dpollo

The oiling system is covered in a Chrysler Technical film which can be found elsewhere on this forum. Look for Bryan's post on page 2 of Help picking an engine for my 40 Chrysler ....Of course, you have already seen it, Bryan. but it is pretty good. The gyrotor pump as found on all post war engines provides more than enough volume for all situations, even the engine oil filled torque converters of 53 and 4

Glad to enter into this discussion. I increased the depth of the grooves in the 251 I put into my 51 Plymouth. It has run without any trouble for over 50 000 miles. The reason I did this was I felt a little more oil at the rods would be of benefit in an engine with an 060 overbore and 8.4 to 1 compression. But to be fair, I have run stock rebuilds farther and had no problems either. I have a 230 with a spray welded crank. It has given trouble with excessive wear on certain con rods. A partial teardown revealed welding slag in the oil passages. (not loose) Since it will take a complete teardown to redrill these passages, I have opted to replace the engine.

The best way to improve oiling, in my opinion, is to enlarge the groove (annulus) in the main bearing shells. Keep in mind that it does reduce the bearing area. To do this, on a lathe, the shells can be held in a fixture made of two discarded center main caps fastened to a face plate or held in a four jaw chuck. Then reach in with a boring bar or similar tool. Some 217 - 230 main sets do not have a groove on the lower shells. I have always installed grooved shells on the bottom halves even though bearing sets are pretty costly to break up.

if it is indeed a Spitfire engine then it is a 251. Tune up specs for a 49 or 50 Chrysler would do the job. I would first check the engine number as someone may have used the Spitfire head for its interesting logo. It had no other special features . It would actually lower the compression ratio if it was used on a 218, 228 236 or 241.

The soundtrack with the engine and transmission noises is music to my ears.

body colour on the top of the firewall is correct. The lower part of the firewall can be either body colour or the same shade of blue-gray found in the trunk. The underside of the hood would be satin black. Undercoating was thought to reduce noise and possibly give the hood a more solid sound when it was pushed shut. Waste of material in my opinion.

Only the equivalent hinge from a 49 or 50 Plymouth will fit. Upper and lower are different. The rears are certainly different. The pin from your $45 hinge may fit. I would be inclined to have someone with a good drill press bore the hole and fit an oversize pin.

I read about someone who contrived to extend the springs and freeze them in water so they could be reinstalled (on a Chevrolet), Like Don, I have never removed a spring for the purpose of removing the hood on a Plymouth just three bolts on each side and sometimes one in the middle of the support arch.

It provides the ground for the starter solenoid. It should be attached to one of the smaller terminals on the solenoid with the other end to the Armature terminal on the Voltage Reg. When the generator is at rest, it will act as a ground. When it comes up to speed, it will not. ( even at idle speed) This prevents the starter from being actuated when the engine is running.

With the plugs out, there is not much load on the starter so I cannot see any problems. The pressure should appear fairly quickly.

It is the internal mechanism which is designated R10. To install an R 10 to be used in a Plymouth or Dodge the outer cases must be intended for use with such an installation . The (od) main gearbox has a lubrication port, the adapter flange is specific to this front case and the main overdrive case has provision for the parking brake. The transmission mainshaft and the overdrive output shaft are specific to this application. Planetary gears, freewheeling roller clutch, balk ring assembly, external solenoid and governor are generally interchangeable however, govenor drive gears vary. You can always identify a Mopar overdrive unit by the park brake assembly. An extra long input shaft suggests it may be for a fluid drive but could also be for some 53-5 Dodge V 8s which used a long bell housing to gain floor and firewall clearance. These input shafts are easily changed.

Wiring turn signals is a logic puzzle which equals that of Rubic's cube. If that switch is for a 50 it will have six wires. Left front, Right Front, Left Rear Stop/signal, RR stop/signal , stop light power in, and flasher power in. By setting the switch in the neutral position you can determine the LR, and RR and brake light power in, as they will be common. Pulling the switch to the left signal position will cut off power to the LR, but the RR will stay lit. Putting it in the right signal position will cut power to the RR. That is how the switch separates the flashing circuit from the brake light power. The flashing power in can then be linked with the LF and LR when the switch is in the left signal position. Similarly for the RF and RR. No it does not make any sense to me when I read it through but I have done it many times so it is possible. Even without colour coding but the coding looks good on your unit so a shop manual will help.

a stock rebuild of a 264 will move your car around just fine and even better if you have the overdrive which was offered in 40. The later R 10 will fit as well. Better carburation and exhaust can always be added later. My personal choice for this car would be a 228. 4 1/4 stroke for good revs and at least an .060 overbore. Ask Fargo 55. he has one in his pickup and it is at least as heavy as your car. 3400 lbs. Not all 40 Chryslers had Fluid Drive and if I gathered your earlier remarks correctly, yours does not. You asked another question which I do not see answered . A business Coupe has no back seat . An "opera " Coupe has jump seats, A Club Coupe has a full back seat and a car like yours is called a Coach. Years ago I got beat up on the forum by someone who had never heard of the term Opera Coupe and maybe some who would call a coach a two door sedan so some of these terms may be regional. Your license plate suggests Ontario so we should not be out of synch too much, language wise.

Fluid drive is not a transmission. This seems to be a point of confusion. Some cars with Fluid drive used a three speed standard shift. These had a long input shaft. Other Fluid drive cars used the semi automatic This has two speeds in low range and two more in high range. It also has a long input shaft but it is a bigger diameter . There is a delete fluid drive option which allows replacement of the fluid coupling with a standard flywheel and has a long throw out bearing collar so all original linkages fit. This can only be used with a three speed standard or 3 speed with overdrive which must be fitted with a long input shaft. ( these can be changed one for the other without opening the transmission by first pulling the front bearing.) The same parts were used in 53 and 54 Dodge cars with standard shift because the placement of the engine required an extra long bell housing. What you want to do is certainly possible without a major tear-up.

any passenger car trans from 36 to 38 and some 39s are top loaders but you need the bell housing too. These will fit onto the 50s blocks. They are very sturdy transmission.

First off, determine if your car is a three speed or a semi automatic. Both use fluid drive. No Fluid drives were offered in 55 so your spare 55 transmission with the FD input is not what you think If your car is presently a three speed (with FD ) then by exchanging input shafts you can install the overdrive with little difficulty.

I suspect it does or could be easily modified to fit. The feature of the Plymouth is the series of ribs in the middle.

All good advice above, but it is easiest, once the belt is loose to first roll it off the fan pulley by turning the blades then the belt will pretty much come off in your hands. Note: you do not roll tight belts on or off as it may break internal cords. This is the first job I ever did on a car ( a 35 Plymouth.... same belt.... at that time Goodyear 660 ) I was eight years old and persistent. The size of my hands made getting into tight places a lot easier. Climbing up on the fender was also easier.

It should slide out easily but may need to be pressed.

I have always used a door handle or a trunk latch. The shaft fits very well.

as I said, mine gave no trouble and I did that job in 1977. So far as I know it is still running. Seems to me I used exhaust valves from a 25 inch block.

am I missing something or is the seat too wide ? Years ago I did a 201 and made the seats wider than specs. It gave no trouble but I have avoided doing that on subsequent jobs.

You may contact me. I can see SS Island from where I sit. start with a personal message on this forum.

surprised your 53 has a vacuum motor. My 52 has a 2 speed electric. Stock. I may have a vacuum motor from a 50. We are not very far away. the vacuum motor assembly part number is 1274128

If the oil filter is fastened to the engine as it should be, there is no need for a flexible hose. The pressure gauge on the dash should be connected to the double fitting nearest the block, which has a smaller orifice than the outer port which is the line to the inlet of the filter. The flexible hose you cut must therefore be the return line . Some Chryslers used a flexible line all the way to the gauge but most used a short flexible link between the engine and the firewall. It fastened to the inner port on the double fitting or in some cases to a single behind the starter.