53cranny

Looks great! How much did you end up having to offset the engine, with that 273 curved exhaust manifold (for lack of a better descriptive term) shouldn't it have been able to bolt straight in? I want to do this swap as well but I don't want to have everything offset to the passengers side! Kerry

Just got an email back from Tom Langdon, he told me no one's manufactured dual carb intakes since the 50's, was the edelbrock manifold you got a custom thing he made?

Actually my dad's shop is a converted chicken barn, 50'x150' cement floors, full lighting, 220 power, the ceilings are a little low though at 9' but he manages!

What I'm wondering is what would be the benefit of just keeping the long block? I'm hoping to kind of supe it up a bit but as far as I can find there are very few places to get performance parts for a long block. no dual exhaust, no dual carb intakes..only valve covers and headers. am I just looking in the wrong place?? It's a flathead out of a 48 plymouth (I'm assuming a 218) with OD transmission and rear end for $500, sounds like a steal of a deal to me.

finding a good canadian long block has proven a bit more difficult than previously anticipated, yet as another person posted there is a 48 plymouth with OD transmission close to me. I found performance parts for candian long blocks as well as the american 251 aren't always readily available yet the american 218/230 has quite a few. I'm really torn and I need to make a decision quickly. my 218 is going to take a lot of work and money that I currently don't have for a rebuild. Does the american 218 sound reasonable or should I just keep on looking? it made sense in my mind but what do I know? haha Kerry

I'll have to check tonight when I get over to the car. thanks! anything else I would have to worry about?

Hello, I've recently posted about my canadian 218 engine and have since pulled the engine out and started dismantling for a rebuild. I was curious though, if I found an american 218 with OD transmission what sort of problems would I be looking at as far as swapping it for my engine and placing it in my engine bay? I realize it's 2 inches shorter, would that make a difference? is it two inches shorter at the front of the block necesitating a new motor mount or in the rear bringing the transmission mounts out? any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, Kerry

would he (we) really need to buy all new gauges? I've been reading that people are using voltage droppers for their gas gauges, the only gauges on a 53 plymouth that aren't mechanical are the fuel and ammeter. A 6v starter will take power from a 12v but the solenoid won't are you able to change the solenoid without changing the starter? maybe replacing it off a new style starter? there's also no reason the switches shouldn't take the 12v is there?

I'm with tim! What if his wiring, like mine, is so bad that he needs to replace everything anyways. My car has been a rats nest, literally for the past 15-20 years now and the wires show that. Wouldn't it be just as easy to just replace it with 12v and having an upgrade instead of leaving it 6v and doing pretty much the same process? just my 2cents but I think it would be about as easy to replace it with a 12v kit as it would be to repair what he's got, if it's in any shape like mine. Kerry

just found this site the other day, it's probably old hats to others but I found it pretty informative! I'm going to be doing the same thing to my cranbrook. the wiring is a total mess so it's coming out soon. http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/6v-to-12v.html

I'm glad my post took the turn it did and lead way to this great discussion, I know I'll be using this information when I get at my engine! Kerry

This is all really great info, I took a look at the engine in detail yesterday and it looks to be pretty solid so I think I'm going to keep it! I don't make whole lot of money at the moment but I've got time on my side! This may seem a little slow of me but what I'm getting is that since I have a 25" 218, I can't do an easy swap with say, a 230? and that I should be looking at the 251 and 265 replacement parts on sites such as vintagepowerwagons (except for the 3 3/8" pistons unless I bore it out). does that also mean when I look on a site like edgy's the dual exhaust headers for the 218/230's won't fit my 218 because it's a long block? if so that kind of limits me to performance and dress up parts except for the few 251 stuff. I could be completely wrong though and I may not be looking at the right sites but those seem to be the ones I found so far and was told to take a look at. Also looking at more highway friendly rear end gears, what should I be looking for or did I just open up a whole new can o' worms?? thanks for all the help and suggestions everyone!

that's an awesome video! is it your cambridge or jsut a video that's rolling around?

Thanks thats a great start. any suggestions on the rear end gears? by the sounds of it it may not be necessary if the engine is tuned up properly. Kerry

WOW! thanks everyone for the information, I've decided to see if I can get the 218 going at some point (lots of other stuff to do before/during) or see if I can ever find a 230, 251 or 265. something about those old flatheads just turns my crank . I do appreciate everyones opinions though, sorry if the question was misleading or anything. I know where to come to for my next project if it's a bigger mopar engine and if I don't I know where I'll be going to ask! Thanks again everyone, Kerry ...now to get the engine unstuck and reeeally inspect it for damage. Another question, what sort of modifications would I be able to do to a stock 218? What bore size can I go up to, find pistons for, have any of you done anything like that? I haven't seen any cracks in the block or noticed any holes in the cylinder walls yet but I've got some rust to remove before I can make a thorough inspection. I've heard that the walls are quite thin

Hello, I'm currently rebuilding a 53 plymouth cranbrook and have been tossing around some ideas for the engine, I would like to keep it mopar and would also love to keep it a flathead (my 218 is in pretty rough shape) but I've been told they are pretty gutless. what would you all suggest for an engine. as a general idea I'm not looking for a tire burner just something that's reliable and I can cruise at a good highway pace with. Also with changing the engine what transmissions would either bolt up or work with minor mods? I'd like to keep it a manual. I'm also curious on space, the 218 sits pretty close to the firewall as it is, would a small block fit just as snug or would I need to reform the firewall?? any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!! thanks everyone, Kerry