dpollo

I have done it both ways but if you hook the top in first, you can gently squeeze the bottom with a well padded pair of pliers until it snaps in place.

The Plymouth and possibly all Chrysler products changed to the IAT from the IGS in about mid 1950. The IGS is easily recognized by the counterweighted rotor. My personal preference is the IAT but in fairness, the IGS is built better with a ball bearing points plate.

9 foot beds were found on 3/4 and 1 ton pickups and in Canada too. Yours is in good shape (relatively speaking) so would be of value to someone. A lot of these trucks on the Canadian prairies had the tail gate removed and a grain box placed inside the box. I got an unused Fargo tailgate which had been left in the barn. The rest of the truck may still be out there somewhere. I was told there were no fewer than 9 box combinations available on these trucks. Short Medium and Long, Shallow and deep, flat top sides or slopers. that's 7.

I have had similar incidents over the years and one with a 57 Fargo. If the compression tests out all right I would just keep driving it. You will not have done your engine any good, but maybe not much harm either. At the worst, it could have broken some top rings ( top ring striking the ridge) . It is easy to re ring this engine right in the truck. I drove two 57 Fargos continuously over a period of almost 30 years. Have a 52, now. The second 57 got a 273 Dart v8. It worked really well. This truck is pictured in The Standard Catalog of American Light Trucks

It is a 36 Plymouth for sure....... with a phantom of the opera mask.

It will work and it will fit your Fluid drive unit but it is 2 inches shorter. Better to go for the big block, another 251 or better still a 264 from a 53 or 4. These will give better performance in a heavy car.

Glad to see you enjoying one of Plymouth's nicest models. I have a long time MoPar friend in Bucyrus, Kansas. I will be pleased to offer an introduction if that is anywhere near you.

I have run into problems (thankfully on other people's cars) where the electric pump ( when not activated) impedes the mechanical pump's ability to deliver fuel.

Sounds like you are having fun, Wish I had your energy anymore. Good luck. dp

You are going to do what you are going to do but before you wind up with several piles of incompatible parts consider this : Your Overdrive ( R10 J ) fits 57 to 59 only. The bell housing in your car may accept the V 8 of this era, so if you really want a highway cruiser, installing a V8... like an EARLY 318 or a 277 or similar engine with the eight bolt crankshaft is the way to go. Your '64 Slant six, if it is a 170, (Blue engine) will not have enough power. If it is a 225,(Red) it will have about the same power as the 230 but will be more durable. It will not fit your present bell housing or transmission. which means you have a cable shifted Torqueflight to somehow control from your column shift. Later Torqueflites are lever shifted so would work better for you but none of these has a parking brake which means you will be changing out your 3.73 differential. 1957 Automatics were air cooled, so you have to come up with a trans cooler, if you are using a later trans. A 230 from a 57000 mile '57 (4000 lb car) may be showing more wear than just a bad wrist pin. ( not a common problem with these engines but I can think of several other troubles which will make just as much noise) Your car is a good example of a now rare automobile so think carefully before you tear it all apart. If you just want to drive and enjoy it, rebuild and reinstall the 230. With Overdrive, it will take you down any highway you wish to travel. It will not win many drag races but nor will a Slant six. Not trying to rain on your parade or be a know it all but I have learned a lot of lessons in the school of hard knocks. Proceed with caution. Get good advice from someone who has done engine swaps. Don't get in over your head.

Sure you could connect it, but that does not mean it will work. This seems like a very cumbersome way to accomplish something that is less effective than what your car had as original equipment.

NICE CAR ! There are a number of D25s here locally (Vancouver Island ). At one time they were very commonplace. A treat to see now. At a small local show, we had 2 D25s and a D24 for comparison. ( when I organize shows, they are heavily weighted with Chrysler's products.

The axle taper is the same from 37 to 56 although axle lengths and spline counts vary. The bolt spacing on the backing plate was the same during this era. Yours is not an 8 3/4 as that designation referred to the ring gear size which was commonplace in the 60s. It is not really relevant to the brakes.

If you look back at the rransmission, the shift lever are visible on the side. About one inch up and one inch in from the bottom right corner. The low -reverse selector is typical of 42 to 48. The 40's low reverse lever was shorter, had a forward facing hole and did not have the curve up and over the top of its mounting bolt. The throttle linkage fastened to the head is the give away. It has to be 41 or 42. 46 had a bell crank on top of the head between cylinders 3 and 4

maybe a bushing from a door hinge repair kit would work here .

To convert a 217 (218) to a 230 you need the crankshaft, the rods and the flywheel. Although the 217 flywheel will fit, there may be problems with the starter ring gear . Merle is quite correct in that not so many parts from a 25 incher will fit, however these parts will : Timing cover, chain and gears, fuel pump and oil pump and the water pump bell housing and possibly the flywheel, and engine mounts. The distributor on a 25 incher has a longer shaft.

Heaters were all dealer installed options up to the mid 50s. In fact, some cars did not have the necessary holes drilled and tapped on the engines.

Look back at the transmission shift levers newer than 40. Upfront, wide belt, earlier than 50

1559208 if I read the part correctly. Looking in the Truck part list 54 to 56 there are part numbers on either side of this one. Close but no cigar.

If you assembled it the way it is, you would not be able to turn the crankshaft. When a replacement cap was fitted to a block, it was adjusted by shimming. The cap itself had slightly oversize bolt holes. I have never seen this done, and would not care to do it on an engine that I cared about. A machinist could advise you on how to proceed but you may indeed be correct that it will be cheaper to start with a block which has its original caps.

Recently I got $100 for the exhaust manifold alone. Any more they are just not out there when you need one.

Twice now I have had engines which developed profound knocks which turned out to be loose flywheels. You have never heard anything quite like it ! It goes away if you put your foot on the clutch.

In order for the engine in a Plymouth to have the same compression ratio say 7 to 1 in a 3 3/8 by 4 1/16 cylinder (218 divided by 6) it must employ a smaller chambered head than that of a 265 3 7/16 by 4 3/4 (265 divided by 6 ). Therefore if you use a 218 head on a 265 , it will increase the compression ratio significantly. It is a hot afternoon and I am unwilling to do the math )

The 49 uses what appears to be an Overdrive Cable to unlatch the hood. This cable is actually a little lighter than the proper OD cable and is routed along the inner fender. Where it goes through the firewall, I do not know. In any event, the OD control need only be convenient to operate and pass through all the other wires and controls without interference. Not a big problem as long as the cable you use is long enough. I found a light PTO control cable that worked well but I did not get a part # with it. There is another which does not have quite enough length in the handle end to pull to lock out without the handle coming out of its sleeve. Works though.