Engine

[Flatheadgasser]

Hi I need to order some gaskets and seals for my engine and gearbox, so I can cure some oil leaks,  but I cant seem to find the engine number I have looked where it is supposed to be and it not stamped I have the vin number and I know its a short block because It 23" head, where is the best place to order the parts from.

cheers Damon

[Wiggo]

http://www.oldmoparts.com/

 

Ships to the UK, too...

[Branded]

FelPro makes all the engine gaskets and can be purchased at you local auto parts store.

Edited February 21, 2018 by Branded

[madmutt]

Rock Auto are also good for parts but you do need to search for them by part number or search for the parts on later cars that you know are interchangeable. I cannot find many parts by looking under 1939 Dodge but have found the required gaskets by looking for a 1947 Plymouth!  As you probably know the number should be on the left hand side of the block on the upper front. The good thing about Rock Auto is you can set your currency as GBP so you know how much things will cost and they include the customs duties and shipping. 

 

www.rockauto.com

 

Another thing worth getting is a parts list for your car as it has all the part numbers along with the Dodge 1938 - 1954 Part Interchange Guide by F D Harper as it tells you what parts are interchangeable. I have found both of these invaluable. 

 

Good luck in trying to cure all the oil leaks...they all do that!

 

Best wishes,

 

Simon

[Flatheadgasser]

Thanks for that  Simon my block has no numbers stamped on the block so engine numbers might be a problem but I am sure I will get there, its the hood that's giving me the most amount of grief  at the moment. Cheers Damon 

Edited February 27, 2018 by Flatheadgasser

[Andydodge]

If you are certain that your engine is a 23" Dodge/Plymouth engine then any of the COMPLETE engine gasket sets to suit the 23" engine should include all the gaskets that you'll need............I had a 230 industrial engine that I was going to install in the 201 engined 1941 Plymouth Coupe, a straight bolt in.....I obtained a BEST brand gasket set and was even able to specify that I wanted a steel head gasket instead of the standard issue copper head gasket as I intended to run a finned aluminium edgy head and the copper gasket would have reacted with the alloy head..........Felpro also makes a good well known gasket set...........the only issue I had was before I swapped the engine over I decided to replace the leaking "original" rear main seal which was supposed to have been a "rope" style of seal..........as the 230 BEST brand gasket set was for a 230 and they used a neoprene seal it wasn't included so i purchased a rope seal separately.........yep you guessed it ..........someone had replaced the rope seal with a 2 piece neoprene seal..........BUT of course they hadn't used either of the 2 types of side seals that fit on the rear main but were included in the BEST set.........so I had what i needed either way...........lol.........I ordered the BEST set direct over the phone tho' it was about 10 yrs ago and can't remember the actual cost..............anyway trust this helps...............andyd   

[Wiggo]

What's the problem with the hood, Damon?

[Flatheadgasser]

Andydodge I have measured the head and is definitely 23" and my paperwork says it 3700cc so from what I've read it should be a 218 I think but not 100% as I know very little about my car as you all know only had it 3 week now so if any of this information is wrong then I am sure someone will tell me 

Cheers Damon 

Wiggo  Hi I don't think that the centre strip that holds the two sides of the hood in place is the correct one for my car, because every time you open the hood it drops out of the chrome strip, I have tried to put it back the way that I was told but it doesn't work, because the return lip of the chrome strip doesn't slide into the channel on the hood to hold it in place, so it makes me think it the wrong one.

Cheers Damon 

[Andydodge]

Damon............a bit of advice regarding the engine capacities and sizes...........NEVER, EVER  use the metric cc size when talking about these engines, even if your local paperwork says so............lol................the 23" engine is either a 201, 217.8(sometimes called just the 217) or 230 cubes.............the 25" long engine is 218(note the similar size to the 217.8 BUT a different bore and stroke!!!), 228, 250.6/251and 265....................a 23" engine is therefore a 217.8 or 217..............you must be quite specific about this sizing when ordering engine parts such as pistons,rings, bearings, etc and gasket sets as they are different.............have you any other forum members living close by that have 40/41 Dodges or DeSotos  asyou maybe able to compare how the hoods and the hinge work..........andyd   

Edited March 1, 2018 by Andydodge

[Matt Wilson]

One other thing to check, to help determine exactly which engine you have, is the stroke.  You can do this by removing the plug that fits into the head, above the number six cylinder.  I'm not talking about the spark plug, but rather a smaller plug with a hex head, which sits directly over the cylinder, instead of directly over the valves, like the spark plug does.  I have had difficulty in removing these plugs in the past, but if you get it out, you can place a skinny wire or rod through the hole and touch the top of the piston, and use that to determine the stroke of the engine, by rotating the engine and measuring how many inches up and down your wire or rod traveled.  A 230 engine has a 4-5/8" stroke, while a 217.8 has a 4-3/8" stroke.  But, if you don't want to go through all that, then as mentioned previously, a gasket set for any 23" engine should have all the gaskets needed for your 23" engine, except the rear main seal, which usually has to be purchased separately. 

[Don Coatney]

[Flatheadgasser]

Thanks for the information I will try and have a look tomorrow after work I have so much to learn 

[tom'sB2B]

This is the gasket kit I ordered through Napa.