Help! Trying To Date A D-42 Engine (Industrial Engine Perhaps?)

[majbb77]

Hey Guys I need your help.  I've got a D-42 engine sitting in my 51 Willys pickup that appears to be in great shape (all parts and pieces are there and turns freely).  I'd like to get her fired off and be able to order parts for her if/when needed.  My delima is that I can't seem to find any serial number listings for this engine.

 

The Serial Number on the engine block is:  D42-37III4.  Yep, that's correct - 3 7 capital I, captial I, capital I, 4.  These are not overstrikes, they are the actual, original stamped letters within this serial number.   Am I looking at an Industrial engine???

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.  I'll get a photo up soon or can email to anyone that wants to see it for reference.

 

THANKS ALL!

 

Respectfully,

 

Bobby

Major, U.S. Army

[Don Coatney]

D-42 indicates an early 50's Dodge engine 230 CI. Your best bet is to disassemble the engine and measure everything. Who knows what work may have been done in the past.

[Young Ed]

Mopar commonly used Is in place of 1s. My P15 engine is stamped as PI5.

[wayfarer]

Generally, you are safe to ignore the "-" numbers as these are production related. As Don says, it is probably a 230.

 

Here is a link to ID info:

http://www.t137.com/registry/help/otherengines/otherengines.php

[JerseyHarold]

There should be a part number cast onto the cylinder head and block (as well as a date).  Those numbers should help pin it down as well.

[majbb77]

Thanks for the replies so far.  I do agree it's a 230.  Just trying to lock down whether it's a 51 or 52 year model engine.   

 

Jersey Harold, whereabouts should I be looking on the head and block for the casted numbers?  Do you have a de-coding list for when I find them.  OR, will the date be an obvious "51" or "52"?

 

Thanks All.

 

Bobby

[moose]

Hey Bobby, glad to see you found this place.  These guys will get you set straight.

[greg g]

the D 42 indicates a 51-52 production run.  The body serial number will tell you when and where it was actually assembled.  As noted the serial number can be looked up by Chrysler Historical Society, and they for a bout 50 bucks will send you a facsimile of the build card.   Casting dates on engines and heads will tell you when the casting was done but not necessarily when the engine was assembled and mated tot he car with the serial number assigned when everything came together.  Engine blocks sometimes sat for some times a couple of years before they went to the build shop.

 

 

http://www.t137.com/registry/help/otherengines/dengines.html

[JerseyHarold]

Jersey Harold, whereabouts should I be looking on the head and block for the casted numbers?  Do you have a de-coding list for when I find them.  OR, will the date be an obvious "51" or "52"?

 

The date is not coded...you'll know it's a date when you see it.  The head dates I've seen are usually on top near the driver's side of the engine.   Block dates are down near the oil filler/distribuor area.

[_shel_ny]

this thread shows a block casting date in the area of the dip stick

 

http://mopar.pairserver.com/p15d24ph_forum/index.php?/topic/13678-my-b-4b-108-is-titled-as-a-54-but-vin-says-53/#entry125466

[Merle Coggins]

I would have to say that you should be able to order parts for that engine using a '51 or '52 Dodge Wayfarer, Meadowbrook, or Coronet. It really wouldn't matter as the engine was the same.

 

I find it interesting that this Dodge engine ended up in a Willys. An early merger between the two companies that ultimately came together anyway.

[Jerry Roberts]

I find it interesting that this Dodge engine ended up in a Willys. An early merger between the two companies that ultimately came together anyway.

 He said that it is in his Willys pickup , but is it mounted in the engine compartment or is it laying in the bed ? Just wondering .

[54Illinois]

My 1952 Coronet is D42 460651 a higher number than yours.  And the sixes are a "P" stamped upside down.

[majbb77]

 

 

Yep, it's mounted in the engine bay and has been there awhile.  It's story is that is once was a Navy Maintenance truck.  Its got a round notch in the bed rail behind the cab with a retainer strap for an upright tank; I'm thinking either Acetylene, Oxygen, or other gas.  It's also got a "Floating Power" engine mounting bracket that bolts onto the block just below the water pump and across to the front rails.  I'm wondering if this was a period specific "aftermarket" mount that allowed Willys owners to retrofit their Willys' with Dodge Powerplants. 

 

I'm wondering if this old girl blew her motor while in Navy service and they had an extra Dodge vehicle laying around in the motor pool that was wrecked and totaled out and they salvaged the engine for the Willys.  Sounds neat.  Or, it could be just some Good Old Fashioned "Hillbilly Engineering" to salvage whatever they had to keep their truck running.

 

Whoever did it, knew about this front engine mount and that they had to weld on / fabricate 2 new lower dog ear tabs for the bell housing to bolt up to the tranny.   I'm actually impressed with the engineering that went into the retrofit considering that this was done looooong before internet websites and forums that explained undertakings like this in detail.

 

[Scruffy49]

It sounds like a former US NMCB (SeaBees) truck. We were notorious for oddball frankenvehicles... and keeping stuff around forever. if you are ever jointly deployed with Atlantic Fleet SeaBees (Battallions 1, 7, 74 and 133), ask them about the equipment warehouses in Gulfport MS (home base). Filled with brand new, ready to roll, Korean War and Vietnam War heavy equipment. I rode out a small hurricane in the bed of a late 1950s dump truck when I was stationed there with NMCB 133... PRE KATRINA, have no idea if the warehouses survived the storm.

 

Floating Power is a stock L6 front engine mount. The one on my 1948 P15 218 and the one on my 1956/7 Savoy 230 (both for my 49 truck) are identical. And need to be replaced, the 230 rubber sheared cleanly, the 218 rubber looks like it got hot and crystallized. Handle with care, they aren't cheap to replace.

 

My cast in 1955 230 starts out as DZ, with the rest blank.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Scruffy49

[majbb77]

Thanks Scruffy,

 

Where do I find the replacement rubber when I come that fork in the road?

 

Bobby

[Alshere59]

Ebay, Andy Bernbaum, there are a few places actually. Andy can be found in the resource area.

 

Here is one link. http://www.ebay.com/itm/ENGINE-Motor-MOUNT-KIT-Plymouth-6-cyl-1939-1954-New-/321107351411?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A1950|Make%3APlymouth&hash=item4ac37d5773&vxp=mtr

 

Al