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New Project - '52 Suburban - Some Parts by Craigslist


Bob Riding

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So I've started working on my next project - a '52 Plymouth Suburban. It's in remarkable shape except for some small rust-through spots under the accelerator pedal. My plan is to use a working P20 218 I recently purchased for $300 (local Craigslist), mated to a TH200-4R automatic overdrive transmission (also Craigslist). The guy I bought the motor from had it set up that way on a '50 Plymouth wagon, using a Wilcap Adapter, which came with the engine, and said it ran great. He felt that he wanted more power, so he pulled it and replaced it with a SBC. The 200-4R is an overdrive tranny and from my measurements, I don't think I'll need to modify the firewall. I will need to add a support for the rear of the tranny, however. In order to get the most hp/torque out of the 218, I plan to run the 2bbl carb NiftyFifty recently posted about, with spilt exhaust and electronic ignition. I also plan to shave the head, and I've been told I could boost the compression ratio even more by using a thinner head gasket. In looking on ePay, and the usual vendors, thickness is rarely if ever listed. I haven't found a gasket reference chart to compare. How can I find a thinner gasket, and is it really worth the trouble?

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11 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

Hi Bob, Sounds like a fun project. Suggest you measure your valve to head clearance to insure you don't end up with the spark plugs contacting the intake valves and causing valve damage.

 

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Good point, thanks Don. What's the thinking on how much to shave off the head? I seem to remember you posting an old chart awhile back...

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That's the one! It looks like if you want to get to 7.5 to 1, I would need to take .050 (assuming that it's a stock head). To get to 7.7, you could take .058 off. Is it possible to get to 8.5 to 1, without running into the clearance issues you mentioned?

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15 hours ago, James_Douglas said:

I REALLY would like to know how the wilcap conversion works out.  I am planning on that for a 265 I want to rebuild for my '47 Desoto.

 

James.

Maybe I should do a restoration blog? I had never heard of Wilcap before I bought this motor. What I like about it is I can leave the rest of the vehicle fairly stock, and spend more time driving it!

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9 hours ago, Bob Riding said:

Maybe I should do a restoration blog? I had never heard of Wilcap before I bought this motor. What I like about it is I can leave the rest of the vehicle fairly stock, and spend more time driving it!

I think you should. Just keep updating this thread as you get updates

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I picked up some good 15" wheels, which I think will give the wagon a lower stance, regardless of what I do with the rest of the suspension. I want to do wide-white bias-look radials, but there are quite a few choices on the Coker website ( know others make them too, but I've had good luck with the 16 x6 Coker Classics on my woodie.) I've read a lot of the tire posts here and my understanding is that If I stay with the stock steering, a narrower tire will be easier to handle at slow speeds and parking, etc., but less stable on the highway, where a wider tire would be just the opposite?

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I have a Wilcap adapter - its a nice piece. I bought it to add to my pile of parts for a 1928 Ford RPU that I intend to be powered by a Chrysler engine. My decision was made to make it easy to install a T5 and knock out a ton of weight. I don't have it installed, but I test fit everything and it works really nice for my application.

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