matt167

Blown head gasket is a possibility I keep coming back to and why I keep coming back to pulling the head. I’ll run it down the road to eliminate the possibility of stuck rings. I have a leak down tester but my compressor probably doesn’t have enough capacity to really check everything. I’d have to get the car to the dealer where I work. I also think it’s still not charging. I have to put a volt meter on it to see i just haven’t yet. I will probably get a 6v generator if it’s not

I forgot to update this as this site only logs on for me on my computer. I got it running and to my house. Rewired the distributor, cleaned points again, new condenser and it starts extremely easy. 218 borescope looks good, it's actually firing by the looks of the plugs. I'm thinking valve adjustment, re check compression and then new rings on the low cylinders. Good old back yard rebuild to keep it going. It could possibly be just a head gasket. I put marvel mystery in the low cylinders to see what it would do and it runs a little better but couldn't run all of the oil out of the engine as it was getting way too smokey where my neighbors would have started to complain. I'm tempted to run it down the road and get it up to temp to see if things loosen up and run better

Yes, it is the original engine. I'm not going to get rid of the original engine, but if I have to rebuild an engine It'll end up as a 230, whichever way I do it. Probably dual carbs and split manifolds as well. I used my borescope for some prelim inspections on the 230 and it looks pretty good.

I've got a NORS wire for the one that broke in the distributor so I'll be able to get spark back and get it running. As far as the 230, I plan on pulling the head, pan and side covers off and having a look at what it is. I'm somewhat confidant that I'll get the 218 running good enough to enjoy it this summer and I can rebuild/ prepare the 230 for use to put in next winter.

I bought it. It is actually a 230 from a '51-'52 Dodge. Just happens to be the engine they had for the 1949 Plymouth they were selling. It's not a complete engine having only a distributor ( IAT-4003 ) and an exhaust manifold included but it does appear that it may have been rebuilt. The water tube is squeaky clean the entire way back and in the spark plug holes is clean. I'll need to pull the pan and check it out but at the very least I have my moneys worth of parts. I gave $300 for it and I didn't feel too bad about that given what I saw externally and knowing it was a 230. The pad shows D42 and it has a D head, that was my quick clue that it was a 230, and a quick search confirmed it

What size should the crank bolt be on a 1949 218? Found the engine out of a 1949 Plymouth that was said to run and has been cleaned/ painted for pretty cheap, so gonna buy as spare if nothing more but would like to see if it turns and to feel compression across 6cyls

I'm hoping to get the wire and isolator parts from a distributor that hasn't been messed with to get it up and running. Or pull/ swap distributors. whichever is easier. The pertronix may be the way I go in the long run, as Napa can get the modules as a replacement part over the counter at a cheaper price vs the entire kit, but the points should work in the short term. The only hang up is the IAT distributor requires a slight modification that will make points no longer fit. The only real issue with points is the quality of the parts in recent years.

Oh I verified no spark at the plugs with an spark checker on #1. I stuck it on a snow blower which I knew runs to verify the spark checker is working. I found the broken wire which goes from the isolator to the points under the cap, and with the condition the previous owner left the points in, and trying to build a new wire with wire and terminals I had on hand which aren't the compact type terminals needed. I think the ignition is shorted. I'm hoping I can put the isolator back togther correctly with a correct and repaired wire, along with new points that are not twisted and a condenser it should be good to go.. It ran before and I know at least 3 cylinders are marginally healthy so it will run again.

I ordered the IAT distributor so hopefully I can get one working.. I found an NOS set of Airtex/ Wells points and condenser in the trunk. I had pertronix in a 1951 Chevy and it was great, but that was 15 years ago or so. Ive heard the stories of failure recently. But hopefully I'll be able to get a distributor working.

I've got no compression on the center cylinders, #2 is weak at about 40 PSI and the rest test even at 60 PSI. I ran out of time to do a wet test, but I may fill all the cylinders with PB blaster ( I bought a gallon ). See if it's stuck rings or valves. I may have to pull the head off, so I may buy a head off the site and have it milled in preparation Oh and the cause of no spark is the wire running from the isolator to the points was broken, among all the connections being loose.. I made a wire but it does not fit right and seems to be shorted. Contemplating the pertronix kit as it bypasses the isolator issue. Not sold as I know recent pertronix quality is iffy. I found a cheap IAT-4003 and ordered it for parts. Hopefully I can fix the isolator issue and perhaps it has a usable wire

I've had a '53 motors manual for a very long time.

My guess is the coil may be 12v or it's hooked up backwards. I cannot guarantee anything other than I know for a fact it did run The coil wire also only sort of kind of fit. The boot was too small for the coil. That distributor looks correct. The blue sleeve goes over a copper wire. The only thing I see different is, the condensor uses a standard wire with fork connector, so now I wonder exactly what is going on. I forgot to bring a flash light/ work light with me and relied on a flood light in a heat lamp housing that my mom happen to have. Worked but was a little inconvenient so I didn't get a good look ( nor a good picture ) of anything. The screw the wires attach to was left loose and falling apart

Well, it's not currently running. I could not get any life out of it this past weekend while I was there except pops and cracks here and there. But the spark checker I bought would not light up ( enclosed flashy one, not what I call a gap zapper ). I'm figuring I probably have multiple issues The real question is if the distributor being amiss cause it to miss on a single cylinder... The day I got the car I actually took it down the road and back and it did start to break up a little but remained running 'okay ish'... It at least let me know that the brakes stop the car straight although they growl a little, and the speedometer, and temp gauges work correctly. The same day I started it to move it 5-6 times as I actually had to remove a built in bench to fit it in my moms garage. The last time I tried to start it that day, it coughed but would not catch. I assumed it was flooded and simply pushed the car forward and shut the door.

I know the parts situation and the quality of current production points. I didn't get the number from the distributor but I'm fairly positive it's the IAT distributor that it should have.

I bought what was supposed to be a nice old car but after getting it delivered ( part of the price agreement ) it's becoming evident that it was a quick flip and has been driven enough to load a trailer. When I went to see it, it was running rough cold but cleared up and started to run nice. When it was delivered, it was down a cylinder and the previous owner commented it was cold ( it was a cold day ). Knowing the flathead 6 is somewhat known for sticking valves I wasn't that worried. The price I paid included the probability of some tinkering and still come out okay. I had to have him deliver it to my moms as my house was another 1.5 hours farther for him. So it's currently stuffed in my moms garage. I brought a U haul to come recover it last weekend and I could not get it to run. I thru new plugs and wires on it ( plugs fouled and ancient, wires crumbling and original ). I opened the distributor cap and the connections were loose and falling apart. I still have switching voltage at the coil so it should have life. I did not have the right wrench for the now damaged screw ( previous owner likely used pliers ). I stuck it together is all I could do there . I didn't run a compression test as I didn't want to waste the battery and the charger I have is a 4A automatic charger that kind of works ( Harbor freight special ). I'm not 100% positive the distributor internals are right. Can someone show me a picture of an IAT distributor assembled? My '52 motors manual shows the specs but does not have a picture. What should my check list be to get it running? The guy for sure put a new coil on it which I suspect could be bad. And he had for sure been in the distributor, but the coil is switching so the points should at least get it running. Is there a possibility he has the wrong cap on it? Would a different cap physically fit? I say engine rebuild as, depending on the compression it may come to that