55 Fargo Posted July 21, 2008 Report Posted July 21, 2008 Hi all, yesterday while checking out my other flattie engine at my uncles, I discovered he has an early Mopar Hemi. I might buy this engine, he did not know it's year and/or displacement, it has a fluid drive couple on it with no trans. Does anyone know, which Hemi came with a fluid drive on it, I would imagine somehwere between 1951 and 1953, or so. If I buy this engine, it may end up in my 47, or it may end up in a nice 1950 Plymouth Biz Coupe I happen to know.........Fred Quote
Young Ed Posted July 21, 2008 Report Posted July 21, 2008 Fred Take a close look. The first 3 years of Chrysler hemis have a integral bellhousing cast onto the block. They are 331 CIs. Its possible but expensive to adapt these to anything besides the stock fluid drive trans. Desoto started in 52 and dodge got a hemi in 53. Ply never got one. All 3 blocks are diff lengths and very few parts interchange. There is an engine # stamped on there like a flathead(not sure of its loc) but finding that is the key. Quote
55 Fargo Posted July 21, 2008 Author Report Posted July 21, 2008 It looked like the bellhousing was a bolt on, but I am not 100% sure, will ask my uncle, I do not want a white elephant, to waste time and money on, thanx for the heads up, Ed..............Fred Quote
greg g Posted July 21, 2008 Report Posted July 21, 2008 do the valve covers have any identifying lettering Red Ram. smallest of the bunch for Dodge Fire Dome the Desoto Version and Firepower the Chrysler version Quote
Young Ed Posted July 21, 2008 Report Posted July 21, 2008 Greg I imagine Fred can tell the difference but just to clarify at least in 55-56 the hemi was the Super Red Ram. The red ram is just the plain jane v8. These have decals for the engine call outs. Prior or later years did have hemi valve covers with red ram stamped into them. I think that is the 53-54 241 hemis by dodge. Quote
Don Coatney Posted July 22, 2008 Report Posted July 22, 2008 Canadian hemis may be different than American hemis??? Quote
greg g Posted July 22, 2008 Report Posted July 22, 2008 While we are naming chrysler V8's, anybody got a guess where this Poly "Spitfire" engine calls home???? Quote
Young Ed Posted July 22, 2008 Report Posted July 22, 2008 I would say a mid 50s Chrysler. It would have to be a cheap model like a windsor. Quote
55 Fargo Posted July 22, 2008 Author Report Posted July 22, 2008 Yes the valve covers had Molson Canadian labels covering the embossments of the Red Ram, okay well maybe Bob and Doug Mackenzies did, eh. On the serious note, the heads are off, so I did not get a look at the Valve Covers, hope to phone my Uncle soon and get all the info on the engine. I do know one cylinder is damaged and will need to be sleeved, not sure if this would apply to any of the other cyls. At this point in time it's a pipe dream, I really do love Flathead 6s the best, and may just stick with those, opr maybe a SBC for another old car, you never know............Fred Quote
B-Watson Posted July 22, 2008 Report Posted July 22, 2008 Hi all, yesterday while checking out my other flattie engine at my uncles, I discovered he has an early Mopar Hemi.I might buy this engine, he did not know it's year and/or displacement, it has a fluid drive couple on it with no trans. Does anyone know, which Hemi came with a fluid drive on it, I would imagine somehwere between 1951 and 1953, or so. If I buy this engine, it may end up in my 47, or it may end up in a nice 1950 Plymouth Biz Coupe I happen to know.........Fred All three Mopar hemis from 1951 through 1953 could be had with Fluid Drive, while the 1951-53 Chryslers were available with Fluid Torque Drive (torque converter) as were the 1952-53 DeSoto hemis and 1953 Dodge hemis. All 1953 engines with Fluid Torque Drive had the engines plumbed to use the engine oil for the torque converter. At any rate, check the engine number stamped at the front of the engine, left side, just under the head. Canadian hemi engines were the same as American as the blocks were imported from Detroit and such things as valve covers, oil pan, manifolds, electrical and rubber parts added. The first true Canadian-built V8 was the A block in 1956 - 277 and 303. Bill Vancouver, BC Quote
wayfarer Posted July 23, 2008 Report Posted July 23, 2008 ALL Hemi engines and their Poly derivatives including the Spitfire have the ID number stamped on the TOP, FRONT, of the block just in front of the valley cover. If you find the ID at the cylinder head parting line then it is not, obviously, a Hemi but rather an early A series. The Spitfire was used in the Windsor and Saratoga lines, 1955-1958, 331 ci and 354 ci. Plymouth used a Dodge engine in 1955-1956, 241 ci and 260 ci, overlapping the new for 1956, 277 ci. Chrysler Valve covers could say: Chrysler FirePower; Chrysler Marine; Chrysler Industrial; and if a truck engine, the vc are plain. Desoto valve covers are either FireDome or FireFlite. Dodge valve covers can be embossed or plain, some plain covers will still have remnants of a decal. Send a PM if you need more info or help with ID numbers. Because of the multitude of applications the ID list is very long. Gary Quote
55 Fargo Posted July 23, 2008 Author Report Posted July 23, 2008 ALL Hemi engines and their Poly derivatives including the Spitfire have the ID number stamped on the TOP, FRONT, of the block just in front of the valley cover. If you find the ID at the cylinder head parting line then it is not, obviously, a Hemi but rather an early A series. The Spitfire was used in the Windsor and Saratoga lines, 1955-1958, 331 ci and 354 ci. Plymouth used a Dodge engine in 1955-1956, 241 ci and 260 ci, overlapping the new for 1956, 277 ci.Chrysler Valve covers could say: Chrysler FirePower; Chrysler Marine; Chrysler Industrial; and if a truck engine, the vc are plain. Desoto valve covers are either FireDome or FireFlite. Dodge valve covers can be embossed or plain, some plain covers will still have remnants of a decal. Send a PM if you need more info or help with ID numbers. Because of the multitude of applications the ID list is very long. Gary Thanx Gary Quote
greg g Posted July 23, 2008 Report Posted July 23, 2008 Speaking of hemis, from a collection of historic Pikes Peak shots. From the 50's Quote
B-Watson Posted July 23, 2008 Report Posted July 23, 2008 ALL Hemi engines and their Poly derivatives including the Spitfire have the ID number stamped on the TOP, FRONT, of the block just in front of the valley cover. If you find the ID at the cylinder head parting line then it is not, obviously, a Hemi but rather an early A series. The Spitfire was used in the Windsor and Saratoga lines, 1955-1958, 331 ci and 354 ci. Plymouth used a Dodge engine in 1955-1956, 241 ci and 260 ci, overlapping the new for 1956, 277 ci.Chrysler Valve covers could say: Chrysler FirePower; Chrysler Marine; Chrysler Industrial; and if a truck engine, the vc are plain. Desoto valve covers are either FireDome or FireFlite. Dodge valve covers can be embossed or plain, some plain covers will still have remnants of a decal. Send a PM if you need more info or help with ID numbers. Because of the multitude of applications the ID list is very long. Gary The 1955 Windsor used a de-bored 331 for 301-cid. And to add to the confusion, Canadian-built 1958 Dodge Custom Royals and DeSoto Firedomes used the 354 poly. No B blocks from the Canadian plant in 1958. And the Canadian 1956-57 Dodge C.R. used the A block. Also, the 1951-57 American Chrysler V8 engines used the model year in the engine number, C51-8-. C52-8-, C53-8-, etc. while the Canadian plant used the model number, C-55-, C56-, C63-, etc. in the same time period. Bill Vancouver, BC Quote
Jim Clark Posted July 23, 2008 Report Posted July 23, 2008 Rockwood; I have a 52 Desoto Firedome v/8 and a 53 Desoto firedome v/8 parts car. The Eng. no. on the 52 starts with S-17 and the 53 Eng. no. starts with S-16. The CID IS 276.1 Jim Quote
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