Spitfire engine number ?

[bobostski]

I have a 48 Plymouth  that a previous owner, in 1972, put a  Chrysler Spitfire 6 in it . The engine number is C53-35985. When I looked up the C53 prefix it said it was for a 52  Imperial 8.  I always thought the engine prefix was the model of the car it went in. Am I wrong on this and if so what year engine is this?

Thanks

Edited March 11, 2017 by bobostski

[bobostski]

 I just saw a website that gave me the information I needed.It's from a 53 Windsor. Would it be a 265 ci?

C53

265?

25 inches

Chrysler Car

Chrysler C60 Windsor 1953

1953

[Dodgeb4ya]

I have a 1953 Windsor 265 engine # starts out C-53...

I also have a 1954 Windsor 265... engine # starts out C54...

[rb1949]

So it had some Mods done to accommodate the 25" block.

[bobostski]

The radiator was moved forward in front of the bracket. I not sure it the engine mounts were changed but I've heard they have to be. It also has a 3 speed overdrive trans and I don't think it's fluid drive. I haven't had time so see which trans it has. The overdrive isn't working. That's a project for this summer.

[windsor8]

The engine prefix nuber on my 41 Chrysler Spitfire Six starts with "C-28". So the prefix number does not indicate the year of the car.

[Dodgeb4ya]

I also know the engine # is not indicative of the model year. My 1950 royal woodie 251 is a C48...     My 1950 Chrysler NY'er 323 is a C49....    My 1946 Ny'er 323 is a C39...

My 1953 chrysler 265 engine # should start out C60...but is C53...

My 1954 chrysler 265 engine # should start out C62... but is C54... go figure! Both mine are original never re-stamped engines . i don't know why.

I have seen this on other Mopar engine codes too.

[robt]

The easiest way to confirm a 265 is to remove the fuel pump an view the head on the rod bolt.  The 265 will have  a very small flat head. The 251 will have a head that looks to be about an 1/8 inch or so.  There is probably a pic on this site somewhere. If you can't find one I can post a.pic side.by side.  It might be difficult  to see with the engine in the car but you can probably use a flashlight and a mirror.  ROB

[Dodgeb4ya]

Just remove the timing plug on #6 cylinder and measure the stroke.

[B-Watson]

Chrysler Engineering used to have model numbers assigned to vehicles, usually by engine / wheelbase.  At first they were just one letter but when they had to deal with more than one make starting in 1929, Engineering began using two letters, the first for the make- C, D, P and S.  When Chrysler hit CZ in 1936, they changed to the make letter followed by a number.  In 1936 Dodge was D2, D3, and D4 and in 1937 it was D5, D6, and D7.  And so on.  With both systems, no relation to the model year.   And numbers were skipped when apparently when a planned model was dropped and never put into production.  Thus the 1946-1948 Plymoouth P15 jumped to P17 for 1949.  

For 1951 the model numbers were P22, P23, D39, D40, D41, D42, S15, C51, C52, C53, C54, and C55.  All but Chrysler in the U.S. used the model number for the engine number prefix.  Starting with 1951 the American Chrysler started using the model year for the engine number prefix.  Thus 1951 engines were C51 for the six and C51-8 for the new hemi V8.  From 1955 through 1957 the American Chrysler engine number prefix was the serial number prefix with an "E" for engine added -  W55 for the Windsor serial number and WE55 for engine number.  .(Canadian-built Chrysler cars used the model number for the engine number prefix through 1957 and continued to use the eight digit

1957 was the last year the alpha numeric model numbers were used.   And that was also the last year for the sequential  numeric serial numbers.  

Thus an engine number starting with C53 would be for a US-built six cylinder Chrysler Windsor (Canadian would be C60).  And it would be a 264.5-cid 25" block flahead six engine.

Bill