440 Donor Car

[vstone48]

Hey guys how's it going? So I bought my dream car a couple weeks ago. I bought a 1970 Barracuda gran coupe that is missing its motor and tranny so I plan on dropping in a bone stock 440 and 727 in it for the time being (still in college so I might not be able to finish the car for another 30 years haha). I have currently found a 1966 Chrysler Imperial (D-body) that comes with a 440 and 727 and I am considering buying the entire car since my barracuda is looking a bit bare. So my question is exactly how much of the imperial can I reuse (temporarily) in my car? Other than what is shown in the pictures below, i have a driveshaft that the previous owner threw in. Will I be able to use the headers...etc? I apologize for the rather vague question but I figured it was a decent starting point. Thank you for all your help in advance.

 

[DetMatt1]

I don't like hearing about turning Imperials into donor cars or any of the C body cars for that matter. I realize how easy it might be to have a known running and driving drivetrain that can virtually be plucked from one car and installed in another. I would rather see the Imperial offered up on the market first and if there were no takers and it was headed for the scrapers or the derby idiots then go ahead and use it as a doner first. The Imperials are amazing road cars and I drive the heck out of mine. Last I knew they aren't making them anymore....

 

[challenger6pak]

I agree. I would like to have a 66 Imperial. Basically all that could be used in the Cuda is the engine and trans. The engine and trans should be available separately, somewhere, without you having to part a car. I have an extra 440 and trans, but I am in Fl. I'm sure you will find one. Post some pics of the Imperial.

 

[vstone48]

My mistake for not giving any info regarding the Imperial's condition. It is a complete parts car that hasn't been run in 10 years and has no title (has a lien against it). The owner was selling it as a whole car a few weeks ago but recently changed to parting it out, but I was interested in just buying the entire thing in case I need anything else from it. Believe me, I wouldn't have the heart to tear apart a perfectly fine car. Knowing what I wanted to do with my project, I previously passed on purchasing another barracuda also a '70 gran coupe because it was in too good of a shape for me and my plans (ill post pictures of both the imperial and the barracuda I passed on).

As for the parts, So only the motor and tranny correct? Thank you for your time.

 

[DetMatt1]

Ok, carry on then. One question though, how does a car like that have a lien on it?

 

[vstone48]

I honestly have no idea. Maybe it went in for some repairs and the owner never paid for them or something along those lines. I'm not sure, I never asked the new "owner" since I was only interested in the motor.

 

[Adam]

Unless that 440 runs well, keep looking. Im sure the engine and trans are tired... the gaskets and seals are probably petrified and stopped sealing 10 years ago... you will also have the headache of getting rid of the carcass. Look for old motor homes with a 440. They have heavy duty transmissions and some have low miles, and nobody cares if you part them..

 

[challenger6pak]

The motor home transmissions are good for parts if you have another trans. They are short shaft with the same heavy duty internals as the hemi trans. I would stay away from buying the whole Imperial. You could be looking at a mess with a liened car with no title. Selling the car without a title to get around the lien is going around a legal judgment. The courts don't like that. You have put it out there that you know this about the car. It could turn into a legal PITA before all is through. Then again, most likely nothing will happen. I would say the risk is not worth the time if someone goes after the car.

 

[vstone48]

Thanks for the help guys. I decided to hold off on buying the donor car, you guys brought up a couple good points and after thinking about it a bit more having to rebuild the stock 440 only to rebuild it in the future for power didn't make sense. Also, spending the money on the donor car when all I would really use is the block also didn't make sense. As for now I'm going to take it easy a bit and try to think this through before I get too excited again.

 

[DetMatt1]

That's easy to do. I got excited and all of the sudden all my stuff wouldn't fit into a 3700 sq. ft. Building...