Desoto hemi in a 40 Ford

[junkyardjeff]

I am in the process of building another old AMT 40 coupe and still not decided on a engine,I found out I have a unbuilt hemi from the 53 F100 kit and was wondering if anyone has put one in a 40 without too much cutting.

[stavanzer]

The DeSoto is real wide through the Valve Covers. I'd think you may have Clarence issues at the inner fenders. But, it was tooled about the same time & with the a similar philosophy as the Trophy Kits, so I expect it will come close to fitting. I've never tried it, although I have '40 Fords & '53 Pickups in abundance.

Let us know how it works out.

[Ace-Garageguy]

During that period at AMT, most of the engines were configured to be easy to swap from kit to kit.

Though I haven't done this exact swap, I'd say there's a 99% chance it's a piece of cake.

Here's a real one, so it's possible without entirely reimagining the car...and it looks stock with the hood closed.

https://tucsonclassics.com/inventory/1940-ford-deluxe-desoto-hemi-powered-convertible/

 

Edited Monday at 01:24 AM by Ace-Garageguy

[bobss396]

I'm sure most Trophy Series kit engines have the same mounting points.

I did put the '53 truck hemi in an AMT '32 Ford, do not recall if I used the '32 transmission or not.

I've done a couple of other V8 swaps into the AMT '40 Ford. I had to use the '40 transmission.

[Spex84]

I just tested this with a fresh AMT '40 and a gluebomb Desoto hemi from the '53 F100. With some minor tweaking, it works well.
You will need to notch the inner fenders by 2mm or so for valve cover clearance at the front; also the alternator hits the inner fender so on that side it might require either a bit more notching or a different belt/alternator setup. Nothing super crazy though.

You might need to shave a little off the firewall center notch if you intend to use the 8-carb log intake, especially if you want the engine to nestle back in the engine bay enough that there's clearance between the fan and radiator.
Otherwise it's pretty much a drop-in. The headers more or less work OK, and the oilpan and crossmember don't present any issues.

The hemi from the '53 kit already has a '39 Ford-style transmission if I recall correctly (I'd look again but I'm too lazy haha) so that's perfect.

Edited Monday at 04:33 PM by Spex84

[junkyardjeff]

Paint is drying on the chassis and the fenders are soaking to get the paint off plus I think I might have a partially built hemi so when the paint dries on the chassis I will see if it fits.  I know it does not have the usual mounts and if my memory is correct it attaches to the frame in the F100 by the front of the oil pan,I have put about every engine in a  40 except for a early hemi.

[thatz4u]

On 7/28/2025 at 12:57 PM, junkyardjeff said:

Paint is drying on the chassis and the fenders are soaking to get the paint off plus I think I might have a partially built hemi so when the paint dries on the chassis I will see if it fits.  I know it does not have the usual mounts and if my memory is correct it attaches to the frame in the F100 by the front of the oil pan,I have put about every engine in a  40 except for a early hemi.

AMT 32 Fords had an early Chrysler Fire Power hemi, mounts are on the side of the motor like the 40...

[Ace-Garageguy]

On 7/28/2025 at 12:57 PM, junkyardjeff said:

Paint is drying on the chassis and the fenders are soaking to get the paint off plus I think I might have a partially built hemi so when the paint dries on the chassis I will see if it fits.  I know it does not have the usual mounts and if my memory is correct it attaches to the frame in the F100 by the front of the oil pan,I have put about every engine in a  40 except for a early hemi.

Just remember that there were 3 entirely different Mopar hemi engines in the '50s...the DeSoto Fire Dome, the little Dodge Red Ram, and the big honkin' Chrysler Firepower.

In real life few if any parts interchange.

Even if the DeSoto is configured with a front mount in the '53 Ford pickup kit, in reality the blocks have mount pads on the sides of the front.

It's not that hard to scratch build something that'll work fine for a model