218/230 engine I.D.

[Stewart Woollard]

I'm looking for a 230 crank and rods as I'm about to start on rebuilding my 218 and would like the extra cubes! I've found an engine and trans from a 1949 truck locally. When I asked for the engine#, the owner sent me this picture of the pad where the # usually is. It looks like it has never been machined, looks as cast. Is there any other way to tell if its a 218 or a 230 without having to take off the head or pan.

Cheers,

Stewart.

[Andydodge]

I'd think that would be highly unusual to find an engine in a road vehicle that is "stock" without an engine number......unless the engine is an ex industrial or agricultural based one thats been swapped into the truck...but I could be completely wrong.....tho the 230 I had was indeed an ex airport tug industrial engine and had no engine number.............andyd

[greg g]

Chrysler sold unnumbered engines to large rebuilders like Jasper etc. So you are able to find the displacement by measuring the stroke.  This is accomplished by removing the threaded pipe plug over cylinder six. This allows a piece of stiff wire to be inserted into the hole.  You can then measure the stroke by hand turning the engine through it's stroke cycle and measuring the movement of the wire from tdc to bdc 4 3/8 = 218, 4 5/8 = 230.

[Stewart Woollard]

Oh, I forgot to say, It won't roll over :<(. Looks like I have to pass, or take a 50/50 chance!

Thanks for the help guys.

Cheers,

Stewart.

[Andydodge]

So this engine you want the crank & rods from is seized?.........even if these are in good reuseable condition it would make more sense to me just to buy the whole engine and then you ensure that you get everything you need and thanks to Greg I have learnt something re the engine numbers.........good day if you learn something new.............andyd

[Stewart Woollard]

Sorry, yes I would buy the whole engine and trans. I would then pick the best block, and use the 230 rods and crank to rebuild.

Cheers,

Stewart.

[dpollo]

230 cranks have eight bolts holding the flywheel  217s have 4.

[greg g]

Some 230 have 6 bolt flywheels 54 and later Plymouth with standard clutch.

[Loren]

On 11/15/2019 at 6:26 AM, greg g said:

Chrysler sold unnumbered engines to large rebuilders like Jasper etc. So you are able to find the displacement by measuring the stroke.  This is accomplished by removing the threaded pipe plug over cylinder six. This allows a piece of stiff wire to be inserted into the hole.  You can then measure the stroke by hand turning the engine through it's stroke cycle and measuring the movement of the wire from tdc to bdc 4 3/8 = 218, 4 5/8 = 230.

I wondered what that was for!

They went to great expense to provide a way to check the stroke on these engines.

[Sam Buchanan]

10 minutes ago, Loren said:

I wondered what that was for!

They went to great expense to provide a way to check the stroke on these engines.

 

Could be they went to 'great expense' to provide an accurate way to determine TDC.   

[kencombs]

1 hour ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

Could be they went to 'great expense' to provide an accurate way to determine TDC.   

Most likely reason, stroke check is just a fringe benefit.

[greg g]

My manual uses it to find tdc for setting initial timing after a rebuild or bottom end repair. Where the engine may have been rotated with out the distributor in place.