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So, yet another question!!! this truck has new oil in it brand new almost! never even ran engine on the oil. and the engine had no water in it (in the cooling system) so my oil is milky white like it has water in it. I just think its a bad head gasket seal. but heres my main problem i know they dont push a lot of oil pressure and ive never exactly got the engine to run but it has oil in it like i said but even after the hours ive spent cranking it over there seems to be absolutely no oil in the oil filter how is that possible?? does the engine only push oil to it if its warmed up? what can you tell me about this issue because im days from tuning my engine and id hate to seize the engine!!! please help!! again i know nothing about how this oil system works!!! my filter was replaced about 2 years ago doesnt seem like oil has ever touched it??

Looking for simple dimensioned drawing for intake/exhaust manifold mounting stud spacing. Had to remove the manifolds to replace a bad gasket and 2 studs broke off just inside the block. Was planning to make a guide plate to bolt to the side of the block to guide drilling out the broken studs. Any other advice regarding this disaster would be welcome, as well. I thank you in advance.

I ran across this video in a multi-part series that describes how this guy rebuilt his P15 engine. I found it pretty damn good, considering I know very little about doing that sort of thing. Some of you have probably seen it.

Hello All, I own a 1948 DeSoto S-11 Custom Club Coupe. I purchased it in September 2020, it is my first project car & first pre model year 2000 car I've ever owned! Now is a good time to say I'm probably one of the youngest members on here (22-years old), but have a great respect for these old cars and want to keep my 48' DeSoto as stock as sensibly possible. While I've had the car for about 2-1/2 years, I haven't physically done a ton of work to it. I am a read the manual cover-to-cover type of guy. So out of principal, I've taken the last 2 years to study books, forum threads, and videos on these old Mopars before barreling in. Opposed to taking things apart, have no idea what I am looking at, and then end up with a pile of parts and me scratching my head! As such, in these past 2 years, I've learnt ton about flathead engines, or L-head if we're being technical, Lockheed drum brakes, the Tip-Toe shift transmission (My DeSoto has the M5), the difference between the semi-auto shifting transmission and Fluid Drive coupling, and how to properly repair and maintain a 6-Volt positive ground electrical system. Now I feel decently prepared to finally get my hands dirty and work towards getting my 1948 DeSoto back on the road! A little background on my car. It spent most of it's life, both active and while it sat for several decades, in Worcester, MA. It is now in NEPA (Northeastern Pennsylvania). It has 118,700 miles on the odometer. It was last on the road/inspected in April 1960. The black paint is original as far as I can tell. It has the original 237ci flathead engine in it, including the "S11" stamp on the side of the block! It has the M5 Tip-Toe shift transmission with Fluid Drive coupling. The wiring harness....exists, but I would not dare to put a 6-Volt battery in to even "see what works". All the wires in the engine bay, under the dash, and in the trunk are crusty, corroded, and the cloth insulation crumbles at the slightest movement. On a positive note, none of the wheels are locked up, so hopefully when I go to pull the drums off it won't be a nightmare. Unfortunately, said original S11 engine is locked up. Before everyone types-up all of their remedies to freeing up a stuck engine, I already know what the cylinder walls look like....it would do serious damage if I did manage to free it up. Two members from the Maryland Chapter of the National DeSoto Club graciously made a house call this past October 2022 and helped pull the cylinder head....the diagnosis is not good. A broken head gasket right between cylinders 3 and 4. Those two cylinders must have sat full of coolant for decades and rusted the cylinder walls and pistons in place. As long as the block is not cracked, I do intend on reusing the original block, but it will definitely have to be bored-over .030, .040, .060..?? What are my plans: A full mechanical and electrical restoration, but keep the body work to a minimum. I don't want to create a show car with perfect paint, I would never drive it if I did. There are definitely some rust issues that need to be addressed. The chrome rocker panels are hiding the majority of the rust. It needs both inner and outer rocker panels on both sides. Also, the trunk pan is quite thin on the driver's side, so much so, the seem running along the inner wheel well has separated! Currently, I am planning and gearing up for an engine pull in the next month or two. I already have an engine puller, load leveler, and engine stand. I plan to do the complete disassembly myself: intake and exhaust manifolds, valves, tappets, camshaft, pistons, crankshaft, etc. Then I will take it to a machine shop and have it boiled out (get that rust, scale, and sludge out!). Have it checked for cracks, and if it passes, then have them tell me how much it needs to be bored-out to get to all clean/fresh metal. Aside from the boring-over, I'll have the machine shop deck the top of the block, install new valve guides, and maybe have them install new valves and lap them. I am definitely getting all new valves, just not sure yet if I'm going to lap them or have the machine shop do it. All other reassembly I plan to do myself. As I've said, I've spent the past 2 years researching. I've actually read through many threads on here as a guest for over a year! I figured it might be fun/helpful to create an account now that the work is starting so I can post my progress updates! Thanks for reading! Carl I know you all love photos, so here are a few, and so you can see the unfortunate state of my engine! Obligatory photo when I rolled it out of the garage this past Fall 2022: A photo I found of my DeSoto at an auction before I purchased it: Driver's side rear quarter panel. Worst of the visual body panel rust. But the rocker panels are hiding the nasty reality...: Current state of the interior: How the engine bay looked when I first got the car: Original S11 stamping!: Immediately after removing the cylinder head, prior to any vacuuming/clean-up - October 2022: Cylinder 3 & 4 Close-up...Yikes!: Broken head gasket:

To drill or to weld, that is the question. I am still working on my engine replacement in my 1941 Plymouth Sedan. The replacement engine is a tad newer and out of a truck. I found that the oil pan is different, front sump and I need a rear sump. Here is where I am stuck; the incorrect oil pan has a dipstick in it, the block does not. Do I try to modify my correct oil pan and weld a dip stick in it or do I drill out the port in the engine that’s been welded shut? Is it okay/safe to drill the block?

Hey I have a 1950 Pontiac chieftain with a 239. It was running last year and has great compression but no spark. Any ideas on where to start troubleshooting? (New spark plugs as of May 10th 2020)

Howdy, Newbie here! I have a 251cid Dodge engine (T120-77962) in my 1.5 ton truck that has a blown out piston and I did not want to put money into rebuilding it since it's a truck used to just drive around the farm for fun. My question is, will a 230cid Dodge engine (D42-211153) from either 1951 or 1952 be a viable replacement to bolt up to my existing set up? I found an engine nearby in excellent running condition and thought of just swapping mine out for this one. I think that I would have to move the motor mounts, but I don't know if the water pump, thermostat housing, generator or anything else would simply swap out from the 251 to the 230. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards, Roman

Hi, I have a 1933 Dodge six roadster with a lightweight T.J. Richards body with the intention to drive and finish the 2019 Peking to Paris endurance rally. The actual engine is worn and underpowered for this job, so I'm looking for a later, more powerful and reliable flathead 6. As with this T.J.R. body, there is place enough to put in the 25" long block without big modifications. Is there a big difference in power and in technical setup between a 230 and 251, apart from the cu inches? Can somebody tell me where I can find a good post war long block? Here in Europe I can only find T214 engines and very few results on Ebay Thanks in advance, Kind regards, Patrick.

Hey all, I need a little help with my engine, trying to get the finishing touches done before she's road ready. I couldn't find anything online or in the service manual. I've need to run the vacuum line to the advance on the distributor. I found to cut off lines, one one the intake manifold and one on the carb. I circled both in the picture. Which one does it go to, and what is the other for? Also, what is that unit mounted on the exhaust manifold? It does appear to have a cut off wire, and on the rear there is an arm that moves. I wanted to know what I was dealing with before I removed it and cleaned it up. I've got a lot of pictures here of the project, please take a look. I'm really excited to get this 'ol pickup on the road. Been the funnest project I've done and I'm really happy with how it's going, lots' more to come. https://photos.app.goo.gl/sWeEmPHujXdteZpt9 Also, if there's any suggestions with etiquette for the forum, please let me know.

I have a 48 Plymouth special deluxe and havent been able to get this motor to start. It cranks and I put gas in the carb trying to get it to start. Though when I was working on it my stud that the positive cable bolts to got really hot. Wire isnt hot but just the bolt. I get the motor to crank and sounds like it wants to start because it does pop but cant get it to run.

Hi, after fully rebuilding the engine for my '49 Wayfarer business coupe, I was very happy to see that it doesn't have any leaks - EXCEPT FOR - the remote oil filter. - - the pipe seals and the main cap seal are good, but it leaks around the large nut that tightens the cap down. can anyone tell me how to separate the nut from the cap so that I can renew or make a seal for it ?? regards, BB.

Anyone know where I might find factory blueprints for the Dodge / Plymouth flathead six (the 23" short block) engine? Willem Weertman's Chrysler Engines 1922 - 1998 book has some basic line drawings of the '59 Plymouth MP1 version, but I'm looking for more detailed information, e.g. dimensions, etc.

Hey everyone, Recently I have gotten the time (and funds) to continue, and hopefully complete, my engine rebuild on my 230 Flathead. About 6 years ago I purchased a '55 Flathead from a buddy, while taking an engine rebuilding course at my nearby community college. This was after learning my lesson when buying a cracked engine from an unmentionable forum. After finding the one my buddy sold, I began the teardown. I photographed as much of the teardown as I could. I'm also pretty anal (can I say that here?) about labeling everything. I zip-locked each bolt set and labeled their size, count, and where they belonged. Now, here is my issue: After receiving my 230 crank from a local shop I am ready to plastigage it with the bearing caps, but I don't remember how my caps go. Attached is a photograph of my setup. I could have sworn I stamped them, but also notice there's oil caps, as well. I have looked through my Service Manual from 1955 and don't see any diagram or illustration as to the order in which these caps go. I've checked images online of similar engines and nothing close to what I'm looking for. Long story short, if anyone has any photographs of their rebuild on a 230 I would really appreciate a shot of the bottom end install. Also, Could I get away with replacing my Bearing cap bolts with some grade 8 bolts? I have called various suppliers (i.e. Burnaby and Vintage Power Wagons) and they don't carry any. Any info would be appreciated! =Adrian=

Last week I got myself a barn find Plymouth 1953 from an old man that thought it was a 51' dodge, real cheap deal, it's got the flathead six and most parts, lots of metal work to do yet. This is how it arrived at home last weekend.

Hello there. Name ia Adam. First post on this forum. Been trying to join for alittle while but the sign up gave me issues.... Btw what is the difference between a business and club coupe? This is my first classic and its a 1940 chrysler windsor 2 door. I have always wanted a coupe but never looked at getting on cause they are so much money. The car came up and the price was more then right. I had to make it happen. Had to get it. The car was owned by a man the same age as the car and with help from people it was kept running up till about last year. I was say and from what i heard it was driven hard and put away wet kinda thing. The orginal engine puked (he was on an lucas oil stabilizer fix from what i was told. Kept topping up with lucas. When the motor was pulled the crank i was told was blue!) So they got hold of a replacement motor. A 264 from a 1954 chrysler. The motor had a rebuild tag from 1964 and when they put the motor in about 2 years ago they cleaned out the pan and put new gaskets from what i was told. The motor had a carter 1bb carb that i guess was worn out so it was bored open and the jet drilled out. Well i guess it ate fuel. So now you have alittle back story ill get to the point. The car i got on the road and have been enjoying it. Didnt run but after a tune up it fired right up (2 of the 7 spark plug wires were completey corroded. It fell apart in my hands) when i did drive it i got like 6mpg. Did some messing around with the 1bb and it got better. I have switched to a 2 barrel and performance and fuel economy improved however im getting like 16-17mpg driving softly. I like to have better fuel economy for sure so i plan to switch the back axle. Which would be best and easy that im not sure of yet. I want to put disk brakes all around so guidance here would help. I have it running on 6v (it had a 8v battery) im thinking about going to 12v for easier starting and maybe put a radio in etc. now for the sinning. Beware those with sensitive stomachs dont continue reading you been warned.... the 264 in the car is mated to the orginal 3 speed of the 1940. It pulls aright but i like to have a bit more power. I like to get hold of a 4 or 5 speed thats synced. If i keep the flathead i like to do a draw through turbo and hide is to make it still look stock and look like its n/a at first glance. Not talking alot of boost. About 5-7psi. the motor however i wonder needs a rebuild? I do lose some oil over time. My oil pressure is about 25 going 50mph. Maybe 28-30 going over 60 mph. When i first got it running it smoked really bad and had alot of blow by. Its cleaned up alot since then (doing like 10 oil changes helps) so with all this said i think ill be pulling out the engine some how. I dont know how much it cost me to rebuild but it leads me to think if i rebuild it. It might be better to put that money into another motor to get the power im after? This leads me to the v8 (yes i know, boring. I rather the flathead) i have access to a 318 that had short block rebuilt for cheap. Its all cast though. But it be easier to get the transmission i want mated to this engine. I might turbo this motor too so its not like everyone else. i dont want to spent tons and im afraid rebuilding the flathead will cost the same or more then the v8 pic is of the car the day i got it running

Hi folks, I have a 1946 1/2 ton dodge truck, it doesn't have the original engine. Instead it has some other dodge flathead 6 that was rebuilt by an independent rebuilder decades ago. I don't know if the rebuilder did it or what but the serial number is gone. Can any of you tell me if there's something else i can look at to tell what engine this is?

Hi Techies, - Is it common for the inlet valves to have a spring and seal under the valve head ? and if so what is the reasoning for it ? - It's a D34 flathead I have stripped with intention of completely rebuilding it. Thanks in advance, B.B.

My wife and I just returned from the 10th Annual Woodies in the Valley show in Visalia CA yesterday but weren't sure we were going to make it home without a tow truck I've been driving the '40 Plymouth now for a couple of years and I've never had an overheating problem, including driving around in the summer at temperatures over 100°. I got the motor from an old Mopar racer who had rebuilt it, new distribution tube, etc. and it always ran like a top. It had 160° thermostat, which after reading various posts here, seemed like I was asking for sludge trouble in the future (apparently the engine doesn't get hot enough to burn off the moisture which creates problems), so I did what you're not supposed to do right before a trip and changed the thermostat to a 180° unit from Napa. Immediately the gauge registered 20° hotter which made sense. We left Saturday morning, outside temperature in the 50s, and drove 60 miles on the freeway with no issues. We had a lot of fun at the show, caught up with old friends, tc., and then caravanned through the countryside, which included driving through some small local downtown areas very slowly. Outside temps were in the low 70s. Immediately it pegged the temperature gage – I couldn't even see the needle it was so far off the scale. We pulled over and clouds of steam were coming out of the bottom area of the radiator. After cooling down we added water only, and filled it to overflowing. As I was looking among the group for some anti-freeze, a couple of the old-timers told me that unpressurized flatheads do better in hot weather with pure water rather than an anti-freeze mix. Now with more water than coolant,in the stock, honeycomb radiator, the gauge went back down to about 170° and stayed there the whole rest of the trip. I had never heard this before- I would think that adding anything to water would change its boiling point and be better. Thoughts?

Hey guys, Super excited to say that I finally got all the necessary parts to get my P11 running! With that first step out of the way, I can now focus on all of the bits to get it running right and reliably. The first and biggest issue I've found is that it gets hot, and when shut off it pukes out cold water. I originally thought this was just the thermostat stuck, so I removed it but still experienced the same symptoms. What I'd like to know is what my next steps should be: I do plan on flushing the whole system just to see what I'm really working with, is there an easy way to test if the water pump is functioning properly? Is there anything else that I'm overlooking that could be preventing coolant flow? All original everything. I actually got all of the original electrical equipment to work and charge, save for the horns, haven't successfully troubleshooted that.. any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, all. This is my first post on this forum. I joined because I was lucky enough to obtain a free 1951 Windsor and I would like to get it running within the next year. I apologize in advance if this isn't the place for this an introduction. I didn't see an introduction forum. Here's a back story on how I got my hands on this car: About 5 months ago I saw this car on Craigslist for $1600, listed about 3 miles away from my apartment. The ad stated he was moving out of state and the car had to go. I called the guy and set up a time to go see it. When I got to his place, he wasn't home. This was a good chance to get the tire-kicking out of the way and really eye-ball it without offending anyone. I looked it over thoroughly, and I wasn't too impressed. It's not a 'special' car, It was in rough shape, and I wasn't really invested in it emotionally. However, by the time the guy showed up, I had developed a strange love for the car. Every angle of it screamed potential and drew me in. I studied it closer. At this point, I'm basically sold on the car if I can manage to work out a deal for a slightly better price. He explains what he believes to be the issue with it not running. He also says he has a collection of parts for the car. I asked him what he meant by "parts"... so he shows me his garage. He has almost every NOS part available to completely re-chrome the car, fix any insignificant broken piece, and new rubbers. So now he's reeling me in. He told me the parts do not go with the car, but he can work out a deal with me. I had to step back. I told him that I will give it some serious thought and I would contact him at some point to discuss it more. I never mentioned working out a price. I was starting to think $1600 was fair. A couple weeks pass, and the responsible part of me has blocked the car out of my mind. I had moved on. Out of the blue, he calls me and says "I've had a couple people look over the car and they all try to talk me down to a ridiculous price or just kick the tires and leave. I have a new deal for you". He tells me he wants me to come help him tear into the engine and see if we can get it running. His deal to me was "if we get it running, you can have the car and all the parts I've collected for the original asking price" or "if we can't get it running, you can have the car for $1000". I told him I wasn't ready to shake hands on it, but he lived close enough and I just wanted to get my hands dirty on a flathead because if anything, It gives me something to do on a friday night. Fast forward, We are digging in to the engine, suspecting a broken timing chain. He had all new parts ready to go. We get a couple hours in to the job, and I had made a couple parts and tool runs. By the time we get done, we realize there's nothing wrong with the timing chain. He steps back, scratches his head and says "well back to square one". He makes a couple comments suggesting he might just trade the car for something to a neighbor or keep it for whatever reason. At this point I had really written this car off. I just put in a bunch of hours and bloody knuckles into this car and now he wants to trade it to his neighbor? I left without making a scene, and went on about life. Maybe I misunderstood what he said, I don't know. About 2 months go by, I'm not even thinking about this car anymore. I'm in the passenger seat of my wifes car and I get a call from the guy. He asks me if I am still interested in the car and he has a new deal for me. I wasn't excited to hear it, and any money I had to spend is now gone AND christmas was a couple weeks away. I let him talk. He says "I want to give you the car. Your'e the only guy that I've dealt with that's been decent, shown genuine interest, and hasn't tried to talk the car down. I want you to have it". I didn't know what to say other than thank you. He said the only thing he can't do is give me the collection of parts. I was fine with that. Free rat rod. I was blown away. He could've accepted any low ball offer from anyone else, but he didn't. He would rather give it away to someone who genuinely wanted it than sell it for a low ball price. He did state "I can't take it with me and I can probably make my money back just by selling the parts". Good enough. I got a truck and trailer and got to his place by the end of the week. He helped me load it, gave me every single piece the car needs to become 100%, including every tiny replacement part that was missing down to the turn signal lever. He even gave me OG White walls, and a replacement front fender even though the one it replaces isn't that bad. So now I'm sitting on a Flathead six 1951 Chrsyler Windsor Deluxe Coupe that does not run. I came here because I was searching other forums for information and kept being guided here. It made sense, ratrod forums are fun, but I needed specific help from a community of people who deal specifically with this type of engine. Here is everything I know about the engine and where I am with it: (where mentioned, "previous owner" will be "P.O.") 1) The distributor was not turning with the engine. P.O. thought it was a bad distributor so he replaced it. Same issue, no movement. 2) P.O. thought it may be the timing chain. Checked, Timing chain is perfect and both gears cam and crank turn. 3) Car turns over just fine, won't fire. (no spark/no movement in distributor.) 4) Car was being driven when it stopped running about 2 years ago. Stopped dead in traffic on throttle. 5) I have no idea if the P.O. timed anything after replacing the distributor or if that has anything to do with it. 6) The engine is the original Spitfire Flathead six with fluiddrive transmission. I am trying to be as thorough as I can be, But I am a 29y/o who, up until recently, has never had my hands on anything other than daily driven Hondas and a few other Toyotas/Subarus. My knowledge is limited, especially on vehicles that pre-date myself by a few decades, but I've been handed a very exciting project and I owe it to the P.O. to get the car running. The timing couldn't have been worse with finances and my Honeymoon plans already being laid out for this coming summer. It has always been my dream to own a ratrod. I think this car is a perfect place to start. It has all the original parts and real age. I don't intend on modifying anything on this car, and I wan't to keep it as original as I can, only replacing as needed, with NOS or decent used parts. You will see in the pictures that there is a bit of red spray paint on the rear of the car, I want to remove that so that car is uniform. The only modifying I MIGHT do is to lower the car a tad. Not too much to scrape everywhere, but just enough to get a bit more of an aggressive look. We will see. I am open to any comments, guidance, advice or knowledge. I'd like to get some conversation going as to where to start to get it running. If I can get the car to the point where it runs smooth, I will hopefully get the engine out and give it a thorough rebuild so I can reliably drive it to shows. I will keep this thread alive as progress is made, but It's currently winter in the northeast, so progress pics probably won't make it on here until late spring. Until then, here are some pictures of what I am working with: Thanks for looking.

Bought a 51 Plymouth Cambridge with a good running 218 flathead a few months ago... I'm not a master mechanic, am using this project to learn. Seems one of the best ways to get a mild hp boost is to up the exhaust, so I picked up headers from Tom Langdon and a couple of glasspacks mufflers. I will eventually swap the intake manifold & add a second carb, but don't have the cash yet. So my question... what is the device that sits above the central portion of the headers and is connected to the carb via linkage (see attached photo)? I'm guessing it's some kind of heat riser .... can it be removed during header swap without any mechanical repercussions? Many thanks for any help - I know I'm a novice, that's why I'm asking "stupid questions" here before I tinker with this beauty.

i have a 1950 plymouth with the original 218 in it. original transmission. The old 218 has just been falling apart. it seems like everything i do just creates a new problem. pretty sure the guy that had it before me build the engine with JB weld. i'm ready to just drop in another motor so i can DRIVE already. i came across a smoking deal on a strong running flathead. the guy says it's a 201 out of a '36 plymouth. I don't think i've even heard of a 201. i know i can interchange with a 230 as long as the transmission doesn't have the overdrive, from what i recall reading. does anyone know if a 201 would be a drop in and go on a 50 without having to change motor mounts or anything else? my skill level is pretty low but i've been able to figure things out. welding anything isn't an option for me. i could pay someone to do that for me but i'm trying to look for something i can do myself. i like the idea of being able to say " i did that"... even if i'm taking the easy road. thanks. -phillip

I am interested to find out what motor oil you guys are putting in your Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth Flathead P15-D24 engine and why. What's your favorite Brand of motor oil for your old Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth Flathead 6 motor and why? Brand: SAE: Why: Thanks, LFT

Hey everyone, Got a little dilemma, here. Recently got my hand on an Edmunds Aluminum head for my '55 Flathead. All the bolt holes line up. The only difference is, as opposed to the stock cast head, the 'hump' in the front for the water pump is absent. As you can see in the first photograph, this is how much lip is left once the head is aligned. The little bypass port is exposed. The second picture is just to show the area clearer. Does one plug the bypass? If so, any recommendations on what type of sealant to use to plug this? I've been going crazy trying to figure this out. Any tips would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks!