50' Plymouth? swap

[50plymouths]

Thanks for the info wayfarer, bigirish and sgtpontiac. So that early Plymouth kit uses mopar disc brake parts that's cool. I will keep looking good thing is I haven't done anything yet just been debating the different ways to get car done

 

[hkestes]

I would suggest you keep your stock suspension as the base and work from there. I am currently on my second 48 Plymouth Coupe, the first I had a Nova subframe professionally installed by a very accomplished rod builder, the current one has a rebuilt stock suspension with rustyhope's disc kit. For the cost and work involved the difference in the ride did not justify the swap to the Nova subframe. As Wayfarer said the early Mopar independent suspensions were very advanced for the time and much better than their competitors. The only real issue is the top shock mount which needs to be moved to the frame with a simple bracket or an F1 shock mount.

As for ride height there are dropped spindles from Fatmans or you can go with bags just as you would with any later model A Frame front suspension. If you go with a V8 offset your engine to the passenger side by 1.5 or 2 inches. Butches Cool Stuff has enging / trans mounts with the built in offset for less than $300. Not a bad price if you ask me considering it removes all the "engineering" of the swap. The other option would be to go to a Cavalier rack and pinion. It mounts to the rear of your stock crossmember and removes the big Mopar box.

If you keep your flathead there are several parts to make it run a little better and look much better. Look at Edgy Speed Shop for dual intake, finned aluminum head and reground cams. Langdon's Stovebolt Engine Co has intakes, cast iron headers and a mini HEI ignition.

For the transmission you can go with a modern 5 speed as has been mentioned above by Wayfarer or you can look for a Borg Warner R10 Over Drive from a mid to late 50's Plymouth or Dodge. They can be difficult to find but if you have time to wait they are out there. I had planned on going with the 5 speed but stumbled upon a R10 for $200 and jumped on it. Other than having to add a couple of wires for the solenoid and kickdown switch it was a direct bolt in. The OD made a world of differnece in driving with the flathead. I can now run 70 on the highway all day long.

Here are a couple of pictures of my new 59 model 230 flathead which replaced the original 218 this spring. If you want a little more umph from your flatty look for a 230, it is a bolt in and with mine increased my factory rated HP from 95HP with the original 218 to 135HP with the 230 before adding the goodies.

 

[50plymouths]

I got egge's parts catalog and a estimate for rebuild parts for my 218. I found the stovebolt guy through the 50 Plymouth web page. I just need money to get this stuff cause I want to so drive my car down the road and not worry that it may blow up or break. It's old and engine has a knock or it may be exhaust not real sure. That engine looks bad ass man. I found a place that has the t5 rebuilt for 450 which isn't bad. I'm looking forward to do the Jeep Cherokee rear end swap which is a no brainer since I am switching transmissions I need an e brake and on Plymouth it's on the tail of tranny. Hope I can do this with my step grandpa since he's more mechanically savy than I. Thanks for all the info guys I really appreciate it.

 

[hkestes]

Egge's is a good source for rebuild parts. Just to be sure, the one I mentioned Edgy Speed Shop makes the cast aluminum head I am running on my flathead as well as dual carb intakes and can regrind your cam from mild to wild. http://www.edgyspeedshop.com/index2.html

Good luck with your build and be sure to register over at the P15-D24 site http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/index.php?referrerid=1152 there is a ton of info over there on the Mopar flatheads and the late 40's early 50's Mopars.

 

[50plymouths]

I got their website saved on my Droid as well as many others. Who is the guy on p15-d24 that makes the t5 swap plate and stuff I had his number and website but lost it when phone went psycho on me and I had to get a remanufactured one.

 

[hkestes]

Wayfarer who posted above makes adapters for Mopar 5 speeds or Automatics to the flathead here is his site. www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com

There is also Paul Curtis who makes the T5 adapter https://home.comcast.net/~pjplymouth/t5.html

 

[50plymouths]

Oh my bad lol I thought he said he had an adapter leftover that he would sell not make them. I went to that site it's got a lot of stuff. Wayfarer I got a standard three on the tree cause there's no window on passenger side floor for the crazy torque converter 3spd. I am wanting to do a t5 kit or is there a way to put a 700r4 behind it or is that to much of a hassle?

 

[wayfarer]

If you need to use a gm trans then call Wilcap.

I can hook up the Mopar A-904/A-998 and A-500 Torqueflite.

hkestes has a beautiful 230 there!! and as mentioned the 230 is a natural swap in place of the 208/218. One word of caution: if you start swapping bits and pieces be sure to keep the 218 flywheel with the 218 crank as it is 'kinda' special and problems will arise if used on any of the larger engines.
The 230 was used up to 1972 IIRC in industrial applications so there are plenty of service parts available. You might also consider the larger Chrysler/DeSoto engines, the 251 and 265. These are called the 25" engine (the 218/230 is called the 23") and are physically larger and longer but can be swapped with a bit of work. Yes, they have alot more power, low speed torque.
The same transmission adapter is used on all of the flat 6 and 8 except for the 208/218 (back to the issue with the crank/flywheel). The adapter for the 208/218 has some 'special' parts.

If you change to any late auto trans you will need to have 12 volts for the starter (read up on my web site) but a rewire may also be useful if the existing is less than good. Changing to a late auto will also require fabrication of new mounts at the back of the block; there are numerous ways to accomplish this but you will need to fabricate parts. The auto trans will also require its own crossmember. Again, lots of swap info on my web site.

Given the totality of the various bits of required work, I would suggest considering the following:
1st choice,
rebuild a 230 and find an R10 overdrive.
2nd choice,
rebuild a 251/265 and find an R10 overdrive.
3rd choice,
install a 318/360 with attached A500 OD trans, and change the rear axle to Explorer. This requires a new prop shaft and 12 volts for ignition and starter.
4th choice,
rebuild a 230 and adapt a late model auto trans. This requires the Explorer axle, new prop shaft, 12 volts for the starter, etc, etc.
IMHO, this is actually more work than swapping in a 318 package.

Plan out the project, collect the bits and pieces as time allows, then set aside several weeks for the swap you choose.

Be nice to gramps!

If you need more help or have more questions you can send a note through the web site and as mentioned, read through the swap threads on the Hamb or p15-d24.

Cheers

 

[50plymouths]

Well I did the 12 volt swap already on my own. I got a single wire alternator hooked up. I need to get the hei distributor from stovebolt and a new coil.

 

[50plymouths]

Well I would like to make the center of my dash flip up and down and slide in and out to reveal my volt meter, oil, water temp, and fuel gauge. Also have some toggle switches for lights and other stuff.