Is this a quiz question on what was the smallest hemi V8 or what is a reasonable transplant into a '49 Ford? On another post we are reminded that there was a very rare set of Ardun hemi-heads for the Ford V8-60 from ''39-'40 era block at about 140 cu. in. That combination is so rare that that unless you are very rich and very obsessive about finding one it is not worth considering. On the other hand the obvious Ford 289 would be a neat Ford-in-Ford but careful measurement of the long water pump might indicate a need for a special short waterpump. I had a '66 Ranchero with a 289 and it was a hoot! It was a tin can with an engine and fun to drive! Then surely the transplant of a SBC Chevy 327/350 should have been worked out thoroughly by many people by now. Then again if you can find a mid-'50s Studebaker V8 that would be interesting. Again a Ford 302 would be nifty, but I would have to measure carefully for the overall length and use a C4 instead of the original transmission. How come nobody from the Ford camp mentions that dang long water pump, is it so standard to use a shortened pump these days? The Dodge Red Ram was the smallest Mopar hemi at 241 cu. in. but even they are hard to find. Maybe someday we will be saying "whatever happened to all those Chevy 350s", but for now that might be the best setup for support from other installations and the 700R OD 4-speed could give both a good low gear and good highway mileage due to the OD. I know the Japanese hemis look neat but if that is what you want why not just buy a Honda?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder