A Blast From the Past: First-Ever A-Body V8 Swap!

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Bill Crowell

Bill Crowell

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I think this is pretty funny: In its October, 1960 issue, Hot Rod Magazine swapped a 283 C.I. Chebby small-block V8 into a 1960 Valiant sedan. They left the 13-inch wheels and tires and the 7-1/4" live (edit: Oops, meant to say "open") differential in the car, and they report that it "smoked the rear wheels". Yeah, I'll bet!

Valiant_Article.jpg
 
That is really cool! I would think that kit is worth some money today, never even heard of that before! Before everyone gets upset that it is a Chevy engine swap, remember, Chrysler didn't have a small V-8 yet that would fit!! Thanks for sharing!!
 
Thanks for sharing Bill,thats some cool reading.I did the V8 swap last spring in my 66 Dart.(to a 360)I,m now redoing the 360 to a 408.I,ll be shooting for high 10,s this spring.
 
OH NO!! another thread about putting a chevy motor in a mopar. oh wait except this one is cool (and its a 4 door dont really care if people want to put chevy or ford or toyota motors in 4 doors)
 
And then a couple years later, in the same magazine, there was the "Golden Lancer" which had a 413 swapped into it. No 13" wheels or anything, though, and the torsion bars were made out of hex stock, IIRC.
 
That's pretty cool Bill. Too bad Mopar didn't have a small, small block then.
Mike
 
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