n1gzd_plymouth Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 Lets say that I decide that my 230 has to come out. What if I can make the car drive-able for now (have a little more fun) but in the meanwhile get another core and overhaul that so that i can make a quick swap. I have two questions: Are all 230 CI the same (mine is from 53 Dodge)? In other words, if I want to find another one do I care what vehicle it came from? Does it need to be a car engine? I assume yes. Are there any that are definitely different from mine that I just avoid (I have the 36 transmission). Is there anyone out there that sells these engines overhauled ready to go (I am under the impression that this is a very common engine because they were built for so many years)? Possibly I should just overhaul the one that I have but am thinking that there is some value in having a spare. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 All 230's are I terchabgable.assuming they are American made 23 inch head length. Later ones have higher compression ratios and ore HP. There is a difference between Plymouth and Dodge as the Dodge till 55 were set up for fluid drive. Different crankshaft flange deeper bell housing. Plymouth got 230 in mid 54. This was also when the hydrive transmission was introduced. I would avoid those unless there is no other choice. They had a deal where they shared engine oil with the transmission and makes it complicated to set them up for standard clutch and transmission. I have a 56 230 in my 46 p 15 coupe it was essentially a bolt in deal. A few years back Vintage Power Wagons bought a bunch of rebuilt 230 engines as surplus from the Isreali armed forces. Guess a lot of their vehicles were Mopar powered. When the updated they sold that crate motors as surplus and VPW grabbed a bunch. Don't know if they have not left. Search craigslist, Facebook market and eBay for used 230's. You can also find them powering portable welders, pumps, air compressors, airport ground support equipment, and in agricultural applications like self powered harvesting equipment. They are out there, may take a while to find one but they are around. Contact Mark Duggan at rdusaclassics.com. he has a knack for finding old Mopar cars and parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRodTractor Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 For the most part - these engines are grouped into two main styles - a 23" head and a 25" head. Start there - if you have a 23" long engine - then you can "easily" drop in another 23" long engine - OR - you can make some tweaks and adjustments and maybe fit a 25" engine (can be more cubic inches - 251ci and 265ci are pretty common). There is some differences in engines depending on application - camshaft in a power unit or a tractor or a combine might not work quite as well as one in say a car or a truck. Cranks can have different number of holes where the flywheel bolts up. Intake/exhaust manifolds can be different. Distributor may or may not have vacuum advance, there is a difference between internal and external bypass when it comes to the heads/thermostat housing setup. Some 25" engines have full flow oil filtering instead of bypass. Engines are pretty easy to come by if you are patient. I have several 25" engines in the shop - including a couple of 265ci engines - one of which has factory dual carbs and dual exhaust. If your Dodge engine is an American version - its 23" - if it came from north of the border - its probably 25" - grab a tape measure and know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 Here in Oz the 25" engine was more common and when I had the 41 Plymouth Coupe with the stock 201 & decided to instal a 230 it was hard to find one here in oz, I ended up getting an ex Sydney Airport Tug 230 and was building it to install............apart from the metal tag say it was a Chrysler Industrial engine it was essentially the same as others as indicated as the car engines.........I ended up selling both car and engine before installation but I expected no problems as I was using a T5 also.............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n1gzd_plymouth Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 23 hours ago, greg g said: All 230's are I terchabgable.assuming they are American made 23 inch head length. Later ones have higher compression ratios and ore HP. There is a difference between Plymouth and Dodge as the Dodge till 55 were set up for fluid drive. Different crankshaft flange deeper bell housing. Plymouth got 230 in mid 54. This was also when the hydrive transmission was introduced. I would avoid those unless there is no other choice. They had a deal where they shared engine oil with the transmission and makes it complicated to set them up for standard clutch and transmission. I have a 56 230 in my 46 p 15 coupe it was essentially a bolt in deal. A few years back Vintage Power Wagons bought a bunch of rebuilt 230 engines as surplus from the Isreali armed forces. Guess a lot of their vehicles were Mopar powered. When the updated they sold that crate motors as surplus and VPW grabbed a bunch. Don't know if they have not left. Search craigslist, Facebook market and eBay for used 230's. You can also find them powering portable welders, pumps, air compressors, airport ground support equipment, and in agricultural applications like self powered harvesting equipment. They are out there, may take a while to find one but they are around. Contact Mark Duggan at rdusaclassics.com. he has a knack for finding old Mopar cars and parts. I think that my 230 is from 53 Dodge power wagon. This would mean that it is not set up for fluid drive right? it seems to fit my orig 3 speed. Will search for a spare. thanks for the tips. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n1gzd_plymouth Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 23 hours ago, HotRodTractor said: For the most part - these engines are grouped into two main styles - a 23" head and a 25" head. Start there - if you have a 23" long engine - then you can "easily" drop in another 23" long engine - OR - you can make some tweaks and adjustments and maybe fit a 25" engine (can be more cubic inches - 251ci and 265ci are pretty common). There is some differences in engines depending on application - camshaft in a power unit or a tractor or a combine might not work quite as well as one in say a car or a truck. Cranks can have different number of holes where the flywheel bolts up. Intake/exhaust manifolds can be different. Distributor may or may not have vacuum advance, there is a difference between internal and external bypass when it comes to the heads/thermostat housing setup. Some 25" engines have full flow oil filtering instead of bypass. Engines are pretty easy to come by if you are patient. I have several 25" engines in the shop - including a couple of 265ci engines - one of which has factory dual carbs and dual exhaust. If your Dodge engine is an American version - its 23" - if it came from north of the border - its probably 25" - grab a tape measure and know for sure. Mine must be 23" (because it fits in my plymouth as replacement for the original 201 23"). I will measure but it must be true. Rebecca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.