Lumpy

Hi, Hey, no offense, but if you are not experienced in that sort of thing, don't do it. It comes under the heading of "it can be done", "it has been done", and "anything can be done". You could probably swap in any rear end if you wanted to bad enough. It certainly is not going to bolt-in. You would really be better off finding a car that has already had the swap done. Finance it by selling the Coupe. I'm not against giving an old car some "pazazz", or doing some mods, but at least preserve it as a flathead, or sell it to someone who will. There's lots of hop-up stuff you can do to the flathead six. Everyone that runs a flat six are quite happy with them. Those wanting to swap in modern engines are almost always those who have not driven the car for any length of time with a good running flathead six...usually starting off with a car where the engine needs a rebuild, or there is no engine. A 1966 Dodge Polara would be a great place for a 383. Can you fix up that car? Or maybe find a Dart or Duster to hot rod. I have a 1948 Dodge with a low mileage, great running 230 flathead six, shaved head and dual carbs, and no way would I want a V8 or other engine in it. It is not a stocker or resto by any means. I know what power is, I have a hot 360 Dodge Dart, and I have motorcycles. I'm not saying there's not a place to put a 383...it's just that a '46 Coupe either is not the place, or you'll be so swamped in time and money to do it, you'll have to change more than the rear end to cope with the big block V8...it will really be a major undertaking. Well, that absolutely does not answer your question! Sorry about that. And thank you for not asking about swapping in a small block Chevy. !!! k.

If you really want to baby the old girl, go to any motorcycle shop or dealer and browse through the motorcycle oils. In the U.S., the motorcycle oils still have the good stuff in them, that has been phased out of car-oil due to global warming, and invasion by aliens, smog-laws, the EPA, and all that. Having said that, I really only use moto-oil in my Super Beetle, as it is an air cooled engine, which runs hot compared to a water cooled engine, and it is a hi-po engine that I spent a little bit of $$$$$ on. Lumpy usually gets a synthetic, although at the moment Castrol 30wt and a pint of STP are what is coursing through her veins. ken.

Adams is right...! An engine's redline is generally related to piston speed. And that value is usually used when stroking engines. Oil delivery is another one, sometimes depending on the engine, oil won't go down side galleries, won't make sharp turns over a certain RPM, so some bearings will starve for oil. I know that with small block Chrysler V8's, you have to do some modification to the oil system and galleries to safely run at higher RPM than 5500. (and exceed that by quite a bit) Generally speaking, flatheads red line around 4000-4500 RPM. My flathead Harley's factory redline is 4400, not much different than a Dodge 230. I believe that with the motorcycle engine, it is piston speed, as just about everything in the engine is on roller bearings, which does not require a lot of pressurized oil. In fact they have been known to run for over 100 miles with no oil pressure. (and the pre-1936 engines had NO oil pressure, period, just splashed-oiled like a Briggs&Stratton) Flatheads are generally long stroke engines, which of course reach unacceptable piston speeds faster than a short stroke engine. With OHV engines, how long the push rods will hold up and not bend is a factor, and of course spring pressure limits RPM in either a OHV or a flathead. Flatheads don't have pushrods to bend (underhead cam!) but the valves will still float. Then there's my BMW motorcycle's engine, which runs best at 4250rpm, I mean it's loafing, which always amazes me to think that at that RPM, the '37 bike or Lumpy would be very unhappy. They'd be talking to me! But the BMW redlines at only around 7500rpm, which is way under what many newer motorbikes redline at. So yeah, 4000-4500rpm would be the normal redline for our flatheads. And of course with any engine, it's not going to like being held at redline, whatever it is...really you would only go there for short periods of time, seconds, such as running through the gears aggressively or something like that...maybe if you were running for your life! k.

My reasoning to take the carb off is to eliminate pouring anymore gas into the cylinders, until the problem is resolved. Ensure the plugs (new ones) remain clean and dry. Once he gets a reaction, a kick back, a pop, or a bang, then put the carb back on and try to start it. If the timing is correct, then the engine will even run for a few seconds. Then go back to flooding the thing out. ?? Right at the moment, I think the carb is just kind of "fouling" things up. "It's not helping!" As the wife would say. Oh but the AJS stickers on my TT500 are in HONOR of my old AJS. !!! And AJS in general. They should give me the bounty in appreciation. Yes the history of AJS is interesting, and they built some far out, ahead of their time engines...much like Chrysler. I'd love to have another one, maybe that's what I'll find in a barn someday, and I'll get it for $50.00. But probably not. Also looking for a flathead BMW basket case, for around $100. ken.

Yes, I can't shake the idea that if there is spark, and any compression at all, and you give it a shot of starting fluid, something is going to pop or bang, or the engine will kick back or something...no matter where the timing is set, or which wires go to what plugs. If not, it's hard to believe there is fire in the hole. All the gas that's poured into the chambers, and all the oil squirted in...I'd say start fresh with a fresh set of plugs, take that $&&$ carb off the manifold, and turn it over with a few shots of starting fluid directly into the intake manifold. Wow, I'm not familiar with two-stroke AJS's. I had a '52 500 single for many years. Now I have a Yamaha TT500 that I painted green camo, and then put AJS stickers on it, because nobody knows what an AJS is. !! It likes to have a nice fresh plug in it, if you don't like kicking a 500 single over lots of times before it starts. Once it starts, there's nowhere it can't go. !!! k.

Have you tried a little starting fluid? No...have not re-read the whole thing. Edit: okay, I read the whole thing...again. I hear a lot of "at the right time" concerning the spark. I will beg to differ, if the spark plug fires when the piston is on the intake stroke, you will get a bang out of the carb. If it fires on the exhaust stroke, which is pushing unburned fuel out of the cylinder, you'll get a bang out of the exhaust. It might not start, but if there is spark and compression, you'll get some popping, or banging, or the engine will kick-back...no matter what plug wire goes to what plug, or if the timing is 180 degrees off, or 30 degrees, or 270, or whatever. I hope you have pulled the carb, and are just trying to start with starting fluid, until you get some kind of reaction out of the engine. Now I know that really doesn't help, but I have to ask again, are the plugs sparking under compression? On motorcycles, I have experienced spark plugs that sparked when out of the engine, but not when in it. Or perhaps the spark was like ten times as weak when in the engine. I don't know. I had an AJS that could eat a plug in one week. Also, I'm sure you are using new plugs, but they could be fouled and dead from all the gas and oil, might want to get a new set, and just use them with starting fluid, and no oil down the cylinders, and no carb. I've had good luck cleaning spark plugs with carb cleaner, but in this case I'd get a new set. Anyhow, good luck, we are pulling, hoping for you, but it's sure becoming a mystery. k.

I think in this case (by not bi) it means "too", as in too funny. k.

One of these days I'll get around to fabricating a cold air induction for Lumpy. Engines sure run better with air that has not already been sucked through the radiator! ken.

One thing that old motorcycle riders know, (who grew up riding old bikes) is to do frequent nuts and bolts checks. Oil changes are good times to do this. Check every nut and bolt you can get to while the oil is draining, or new oil is draining in. You should hear my 1937 motor bike pop when I let off on the throttle. !!! Due to the nature of how the pipe fits into the cylinder, it's pretty hard to get a good seal. I just figure it is part of the "charm" of an old bike. Wouldn't be as charming on an old car though. k.

Yep STP oil treatment, some love to hate it, I like it. Amsoil is good, running that (actually Amsoil motorcycle oil) in my hi-po Super Beetle engine right now. Indeed, if you change your oil often, then it's debatable as to whether synthetic is cost-effective. I like to use synthetic in an engine that's going to be worked hard, like the bug engine, or the engine in my pickemup, which I use mostly for towing stuff. In Lumpy, my D24, sometimes run synthetic, sometimes just good old Castrol, which is what's in it at the moment. Don't know if it's been mentioned, but don't forget to change the trans and rear end oil. There's a whole other ball of oily wax!! I usually put a little STP in an old transmission too. !! k.

Yep everyone has an opinion, usually very strong, on oil, and there's been many a forum oil war. So, and anyhow, I think these old engines work/run much better on heavier oil. Straight Castrol 30wt and a little STP. The lightest multi-grade I would run would be 20-50, with a little STP. With your engine having sat for so long, it might be a good idea to fire it up for the first time with a 10W30 oil, and just use it to flush out the engine. Maybe run the engine for a couple of hours, (not a couple of hours straight) let the engine go through a few heat cycles, then change it out before driving the car. Light oils turn in great MPG figures for the car companies, but when that car was new, a 10wt oil would be considered a break-in oil for a new engine, and would soon be changed out for a 30wt once the rings seated. Heavier oil has more shear strength. When the oil shears, that's when metal meets metal. Synthetic oil has more shear strength than dino-juice, so you can use lighter oil when using synthetic, than you would normally use with dino-juice. Still, 15-50 would be the lightest I'd go with synthetic. Just a thought. !!! ken.

I'm a fan of the flathead six. Sure would be easy to rebuild it, shave the head a bit and put a couple of carbs on it. Or lightly turbo charge it. I think the wow factor with a flathead is above and beyond that of any modern engine transplant. Nothing out-cools a flathead. And going the way of the transplant is at best always a hard, long, and expensive journey. Sorry, just had to say it! Sorry sorry sorry. Having said that, I believe the slant six makes the most sense. Someone (I forget who) on this forum has done it, and knows the way. k.

Me stupid too when it comes to ohms and such...I'll be watching this thread as Lumpy never has had a working gas gauge in the fifteen or twenty years I've been driving her. I think my sending unit works, but I'm not sure. I write down my mileage when I get gas, and keep a full two gallon gas container in the trunk, and never have run out of gas. But I'd rather have a gauge. (that worked) Wish the odometer had a trip meter, then it would be just like riding an old motorcycle. Once you figure out how many miles you get out of a tank of gas, you just get gas when you are about 50, 40, 30 miles shy of that mileage. k.

You know, I never did see any cars with a Knuckle Scraper decal, or anything like that. As it was pretty warm outside, didn't see any Knuckle Scraper jackets either....so I'm not sure who exactly the Knuckle Scrapers are. There was a T-shirt booth, but I never did get around to talking to those people. They could have been/probably were the Knuckle Scrapers. So far, knock on wood, in the 15-20 years I've been driving Lumpy, she's never failed to return home on her own power. I bought her in Colfax, probably about something short of 100 miles away, and drove her home, so she's never been on a trailer or truck as long as I've had her. One time my fuel pump went out, but I was able to pull over a couple of times, let it cool off (electric pump), and start up and drive again, and we got home. So Lumpy is a very good girl, and I figure as reliable as any other car...but yes, stuff happens! You never know. k.

On the way home. Put on 184 miles that day, and drove through the most beautiful country you can imagine, rolling hills of grass and wheat, back highways with little or no traffic. We drove back via Colfax, then Endicot, St.John, Ewan, then up the Rock Lake road to Cheney, if you are familiar with Eastern Washington. Drove down there via Spangle, Rosalia, Oaksdale. This pic is where we stopped on the Endicot/St.John road to have a little rest-stop and eat. The Knuckle Scraper meet/show is really cool. They don't allow cars that are trailered in. It's in a way out of the way place, so you have to drive 50-60-100 miles at least to get there. So you see mostly drivers, lots of rat-rods, and some show cars that someone at least wasn't afraid to drive a few miles. All the roads, highways and byways to get there are in perfect condition, no traffic to speak of, you just couldn't ask for a better drive. And yes, Lumpy ran so fine...just absolutely perfect. Thanks for listening! Ken.

This little early Hemi powered car was my favorite. There it is again. Nice. Another early Hemi car.

There's Lumpy Lou. Her nose looks five miles long. In fact, the front bumper got to Palouse six minutes before we did. There she is again, she has a cute butt too. That chevy is trying to sniff it. Not sure what this is.

Driving through the Palouse country. Perfect roads, little to no traffic. Life looks better through a split windshield. They came from all over, filled both sides of the street, with a double row of cars in the middle.

Wow, time flies. Haven't been on the forum since going to the Knuckle Scraper's meet in Palouse, Washington. Said I would post some pics, here they are. Just a little late. So here we are leaving for the meet, that's the wife and her Chi-Hua-Hua.

It would. Looking at last year's pics on the web, (google "knuckle draggers Palouse I think) I think it's the perfect fit for the cars on this forum. Okay, leaving in one hour, time to shut this computer down and hit the road! k.

My car has been in primer for about 15 years, and it is certainly not maintenance free. I generally work it over with steel wool, but just recently parked under some trees and got a bunch of little sap-spots that don't want to rub out. And of course I have to spot-prime it here and there, and it usually matches up once I steel wool it. I'm thinking that flat paint, and primer actually takes more maintenance. On the other hand, you can't take a spray can and touch up a good paint job either. Anyhow, love the look of your car Smokeybear, love the mirrors, I've got to get some.

Me and Lumpy are going to the Knuckle dragger's meet in Palouse Washington tomorrow. I shall photo journal the adventure, and get pics of any other kool old school Mopars that will be there and post them. Threw some new spark plugs in Lumpy when I got home from work, now she starts again just by reaching in the window, turning the key, and pushing the start button. I love it when a car does that. Was wondering why she didn't do that anymore! Really looking forward to it as they state in their flyer: "No trailer queens or billet barges". So the cars will be drivers. Being in such an out of the way place, all the cars will have to drive quite a distance to get there. And the roads to there are so beautiful and perfect, backroad highways with little traffic through the wheat and farm country along the Washington/Idaho border. Weather looks to be absolutely perfect too. Okay, stay tuned! ken.

There are high-buck, "taylor made" systems that do that, flood the house with a gas, but I forgot what it is/uses. They claim that the house can be entered after an hour, and there is/are no traces of the gas left over. ? In case you enter the house without disarming it first, there's an alarm that goes off and gives you a minute to do that. Those breaking in don't really know that the alarm means they are about to be gassed. k.

I have found some strange things in the bottom of oil pans, aside from gunk and muck. Have you drained the oil yet? That might tell you if you want to do that. But if you are planning to pull the head and pan later, I think I'd just change the oil and try to start it. But again, after a long sit I'd think that stuck valves would be most likely, in which case she won't want to start. On the other hand, some old engines fire right up. Where was it stored, and under what conditions? In a "sunshine" state, dry conditions/climate? That's what it looks like. When you try to start it, video it if you can. That might be a cool one, "Dodge starts and runs fifty years later". Or something like that. ken.

Pulling the head would also be worthwhile, and easier than pulling the pan, check for stuck valves, condition of the cylinders, and de-carbon while it's off. In fact, I'd pull the head before the pan, then start it up. If there's anything wrong with the lower end, you'll hear it. Looking again at the pics, that car looks like it was very well cared for before it was parked...(the more I look at the pics, the more I'm impressed at the fine condition)...lower end problems would be unlikely, but any engine could use a de-carbon job. Again, I think the most likely possible problem with the engine would be some stuck valves. Looking at the cylinder walls will tell you how many miles is on it. Looking at the crank and rod ends won't really tell you anything unless you take the rod caps off...a long dirty laying on your back job.