Posted by Fred Coldwell on Tuesday, November 21, 2000 at 11:42:47:
In Reply to: engine swap for M37 posted by Mike Rohr on Monday, November 20, 2000 at 12:17:36:
Mike:
I have not heard of anyone using a Chevy V-8 with Mopar bellhousing/tranny. Why not use a GM bellhousing/tranny with a custom intermediate shaft to the divorced 200 transfer case?
My 47 WDX has a Chevy 283 V-8 and SM-420 tranny with Chelsea PTO for the front winch. It uses a home built front motor mount, but I have heard (yet not verified that) a Corvette front engine mount fits very well and can be bolted into the existing threaded engine mounting holes in the PW front frame member. I don't know about a M-37, though. The Chevy bellhousing rear motor mounts line up perfectly with and use the original PW cast ears riveted into the frame rails. Short pieces of metal strap bushed with rubber donuts connect the bellhousing to the rear motor mount cast ears. Again, a M-37 is slightly different than a WDX so it may not be as clean an installation.
I'd recommend a Chevy bellhousing set up for a hydraulic clutch on the passenger side as it provides more room for the original Dodge brake pedal. If you go to a hanging brake pedal, then nevermind.
A major benefit of using a Chevy tranny in a Chevy bellhousing is a much easier installation of a Ranger overdrive for higher speed crusing. Much easier than trying to fit a Ranger ahead of a Mopar transmission having a longer input shaft. While not impossible, the Mopar/Ranger combination is complex and costly. Good luck!