Phil scraped the grease off the engine serial number. Although the car is a 1953 Firedome, built with a 276 cu in hemi V-8, the serial number decodes to a 1956 Firedome 330 cu in hemi. The 276 claimed 160 HP; the 330 claimed 230 HP with 2-barrel carb. The accessories on the engine might be a mix of 1953 and 1956 parts. The generator has a power steering pump on the back of it, and unless the pair of drive belts are removed, the pump interferes with the used oil-bath air cleaner we found. With longer belts, it looks like it can be made to fit, but there won't be much adjustment in the generator support strap unless we extend it.
This finding narrows our observations slightly. Since this is not the original motor, or even the same displacement, we're not very interested in heading for an as-bult restoration. Not that we ever were. On the other hand, another 70 horsepower is not all bad. This is a heavy car, and with the tip-toe automatic transmission, it's pretty sluggish.
I just picked up a 1952 Chrysler Town and Country, 331 hemi, very excited, will follow your progress. BTW, may I ask how much you paid for yours?
ReplyDeleteOur car did not make its $9k reserve on eBay. We negotiated a slightly lower price sometime later.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your T&C! love to see some photos, especially of the engine bay showing generator, PS pump, and air cleaner if there is one. We found a used cleaner, but the PS pump interferes with it.
Not sure blogspot accepts photos in comments, so you could reply with a web link if you have photos on-line or email me: drjohn96 at gmail dot com. Thanks.
Wow - that is a real surprise on the engine. Any idea how that came about, possibly a dealer replacement for an original blown engine?
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