cubic inch question

[lugnut123]

I drug in a 38 dodge pickup. I think it is an MC. It has the longer block engine in it.25 inchs.  What is the cubic inch of the motor

[Pete]

1938 is an RC. MC I believe is a '37. Virtually the same except for some trim pieces. "C" designates the half-ton chassis.Only the '37 and '38 half- to one-tons used the long block. The original engine fitted to these was the 218 ci long block.

 

[lugnut123]

thanks Peter . I have a 37 and 38 then RC n MC. I finally drug the 38 out of the hay shed. I'm workin on brakes now.

[55 Fargo]

Without the engine number, its just a guess, do you have an engine number identifying this as a stock engine?

[lugnut123]

I haven't got the number off the block yet. This old truck came off a ranch in Wyoming so i"m guessing it has the original engine. This old truck has tons of patina, the fenders have straps running along the edge of the fenders to hold them on and rusty an crusty.

[Dodgefran]

I have a 38 Dodge RC Humpback Panel truck that I am trying my hardest to restore.  The engine number starts with T58- and is 25" long Desoto 218 ci compaired to my 36 Dodge D2 sedan which has a 23" engine.  It took me a few years to decipher "why the difference."  But, thanks to  this forum, the information came through.  I am having the engine rebuilt and it looks like it can be bored out quite a lot more.  Thanks guys. 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Dodgefran
addition of words

[50plymouth]

If its the original engine it is 201 ci.  SInce it is a 25 1/2" engine it will have a date code cast into the block on the oil filler side of engine. The serial number is helpful but not a definitive item for the big blocks. Often times the older engines got rebuilt or the blocks were changes and the blocks restamped.  I was told my Tim Kingsbury, whose grandfather was the general manager of the Canadian Engine plant than made all of the big blocks that they started producing engines in late 1935 for the 1936 production runs. Being a 1938 its a pretty early engine.  What I have found is depending on where the engine spent its life and what minerals were found in the local water will often see 80 year old blocks with a lot of mineral deposits. If you do decide to rebuild it you will definitely want to have the block "cooked" to try and get rid of the years of deposits which will often see an old engine running hot.

[Pete]

Dodgefan,

If the engine number on the block starts with "T58-" it's an original 1938 engine. That's what my '38 engine number starts with. According to the build card I got from Chrysler Historical back in the day, it is the original engine installed at the factory on October 5, 1937. It's a long block 25" engine originally 218 cubic inches. When I rebuilt mine I went .030 over. As I said in my earlier post, only the '37 and '38 half- to one-tons used the long block. Before and after that they used the short block.