I Need a 230 L6 dodge motor !! Barely made it home from the show today !

Well I took ol' project Whale to it's first show today , got it all pin stripe'd up and then the rodz started knocking on the way home !!! Any body got any old 230- L6 motors laying around ? 1951 Dodge Wayfarer !! Going to try and pull the pan in the morning to see how bad it really is !!

 

Now would be a good time for a engine swap. A slant six. 318, 440 with overdrive& proper gearing would get better fuel economy. OldWolf

 

I agree with old wolf

 

what ever they said...

 

Nothing wrong with a the flathead 6!!!

I'm not sure you'll find a running one quickly though. I've been looking for one here in CA for a while that I could run in my '53 because the original is probably going to need a rebuild, but I want the truck on the road sooner than that. I've found plenty of cores for a rebuild, but no runners close enough to me to make it worthwhile.

A rebuild on the original engine isn't too bad, you won't get a ton of power, and it will probably cost as much or more than a 318 (but not as much as a 440, those are pricey to build). Still, the flat 6's are nice. They sound great, and if you go the extra mile with some speed equipment they look awesome. And keep in mind an engine swap will entail a lot of expenses, its not as easy as getting a running engine and dropping it in. The engine will have to be offset to the passenger side to keep the stock steering box, and you'll need a new transmission crossmember, modified driveshaft, possibly modified exhaust manifolds or headers, the whole 12v vs 6v thing, etc. There are a few threads on here about swapping a 318 into this era car though if that's the way you want to go.

One of my favorite 230's...

http://youtu.be/smyHCN2DNC8

It's from another member here, I think its in the flathead 6 thread...

As far as the knocking goes, the bottom end on the 230's is probably the weakest link. They didn't originally have balancers, and the oiling is pretty weak, in stock form they don't like to maintain any real rpm's for any length of time before the bottom end starts to starve for oil. If it's knocking already, its probably going to need some level of rebuild.

 

Vintage Power Wagon has short blocks but they are expensived. Check the H.A.M.B. for sale items, sometimes they appear there as well as www.P15-D24.com in their parts for sale section. If you find one it will have to be close even if its free as the old beast weighs over 700 lbs and shipping would brake you. Espect to spend around two grand for a complete rebuild of your engine. The crank can be welded and reground if you can not find a good used crank. Forget about the slant six as you will have to remove the heater and fresh air box from the right side of the engine compartment, easier to install a late 318 with the serpentine belt as they are the shortest of the MoPar V8s.

 

There should be plenty of flathead sixes around that would fit that car. A slant six would be a royal pain in the butt in that car due to where the distributor and plugs sit. A guy would have to pull the wheel and inner fender access panels every time he had to do something to it. A 318 or 360 would make a runner out of it though and not be very expensive in the process.

 

couldnt have needed it two weeks ago could ya! i just gave one away that turned over.

 

We have a few of those flathead sixes. My son a a 1940,s WWII WC . the engine was bad. It had broken head bolts stuck valves also a couple cylinders has been sleeved. So I pulled a engine from a 48 bob truck. Cleaned gasketed& painted it. It wouldnt fit about 11/2 inches too long. So I then took a engine from a 48 PK it worked fine. Now I keep looking at a 440 we have in a motor home . I think it needs to be in the PK. Oldwolf

 

I have a couple i would be willing to let go of reasonable.

 

poly engine? 392? instead of a 318 ?

 

That flathead 6 on the youtube video is mine. Good motors, just dont expect alot from em. I got 3 motors laying around right now and enough parts to put together an even more wicked flathead 6. Thinking forced induction.

Cranks are soft in these motors, so RPM is out of the question

 

got a runner sittin if youre intersested pm me.

 

Well I got a sbc 350 and power glide to drop in it . Or I'm going to rebuild this lil' beast ! It just sucks because this L6 has split manifolds and all !! Hate to loose the sound . Going to look for rings and rod bearings tommorow . And if I take it out , I will go ahead and have it bored out a lil' !! Can't wait to get my windows for my model T so I can at least have something to drive !!! Lol !!

 

You have a few choices. If you want to keep her original, by all means - pull it and rebuild the I-6... but she'll never be a great runner...or much good for highway speed/ distances without hi $$ investment in a tight rebuild and an o/d transmission. Your best possible bet is to (my opinion here... and it's worth what you pay for it) swap in a small block MOPAR V8. I went the vintage/ esoteric/ painful engine swap route, but it can be done for very cheap and not too much sweat. It was referenced earlier - but a 318 and an automatic out of a mid-60's to mid-70's (or even later) will fit down in the hole with a little nudging and some offset. There are multiple threads out there on how to do it (ShadowMt did a nice one on his 50 Dodge - http://shadowmtkustomz.blogspot.com), and a few articles in old rodding magazines to boot. Surf Craigslist for a suitable donor car, then get it on with the heart transplant. Just my .02 on the subject.

-Pete

 

I have a couple of rebuilt motors, several good running used motors and tons of parts for your car if you need anything else. I love the flathead sixes. Thwy are great little motors.

 

the 318/360 swap is easy and if you can fine a 74-78 diplomat or Valory its kiss. I used everything to do my swap and had lots of room to work on it use a late model starter Mini and go down the road.

 

please consider just pullin the motor,flip it over,take off the pan and timming cover, pull the crank,have it turned and replace the inserts with ones matched to the crank.DO NOT REMOVE PISTONS unless it burns lots of oil,OR if a rod is overheated.resize rod ONLY if the insert spun.i've done this dozens of times for people on a budget and have never been disapointed with the result. this old iron aint
rockets and brains. are you prepared to change out the engine trans electrical and brake system to still have a off-brand like my '53.mine as ALL stock except for a pcv upgrade and a crappy chrome don't get ya home oil breather. K.I.S.S.unless ur a wanna b chainer....DON"T PUT LIPSTICK ON A PIG,you'll never get ur investment back and you'll probably never enjoy it as much as you did pullin outa that last show w/new 'stripes

 

i have a few if these motors and spares but it's a long haul.you CAN fix this with a BASIC wrench set.my Brother is 70 w/2 left hands AND 9 thumbs and ''he can doo-itttt''!

 

Dodge/Plymouth sixes only knock once... then it is over.
Good thing is the engine was used for over 3 decades in forklifts, trucks, etc. as well as cars until 1959.

 

-Pete[/QUOTE]
but she'll never be a great runner...or much good for highway speed/ distances without hi $$ investment in a tight rebuild and an o/d transmission.


i don't agree. a stock 6 with a stick and stock ratio rear will run all night long @ 70 mph.that's faster than the stock headlights and brakes are good for. low and slow,lets get home safe! we ain't all haulin 600 lb of contraband up and down the hills,......some of us run the ridges

 

---------------
If you're gonna' keep it and rebuild and
need parts, check out places that repair
forklifts and industrial engines. A lot of
those 230 Mopar flathead 6's were used
in forklifts, as well as in farm combines,
for driving irrigation pumps and for gen-sets
etc., well into the mid-to-late-'60's and the
older,more established industrial engine
shops still rebuild them and stock or can
get parts for them.

Mart3406
=======================

 

not mine, but found this
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=587578&highlight=plymouth

 

I'm looking for parts now !! I got all the stuff off the motor tonight , will have the tranny out tommorow , then start pulling the motor up and out !! I have a old skool buddy that says this motor is a piece of cake to rebuild so wish us luck !!! I really like my split manifolds .... So I really need this baby running again soon !!!

 

Im not sure if it will do you any good, but i have the flathead 6 and trans i pulled out of my 37 dodge. I realy dont know the condition, but it's not frozen, and seems to have decent compression. I honestly dont kmow if its the same engine or not, but if your interested in it shoot me a PM.

 

my dad had a 'guy' that came to our shop all through the 50's and 60's that had a 'in-car' crank grinding machine that made ' BANK '[$$$] on the mopars

 

I agree try an get the flat 6 going, they can reliable engines, and if that fails the 318 swap is the way to go, find a magnum motor out of a truck..... either way let us know what the out come is...

 

Their is a guy in Turkey selling NOS parts pretty reasonable. I have bought a lot from him and his shipping is faster than most guys here in the states.

 

man tell me how that goes! thought about doing that myself!

 

If you were close to NC. I'd cut you a real good deal on one....