354 or 392? Hemi? Questions?

I put a 392 hemi into a '68 Barracuda 30 yrs ago. The original wedge motor mounts offsets the motor to the right side away from the steering. The hemi mounts are wider, and you need the motor centered to fit it in the bay. Also, the trans adapter will move the motor forward by 1". So generally, you can almost use the passenger side small block V8 mount by spacing it back by 1", but it will likely need tweaking to the right as well to make enough room on the driver's side. You will have clearance problems with the heater motor and the master cylinder. But the biggest problem is the #7 exhaust port exits directly over the steering shaft. Using a rack & pinion would allow this shaft to bend down, out of the way. I just hacked up the original exhaust manifold and raised the front of the motor to get clearance. Not a good solution. I have heard that a smaller 331-354 fits a little better in an A-body, but I tried it and it wasn't significantly better so I didn't persue it. The small Dodge hemi is more narrow and will definitely be easier to fit, but with a max of 315-325 ci, the benefit will be marginal.

It was a very tight fit, and I eventually pulled mine in favor of a wedge motor. Power is great, but it is excessively heavy unless you use the aluminum heads and other lightened parts. The motor works GREAT in my '56 Plymouth where it looks like it belongs there.