new project car

[Keithb873]

just bought a new to me 1950 dodge special.

it has a 350 turbo 350 setup hacked in, to be changed. i have a 250 inline 6 going in. 

this is not the car for purists. 

Solid bones to start. 

First question

what are people doing for trailer hitches?

Second question.

is there a junkyard rear sway bar that is preffered.

thanks  

[Los_Control]

Cool car, just curious how bad the 350 is? I would think it would fit pretty good and is a decent engine combo ....

350/350 is a popular swap for Ford cars of this era because they fit ..... The Ford transmissions are so big they need to cut out the floor and build a new tunnel .... 350/350 just fits.

 

The 250 is a good engine also, nothing wrong with it.

I lust wonder how bad the 350 is? If it needs new motor mounts built .... seems you would need to do the same for the 250.

 

If it is too close to the steering box, is common to set the engine 1" or 2" over to the passenger side to make clearance.

This was common practice from the factory, drive lines have u-joints and they do not care.

 

I guess I'm just partial to the 350, I have a 1991 chebby truck with a 350/5spd and love it. My neighbor has a 1964 Chebby truck with the same 350/NV3500 5spd ... what a beautiful truck.

I would not hesitate to fix your 350/350 and run it.

 

As far as trailer hitches go .... my 1991 chebby truck has a bolt on class 3 hitch. It is simply bolted to the frame and easy to remove and transfer to another vehicle.

Possibly a narrower Dakota, Ford explorer, Jeep Cherokee will have correct one .... bring your tape measure to pull a part and go shopping.

 

And enjoy your car.

[Keithb873]

@Los_Control thanks.

I have been building the 250 for a project I have quit. I love how smooth they run and I know its in good running order. the 350 seems fine, but I don't know anything about it. and its scabbed in there pretty badly. I also have an overdrive tranny I need to decide on if I'm going to run as well. The 250 has been built up to run a turbo. so that would be fun/different I feel. As for rear diffs. I have searched the ones you say, just seeing if any odd ball's are also out there. toyota makes a 8 inch 5 x 4.5 diff wish would have every gear ratio under the sun available but I dont know the width. I have some reading to do. 

As for the trailer hits. The wreckers around here wont let us walk the yards anymore for insurance reasons. I may just have to buy a used one and modify it. Again thanks for the quick reply

 

[Sniper]

Rock Auto has universal fit hitches, the give frame width specs

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/tools/body+&+lamp+assembly,towing+-+trailer,trailer+hitch,1212

[Los_Control]

2 hours ago, Keithb873 said:

the 350 seems fine, but I don't know anything about it. and its scabbed in there pretty badly.

Thats my point .... the motor mounts are bad? ..... surely you wont scab the 250 into the same scabbed up motor mounts.

You have some welding ahead of you no matter which engine you decide ...... do a compression check on the 350 and see where it is at.

I just did my 350 and all were 150-155 except for 2 that were 145 .... no spring chicken but a nice runner and will run for years.

 

 

No matter what you decide, you will have to re-install the engine correctly .... I hope you do weld?

[Keithb873]

Mounts are ordered and weld in, its been a while but I do weld. I feel the 6 will suit my wants car better. Also I need a v8 for my c10 shop truck build. So many decisions to make.  Anyway I look at it, the engine/transmission needs to come out, engine bay spruced up, wiring sorted out.

I appreciate the replies.   

Pictures of the butchery to come!

[kencombs]

I suspect the 250 will be harder to fit in the engine compartment than the 350 due to the length.   The 218/230 are one of the shortest 6s made.   Even adding 2 inches with a 251/265 requires mods to either the pan or crossmember.   And I think the 250 may be longer than the long flathead.  

 

Cleaning up the v8 install may be faster and cheaper than a six.   But maybe not as satisfying. 

 

I've been able to source used trailer hitches at auctions and garage sales.   Looking for one now to modify for my 56 pickup.  Of course, now that I'm looking they are scarce. 

[Keithb873]

20 minutes ago, kencombs said:

I suspect the 250 will be harder to fit in the engine compartment than the 350 due to the length.   The 218/230 are one of the shortest 6s made.   Even adding 2 inches with a 251/265 requires mods to either the pan or crossmember.   And I think the 250 may be longer than the long flathead.  

 

Cleaning up the v8 install may be faster and cheaper than a six.   But maybe not as satisfying. 

 

I've been able to source used trailer hitches at auctions and garage sales.   Looking for one now to modify for my 56 pickup.  Of course, now that I'm looking they are scarce. 

You may vary well be correct. The car never came with the stock engine so I never got to measure anything. I know an electric fan will be a must but as of right now thats all I know. I will to try to mock it up. If it doesn't fit I have options. We will see. Currently the distributer touches the fire wall. But thats due to a Hasty install, not because there is no room. Tonight the measuring tape will be put to work. 

 

[Bob Riding]

As I was perusing my various FB Mopar groups, I found a claim that a '55-'56 Imperial swaybar at 13/16" diameter, interchanges perfectly with the '49-'52 Plymouth swaybar which is 11/16" diameter. That seemed like an easy upgrade. I went to my local auto parts yard (he is an eBay seller too: Forthebeachonly)

and found one at a reasonable price. In looking at the design, it's clear they didn't expect you to be able to replace the rubber bushings easily as they are captured inside a welded holder. I guess you could try to slide a new one on, but not sure that would be very easy or possible. 

[Eneto-55]

9 hours ago, Bob Riding said:

As I was perusing my various FB Mopar groups, I found a claim that a '55-'56 Imperial swaybar at 13/16" diameter, interchanges perfectly with the '49-'52 Plymouth swaybar which is 11/16" diameter. That seemed like an easy upgrade. I went to my local auto parts yard (he is an eBay seller too: Forthebeachonly)

and found one at a reasonable price. In looking at the design, it's clear they didn't expect you to be able to replace the rubber bushings easily as they are captured inside a welded holder. I guess you could try to slide a new one on, but not sure that would be very easy or possible. 

Waiting "with bated breath" to hear how it matches up....

 

Is there a known good source for the rubber bushings? I have seen the same thing, that it was "permanently" installed.  I haven't done it yet, but will cut the welds and make a new upper "bracket" if necessary. I assume that it was clamped in place, then welded, but I think it could be successfully bolted back in place.

[Sniper]

The Jeep swaybar may have used is a hair of 1" in diameter.  DORMAN 927302 is the one I got.  Figure the odds of finding a 55-56 Imperial bar in the yard.

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/34079-jeep-sway-bar-on-my-p15/

Edited August 21 by Sniper

[Keithb873]

Jeep was my thought to. thanks @Sniper

question about etiquette, This will be quite a project. Do people usually make separate posts for individual questions or should I just keep asking on this thread. It could be a lot to scroll through to look back on advise. What do people here prefer. The got a solution button is whats grinding my gears on it.

Thanks again        

[Sniper]

The problem with continuing on in the same threat is people might see the title and say oh I already put my two cents in and not realize you had other questions. Plus it makes a lot easier for people looking for help if you separate out the topic

[Eneto-55]

Someone here informed me that the "Solution" deal is part of the forum software, not something insisted on by the Admin.  

 

Relating back to the torsion bar bushings, and how they might be removed for replacement, I looked at mine this afternoon.  The inside bracket is (as most probably already know - I just had forgotten) spot welded to the main supports. And it's a huge spot weld.  I'm thinking now that the inside bracket will need to be sacrificed and a replacement fabricated.  Not a difficult piece to make - just a chore to remove the old one w/o cutting into the main support. How to fasten back in? If not spot welded, then I'm still thinking on that question.

 

Another question, would nylon be better than rubber in there? Could it be made in two pieces? (Thinking of the difficulty of sliding a nylon bushing around that bend in the torsion bar.)

 

Oh well.  I need to pay more attention to vehicle model/year info. I read that post too quickly, and didn't notice that this is not about P15s.....

Edited August 21 by Eneto-55

[Los_Control]

If you ignore it long enough, the solution thing goes away ..... there are no solutions going on here.

 

I agree with a different thread with a precise title explaining the issue.

This helps future generations when searching for a specific answer on google ....

 

You can already tell that we ramble on and bounce around to different issues .... Someone 5 years from now may need this information and they wont find it in the middle of a bunch of gossip .... specific titled post are better .... they too will go sideways, but a future searcher can find them.

So there are at least 2 advantages to starting a separate post.

 

Sometimes it is fun to start a build thread and document your progress ..... again they go sideways but useful to the owner.

[Keithb873]

1 hour ago, Los_Control said:

If you ignore it long enough, the solution thing goes away ..... there are no solutions going on here.

 

I agree with a different thread with a precise title explaining the issue.

This helps future generations when searching for a specific answer on google ....

 

You can already tell that we ramble on and bounce around to different issues .... Someone 5 years from now may need this information and they wont find it in the middle of a bunch of gossip .... specific titled post are better .... they too will go sideways, but a future searcher can find them.

So there are at least 2 advantages to starting a separate post.

 

Sometimes it is fun to start a build thread and document your progress ..... again they go sideways but useful to the owner.

I feel there will be enough to start a build thread. Documenting the progress is part of the fun. Thanks again everyone

[1950 Special Deluxe]

On 8/20/2024 at 6:50 PM, kencombs said:

I suspect the 250 will be harder to fit in the engine compartment than the 350 due to the length.   The 218/230 are one of the shortest 6s made.   Even adding 2 inches with a 251/265 requires mods to either the pan or crossmember.   And I think the 250 may be longer than the long flathead.  

 

 

If it’s a Canadian Dodge, it will already have had the 25” block. They only used the 25” block in Canadian made cars.

[1950 Special Deluxe]

Here is mine. 
1950 Dodge Special Deluxe. 
(made in Canada)

Original except interior. 
 

[Keithb873]

On 8/22/2024 at 5:05 AM, 1950 Special Deluxe said:

If it’s a Canadian Dodge, it will already have had the 25” block. They only used the 25” block in Canadian made cars.

It is a canadian dodge