Howdy

Im new to this- here goes:

I just bought a mildly rodded 225 engine and trans out of a 63 pushbutton Valient (rode in it- its got balls) - I want to put it (mostly the engine) in my 73 Swinger 198 auto (true granny car). Here are some options that I am not qualified to evaluate:

1:
swap engine and trans into my car, hook up existing driveshaft-
I have been told on this board that I can't use the pushbutton trans in my car- I wont be able to shift! Is there an aftermarket solution? Floor shift? Anybody got the Pushbutton linkage I could graft into my car? I can fabricate from scratch too, but I don't want to get in over my head trying to index a linkage.

2:
Swap engine into my car, use 73 trans. The guy that sold me the combo said he thought the engine was from a later car, like early 70s? Is that possible? I assumed that the input in the crank would be the same, since the block is the same- I guess I was wrong. (d'oh! thanks Charrlie_S!) Any adaptor options for this?

3:
Put the worked head, intake, and exhaust from the 225 on my 198, and take my time mating a 5 speed trans to the 225 on my workbench, and start saving for a driveshaft and custom machine work to adapt splines?

4:
find a later 225 crankshaft to fit my trans and hope my rods and bearings are still standard size so I can afford to do the swap without spending too much. (built a few motors before, not an expert!) Any opinions are definitely welcome! This is my daily driver, so any swap has to be done in a weekend (must be well planned), but part of why I wanted another motor was so I could play with crazy ideas like a 5 speed turbo car and have a backup motor so I won't miss much work when I blow one up!

Thanks
Kevin in Philly

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madam im adam

First thing to do, is determine whether the crank is the early or late crank. Measure the diameter of the converter hole in the end of the crank. If it is the late crank, you're home free. Put the 73 oil pan, oil pickup tube and engine mounts on the new engine and bolt it in, keeping the 73 trans and converter.

If you have the early crank, one way to do it and be different. Use the PB trans, and put the PB shifter in a homemade console on the floor ( my race car is like that). You would also have to fab up a drive shaft (PB trans has a flange on the back of the trans), and speedo cable.

Another way is to use the early flex plate and have a custom converter built, that has the small pilot nub and the later input splines. This will let you use the 73 trans.

Personally I like the novelty, of the push button floor shift.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

1965 cars had cable activated shifters that czan be fitted to other cars, the trouble with this plan is that these use a special detent lever on the valve body of the trans.

As already outlined, you need to find-out the crank hub size before making a decision. How many freeze plugs are in the block? What is the block's ID stamping and casting number?
DD

After I posted last night I stayed up late reading everything under "adapter" in your search engine.

Good stuff!

I'll have to measure the input in the end of the crank when I get the motor- maybe I can just remove an adapter and do the swap. I learned a lot reading last nite- but I especially noticed the concise and knowledgeable posts by Charrlie_S and Doc (izzat Dutra?). I'm blown away that you guys love this quirky motor so much and are willing to share your time with a dude asking questions you've answered a million times.

I first learned to wrench on harleys and after being thoroughly dissillusioned with that culture (still love the engine) it is cool to find another American motor with a dedicated cult following. It is nice that the toughguy BS that seems to go along with Vtwin and V8 culture is conspicuously absent!

Thanks again

Kevin

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madam im adam

Doc = Doctor Dodge = DD = Doug Dutra... it also equals Dodge Dart which is the car I tend to drive the most.
DD