engine swap

[jgreg53]

would a v8 motor fit in my 48 p15 sedan with stock frame, or is a subframe swap the only way?

 

[DJ194950]

Ya a v-8 fits "fairly"  easy.

 

AS long a it is a Mopar LA type engine which were made is several  Cubic inch models from 318-360.

 

Other v-8 brands /models Do Not fit period!  ?  ?

 

DJ

Edited October 6, 2018 by DJ194950

[jgreg53]

What about the motor mounts?  and would it hook up to my 3 speed transmission

[Andydodge]

Greg......I have had a 318 Poly & cast iron torqueflite in my 1940 Dodge since 1973..........I had to swap in a rack & pinion due to how I mounted the engine however any small block LA series 318/340/360 will fit however adapting to the original 3 speed would be a major effort and of doubtful use as the original gearbox would be a marginal proposition........essentially if you change the engine to a V8 you will probably have to mount the engine offset to the passenger side, engine mount kits should be available and I'd be using the later gearbox whether manual or auto that the engine comes with or fits........you'll have to swap in a later rear axle, connect up the rear axle parking brake and I'd strongly suggest disc brakes on the front...........a subframe swap is NOT the way to go.................have attached a pic of my cars engine bay, yep its RHD and the Poly V8 is MUCH wider than the late 318's so you will find its a better fit...........regards from Oz.............Andy Douglas    

[jgreg53]

what is a 318 poly?

[Plymouthy Adams]

careful, you giving away both age and naivety.

[DJ194950]

Again,  ?

 

On two different post same result.

 

DJ

Ply_Dodge 1928-1956 - Eng. & Trans Mounting Kits - Butch's Cool Stuff.html

[Andydodge]

Greg........the poly was the early version of the LA series engine.......277/303/313/318/325 Plymouth Poly V8, single rocker shaft, opposed valves, a poor mans Hemi.......... Chev in the big block Chev and Ford with their Cleveland basically copied the valve arrangement that Chrysler used in both the Plymouth Poly and the Dodge,DeSoto and Chrysler variations that were also used........the Plymouth Poly was classed as the A engine and the 273/318/340 is actually the LA or "Late A" or wedge head........the Plymouth Poly and the LA series engines essentially use the same block, timing covers, crank, rods,  but pistons, heads & intakes are different the Poly heads are much wider than the LA engine which has the valves along the head whereas the polys are almost opposite each other, not hemispherical using 2 rocker shafts but polyspherical using one rocker shaft.............hope this helps..........andyd  

[jgreg53]

that's very interesting info. I never knew that.  My knowledge of Chrysler engines is limited.

[DrDoctor]

   I’ve seen small block Chevrolets in post-war Plymouths, so they will fit. I’ve also seen a small block Ford in such a car, but the radiator and the firewall had to be dealt with, since the SBF is abit longer then the SBC. If you want something bad enough, it’ll fit. Should you decide to do a frame clip, there are several steps to this to ensure safety, such as gussets, fish-plates, rosette holes, diagonal mating, to name just a few. Carefully consider the alternatives, the respective pros, and the cons, make your decision an informed one, and then go forth and conquer.

[Andydodge]

Greg..........as Doc says the Shebby and Frod engines will fit however you'll probably get more brownie points from us Mopar Morons with a mopar engine in it...have you considered hopping up the side valve six?.......finned heads, exhaust headers, twin/triple carb intakes, cams and more are available.........this was the 230 cube engine I intended to stick in the 41 Plymouth I had, there are lots of things that you can do to the 6 and again all will gain brownie points from rodders and even restorers.....as for a V8 swap, as I mentioned the Poly is very wide and unless you really must have a Poly then the late A or LA series engines are fine and are actually about the same size as chec & frod engines..........but its your choice.........regards...andyd 

[DrDoctor]

Andy,

   Not to wander too far off topic, but I just have to ask – whatever happened to that 6-cylinder engine? What did you put it in??? Thx,

[Andydodge]

When I put the Plymouth Coupe on the market I had a call from a guy in Perth, Western Australia, 3000 kms away and thats where it ended up, the sale included all the bits, pistons, cam, etc and I hope its giving Frod owners over there fits........lol.........andyd

[jgreg53]

andy, I have seen this setup before for the flathead six, but the parts are not that easy to find. Any way, I'll probably be selling a kidney what ever I decide to do.

[jgreg53]

The Edgy parts with the carbs look like a neat setup. Are they readily available?

[Andydodge]

Greg.....The edgy head is available thru the Montana boys, they have a thread on here regarding the 1933 Dodge........when I bought it it ended up costing me over $1000 Aus, as for the Offy intake they are still available, I had to get a local Oz blacksmith to weld up the exhaust as the US headers would have fouled the RHD steering box and clutch pedal......however as there are at least 3 different exhaust outlets that the plymouth/Dodge engine used I found 2 of these and cut the front & back outlet off and had the blacksmith weld the cast iron........the Carbys are Oz only GM Holden single barrel Strombergs tho I would think similar or just mopar carter/B & B carbys would work.........the water pump is actaully an Oz GM Holden one that guy that I bought the ex Sydney Airport tug 230 engine from had made that round adaptor to suit the Holden water pump...........you will never find one in the USA......stick to a normal mopar water pump.........also a suggestion is to swap in an electric fan and delete the stock fan, might gain 2 or 3 horses there...... ..those finned side plates or valve covers are from the USA, I think I got them from Patricks however I understand edgy may have been do them...........I was going to run the Langdons HEI dissy but couldn't wait so installed it into the stock 201 1941 engine....best thing I ever did for that car....instant starts and ran great..........I also installed a Speedway Motors sourced Beehive Oil Filter...............I intended to use a regrind of the tug cam done by an Oz company, Waggotts Engineering and get the engine balanced by whoever I got to machine the crank & bore the engine but that didn't happen............to be honest I suggest the HEI or some sort of ignition upgrade,  the Offy intake and twin carbs, headers and low restriction exhaust and maybe 40-60 thou off the stock head wich should bump the compression up to maybe 7.5:1 or maybe a little higher..........those things should give a better bang for your buck............and save your kidney donation..........lol..................andyd    

[wayfarer]

jgreg53 ...just wondering what you have in mind as the final result...?  

[jgreg53]

wayfarer.  I'm looking to make my car more dependable.  The way it is now every hiccup makes me think it's going to die on me.  My engine runs well enough now( at least as good as I think it's gonna run). I don't think my original motor as ever been opened up or out of the car but who really knows.  I recently drove it to the show at Ottawa ks. that's about 1.5 hours away. It really didn't give me a problem. But I know why people go to modern running gear on these cars. but it's only original once.

Edited October 8, 2018 by jgreg53

[Andydodge]

Greg, originally does have its good points but its not much of an arguement if the original car is never moving outside of its tomb or garage.............nothing helps the discussion about improvements to making the car usable like the comments from the public and fellow car people that its good to see your car being used and using the car and enjoying it certainly give the owner a great feeling also..............Andyd

[classiccarjack]

On 10/6/2018 at 4:33 PM, DJ194950 said:

Again,  ?

 

On two different post same result.

 

DJ

Ply_Dodge 1928-1956 - Eng. & Trans Mounting Kits - Butch's Cool Stuff.html

Neat link, never seen it before, thanks!

[classiccarjack]

2 hours ago, jgreg53 said:

wayfarer.  I'm looking to make my car more dependable.  The way it is now every hiccup makes me think it's going to die on me.  My engine runs well enough now( at least as good as I think it's gonna run). I don't think my original motor as ever been opened up or out of the car but who really knows.  I recently drove it to the show at Ottawa ks. that's about 1.5 hours away. It really didn't give me a problem. But I know why people go to modern running gear on these cars. but it's only original once.

Your flathead is very dependable.  The whole concept of "modernizing" your car to make it dependable makes sense if you own a vintage chevy six or Ford Flathead V8.  Those engines had lots of issues that can be addressed with lots of $$$, so guys would toss in a 350 chebbie to address it cost effectively.  A strong running 230 or 265 will run another 50 years if done right using a quality machinist for machining and quality parts.  The go fast goodies or "speed parts" can be found.  You just have to look for them.  Otherwise buy them new from a Edgy dealer or Langdon Stovebolt...

 

Keep us posted on your choice, and show pics!!!!

 

 

[jgreg53]

I drive the car almost daily, even in the rain, so it spends quite a lot of time on the road. and I do enjoy driving it.

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by jgreg53

[classiccarjack]

1 minute ago, jgreg53 said:

I drive the car almost daily, even in the rain, so it spends quite a lot of time on the road.

For what it's worth, I am keeping my flatheads.  I plan on driving back and forth between my properties in Kansas and California.  Not concerned about dependability, at all...

[dale]

Find a Chrysler 251 ci straight six.  Get it overhauled ( bored out and you have as many cis as a small block V-8 ) and save yourself a ton of grief and probably money.  The car will keep up with traffic and can cruise at 70 all day long.  All the speed parts are available as shown in other replies though  you don't really need to do that.

[rhelm1953]

If reliability is your main concern you can keep the flat head and update your ignition, fuel and cooling systems

 

Ignition: change over to 12V for more reserve starting power and swap out the distributor for a more modern mopar transistorized ignition

Fuel: replace the carter B&B with a new weber carburetor for better fuel management, personally I would switch to dual carbs at the same time for better fuel distribution

Cooling: replace the radiator with a modern pressure radiator with a two or three pound cap

 

These upgrades can be done individually without taking the car off the road for an extended period of time.

 

There is information on all these upgrades on the site and with a few modern updates your flathead will be ready to go for another 70 years.  (How many modern engines do you think will still be running in 70 years)