Plymouth prowler engine swap

I luv custom cars, any thing Mopar especially with a Hemi and like many of the V6 guys always wanted to make it a bit faster. So I thought I stop by an share my story. Just to provide some context this is the worlds first and only 6.

The Plymouth Prowler was always an interesting car. With the hot rod retro design, it certainly looked the part of a performance car. And for the model year the car got a fairly significant boost in power thanks to an aluminum block 3. But even with this power boost the car made only horsepower. And even more of a concern for a car that looks like this is the lack of a V8 engine. A car like this must have a V8, right? Well, it does now.

Plymouth prowler engine swap

I have been a proud Plymouth Prowler owner for over ten years. To this day there isn't another car that I see that looks so good and is so unique. Being just a weekend car, I have always wanted to keep the thrill of good looks with the power to match and its the only thing that has fell short to me over time. I added gears, intake, headers and still always wanted a bit more. After that started drag racing for fun; everyone loved the ride but always fell short on third and fourth gear — but still fun. The biggest moment was a dyno day in Florida, everyone was excited about the Prowler, but even with all my mods, it only scored hp to the wheels; I felt a bit down vs the other cars, everyday cars, pushing closer to hp. Since this time started exploring all options to put power into the Kat, from twin turbos to superchargers to 4. After many years of review, I decided to go with the big boy Hemi 6. The SRT-8 engine packs horsepower and ft-lb torque, in a car that will be over 1, lbs lighter than its brother Challenger or Charger. Just after a few weeks of talking to Brendan from Performance Innovations out of North Carolina and hearing his passion for the project, I got on uship. But after talking with so many different people fellow owners, shops, mechanics, etc and hearing his personal experience with custom projects, it was a done deal. The goal is to equalize the delivery across the power band, while still being able to enjoy everyday driving since this motor is a stock high performance engine.

For that money, though, it would certainly be one of the most unique driving experiences out there.

When the Plymouth Prowler first graced us with its presence, 25 years ago, it was not particularly well-loved. It had a loud-but-slow six-cylinder, a four-speed automatic, and nearly half of its parts were shared with sedans or minivans. The first of those issues was the big one — when Chip Foose originally penned the design study that would become the Prowler, it had a Hemi V8 mounted behind those two seats. Now, one intrepid owner has righted that historic wrong. While the engine still sits between the front wheels, the newly cowled hood hides a 6. Paired with a big cam and a high-flowing exhaust, it sounds as mean as the Prowler always looked. Take a listen:.

There are no do-overs in life, and few things exemplify that more than the Plymouth Prowler. The nouveaux hot rod was supposed to be a daring sequel to the howlin' Dodge Viper when it launched with great fanfare in It was one of the wildest designs to ever sneak past the bean counters at a major manufacturer—and saddled with a gutless V6, it never had a chance. The Prowler stumbled out of the gate. Four years later, Plymouth was dead. That's the real tragedy of the Plymouth Prowler. History is littered with the husks of good cars felled by a few bad decisions, but the Prowler is confounding in how close it came to greatness. The hard part of building a modern homage to a Thirties hot rod shouldn't be deciding whether or not to stick a giant engine in there. That's a non-negotiable.

Plymouth prowler engine swap

It's been nearly 20 years since Chrysler killed off the Plymouth Prowler in Today, its reputation is mixed—it was an audacious attempt at capturing a modern factory hot rod that handled legitimately well, but it was stuck with an underpowered 3. Everyone wanted two more cylinders. Two decades later, you finally have a chance to snag a V8-powered Plymouth Prowler on Bring a Trailer that's benefited from an LS swap and the addition of a Porsche five-speed manual transaxle. There are probably some angry Prowler diehards out there right now, but come on, this is what it should've been all along: a real hot rod. It's as tight a fit as you'd expect. A modified five-speed Porsche shifter assembly is connected to a Porsche G50 transaxle that transmits power to the rear wheels. The car sits on a set of Foose Nitrous wheels wearing Kumho Ecsta rubber and hiding a set of Wilwood brakes. The LS7 exhales through a set of Corvette Z06 catalytic converters before singing via a custom mandrel-bent cat-back exhaust system.

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We had to make a custom bell-housing engine adapter to adapt the 6. Great custom work, while still maximizing the core components and no worries for clearance. Is it worth it? Rear end? Jump To Bomb-proof hubs for our endurance race Miata? A car like this must have a V8, right? Then, using tape, the team laid out the build up outline design from the custom aluminum piece to be built, formed, and attached to the hood. Or does the wicked GM powertrain mean its destiny of being a throwback hot rod has finally been achieved? LOL And you'll have that manual transmission you've been looking for.

The Plymouth Prowler is one of the most eye-catching American cars of all time, but like many other design-centric vehicles, it isn't without its flaws.

Then using tape the team laid out the build up outline design form the custom aluminum piece to be built, formed and attached to the hood. Now doing this swap in a Prowler is no easy task. We think it makes a heck of a case for itself. We used the existing transmission, but with an upgraded torque convertor, shortened drive shaft, custom engine mounts, and connecting it to the shaft differently. For that money, though, it would certainly be one of the most unique driving experiences out there. Testing tires. But sure is it fun. Also keep in mind the Hemi engine in a Prowler doesn't torque or shake as much like it would in the Charger or Challenger because the trans is not connected to the engine; the trans is what transfers the torque and with it being mounted in the rear, it won't torque like a Charger or Challenger, bolted to the back of the engine. Squirrelly, I'd guess. The new hood is a nice piece of metalworking for sure. Note there car also weighs lbs less with the same engine.