tunnel. US Car tool does make a tunnel for the swap, but I hope you don't have the factory console!
Gen3 Hemi Swap
Thank you so much. This is the sort of information that I was looking for.
What did you use for headers and an oil pan? And do you have any photos?
 
Have you done a research yourself? I ask cause you definitely don’t have a clue about this type of swap.
 
I did, you dismissed it cause it didn’t contain exact measurements. You’ve done damn little research on this swap cause if you did, you’d know what is out there for this swap.
 
I did, you dismissed it cause it didn’t contain exact measurements. You’ve done damn little research on this swap cause if you did, you’d know what is out there for this swap

I did, you dismissed it cause it didn’t contain exact measurements. You’ve done damn little research on this swap cause if you did, you’d know what is out there for this swap.
I've done plenty of research and I'm continuing to do research. In fact, that is why I am here searching for people who have done similar swaps. While I appreciate what you've shared I have many more questions that your post could not and did not answer, primarily the questions regarding transmission clearance, since yours is a manual and I am looking for information about automatic transmission swaps. What I do not appreciate is your incessant badgering while I attempt to gather information from people who can answer the questions that you could not. Now please refrain from commenting any further on my posts and wasting any more of my time. The gentleman above has shared some very valuable and very specific information that I find very helpful to me and I'm sure to others in the future, and I would like to hear more from him and others who can share their experiences.
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top