Spitfire ID

[Oberstar]

If looking at a Chrysler Spitfire, how does one figure out the displacement of that motor? I was told it is a 251, but would like to know exactly. The motor number is C5-15936 if that helps.

[Oberstar]

Yep- Spitfire on the head and the accessories are from a wartime T215 Dodge motor. It currently sits in a 1941 Dodge Truck.

[Don Coatney]

Easiest way to find out is to remove the plug that is above the #6 cylinder, insert a piece of wire about a foot long, and measure the crankshaft stroke. A 4 1/2" stroke is a 251. A 4 3/4" stroke is a 265. Of course if the engine has been bored at some time the total displacement will change. My 251 engine bored .030" oversize is now a 255 CI engine.

EDIT; I just checked my book and if you have a 1935 engine with a bore of 3 3/8" and a stroke of 4 1/2" your displacyment would be 241.5". You may have to remove the head to make the final determination. I am not sure when the Spitfire head first made an appearance but the head on your engine may be from a newer year than your engine.

Edited April 24, 2011 by Don Coatney

[PatS....]

According to 70 Years of Chrysler by G.H. Dammann, the 241 was called the "Gold Seal Six"...the 251 came out in 1942.

The book had no mention of "Spitfire" but I have an ad from 1941 that mentions the "Spitfire", a popular fighter of the era.

So, the name Spitfire likely began with the 251 and the US entry into the war.

[Oberstar]

Hmmmm... so when I ordered a water pump from Midwest Mil to fit up to a 251 Chrysler- which supposedly is identical to a 251 Dodge, the pump fit perfectly. I now need to work on the fuel pump- to get it right the first time, I plan on just pulling and cleaning it to get the correct numbers. So measuring stroke is the only way to figure out the size of motor you have in these old things?

[greg g]

Prpbabl won;t matter the block was all the same, the fuel pump bolts to the bolck and the cam is in the same location in relationship to the pump.

[Fluid drive]

The "Spitfire" name, if I have the correct story was introduced after WW 11 as an incentive to customers to buy the Chrysler because of the popularity of the British Spitfire aircraft that gained so much fame during the battle of Britian. It has been common practice to swap heads on the various Chrysler family flatheads - it can be an advantage when done in the other direction; a head off of a smaller displacement engine when installed on a larger block can increase compression.