so i got my motor home an pulled the head off due to a little rust in the cylinders. im not exactly sure what i have here? number on front of block is 1737929. back of block says a2 hydraulic lifters with no adjustment on rockers. and 3.93"-3.95"? bore, little rust could give false readings? if my research is correct this is a 1 year only 1959 coronet 326 poly how can i clean up the ring of light rust on te top of the bores? hard to get parts for? like gaskets, bearings, aluminum intake? worth keeping in a weekend driver? any input on this motor is greatly appreciated just to let you guys know i used the search feature didnt come up with much
Basicly it's just an oversize 318 Poly, most things interchange but foggy remember od something unique to the 326. Search 318 Poly & go for it! OEM 2X4 intakes are more common than a 4 bl, aftermarket 4 bl is pricey. Parts are available as some A & LA parts are the same.
They slide in from the end. You have to pull the top head bolts. Check the shaft for wear, be sure to put the oiling hole down, & springs inplace when you install.
After you remove the rocker shafts, pry out the plugs from the ends and rod out all the built up crud inside the shaft. New plugs for the shaft ends are available from Doorman.
I don't think that engine is related to the later 318 at all. I think it is the last gasp of the Dodge poly which was the Dodge Red Ram hemi block with poly heads. By the way if you want some interesting reading on building a strong Poly and also de rusting a junkyard engine read Dolmetsch's threads on building his engine and dragster. Rust in the cylinder can be removed by honing. If the cylinders are not too tapered you can hone the cylinders put new rings on the pistons and be good for another 50,000 to 100,000 miles. If you mean the ring of carbon and rust above the top ring area you can scrape it off with a knife and clean with steel wool. Try not to touch the polished area below. With this area clean you will be able to tell how worn the cylinder is. More than .007 you are supposed to rebore but you can get away with .010, more if you use oversize rings. It all depends how much you want to spend, how long you want it to last, and how you want to use it. .007 or .010 is not much. Look at a .003 and .005 feeler gauge, if the ridge is bigger than that the cylinder is worn.
Rusty: You're thinking of the 325 Dodge, he seems to have a '59 326, the bore size is about right for that. Can't seem to find a casting number for the 326. The 1739429 shows up for the A318, Leo's & an old Power Play catalog do show it as being a 325 number also, so something is wrong somewhere. Flathead: Does the intake seal the lifter valley or is there a seperate intake & valley cover?
A photo or 2 would soon clear things up. Looked up the specs of the 326. 3 61/64 bore X 3 5/16 stroke which comes to a 3.95 bore X 3.31 stroke which is a 318 with .040 overbore. The previous year's 325 engine is 3 11/16 X 3 51/64 or 3.6875 X 3.796 which is quite different, actually a long stroke engine. This is the one I was thinking of which was the last derivative of the Dodge Red Ram. So, it appears the engine is a slightly overbored 318. This is great for finding parts and also if you want to hop one up, if they made the cylinder walls thicker they should be good for quite a big overbore.
There's a bunch of 4" pistons out there, including the 360...but..it may cost more to get them to work than buying the proper pistons. Dolmetsch used 400 Ford pistons in his race engine build, but he has access to the equipment & knows how to use it so it was cheap for him. You might PM him to ask if he can steer you in the right direction on this.
Block #1737929 is for the 1957 Fury 301. 318 and 301 both had the same 3.91 bore but the 301 had a shorter stroke. Thats what I got doing a Google search on that number.
Your block should take a .090 overbore which would allow using stock 340 pistons. Combined with a 318 crank gives you a 340. Take a 360 crank and cut the mains down to fit your block and you get 367 cu in. It is possible to go bigger but at the expense of a stroker crank.
Aha! Didn't think to look @ Plym numbers! I'd do a sonic check on that big a bore out. Sounds like it's already 30 to 50 over. As far as the 360 crank, the 301 has the pre 62 block with the different lenth crank. Git a pre '62 318 crank, a 392 tranny adaptor & put a modern 727 behind it.
The Jalopy Journal
