1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
#2958551
08/29/21 04:07 AM
08/29/21 04:07 AM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,482 Canada
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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I bought a 1959 Fargo, super clean truck. It's short box, 2wd, 230 flathead 6 and 3 in the tree manual. Engine is PROBABLY not good. Thinking small block or big block, anybody mounted a newer V8 in a 55-60 truck? Mounts off the frame or? Thanks!
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: CrAzYMoPaRGuY]
#2958595
08/29/21 09:27 AM
08/29/21 09:27 AM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,492 nowhere
Sniper
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master
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I bought a 1959 Fargo, super clean truck. It's short box, 2wd, 230 flathead 6 and 3 in the tree manual. Engine is PROBABLY not good. Thinking small block or big block, anybody mounted a newer V8 in a 55-60 truck? Mounts off the frame or? Thanks! They came with an optional V8. A poly headed one, so I imagine there's plenty of room in there. If you decide to get rid of that 230 or have more questions they guys at https://p15-d24.com/forum/4-p15-d24-forum/ would be a good place to go. Always someone looking for a 230 there and they are a fount of info on this era vehicles. They have a truck section.
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: Sniper]
#2958890
08/30/21 12:12 AM
08/30/21 12:12 AM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,482 Canada
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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OP
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I bought a 1959 Fargo, super clean truck. It's short box, 2wd, 230 flathead 6 and 3 in the tree manual. Engine is PROBABLY not good. Thinking small block or big block, anybody mounted a newer V8 in a 55-60 truck? Mounts off the frame or? Thanks! They came with an optional V8. A poly headed one, so I imagine there's plenty of room in there. If you decide to get rid of that 230 or have more questions they guys at https://p15-d24.com/forum/4-p15-d24-forum/ would be a good place to go. Always someone looking for a 230 there and they are a fount of info on this era vehicles. They have a truck section. Awesome Sniper, thanks!
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: poorboy]
#2958891
08/30/21 12:15 AM
08/30/21 12:15 AM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,482 Canada
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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They did indeed come with a V8 option from mid 54 on BUT that early motor mounted off a bracket attached to the front of the motor and had a transmission mounts on side of the bell. That stuff isn't too compatible with the modern engine and transmission mounting systems.
You will likely find that you will be farther ahead to build brackets off the frame (include both the top and the bottom frame flanges) for the motor, and then add a transmission crossmember at the rear end of the trans (if there is not already one there). I had an original V8 54 Dodge pickup (one of the first V8 Dodge pickups in our area), but it was missing the motor & the mounts. The two brackets for the original bell mounting were in the way of easily installing a modern 360/727, so I cut them off at the frame and built motor mount brackets and added a transmission crossmember. My motor & trans sat back a little more then the original V8 did, those original motors are mounted so the motor is centered above the front axle. Setting the motor back required modifying the firewall quite a bit, for engine clearance. I suspect that by 59, that issue may have been solved, my truck was a very early factory V8 truck. Gene Thanks Gene. We are gonna give the flathead 6 one more kick at the can, but then........ lol
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: CrAzYMoPaRGuY]
#2958893
08/30/21 12:19 AM
08/30/21 12:19 AM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,482 Canada
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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It's nice shape, low miles, I think the rings are stuck. Has a little compression every cylinder, but some are low. Don't think it's the valves.
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: CrAzYMoPaRGuY]
#2958943
08/30/21 08:55 AM
08/30/21 08:55 AM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,492 nowhere
Sniper
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It's nice shape, low miles, I think the rings are stuck. Has a little compression every cylinder, but some are low. Don't think it's the valves. Sticky rings are not uncommon, especially if they sit forever.. My 51 Plymouth had 50 psi compression in each cylinder when I got it. Changes the oil added MMO and drove it. Two years later she'll still driving. I need to do another compression check.
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: Sniper]
#2959075
08/30/21 04:13 PM
08/30/21 04:13 PM
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,892 South Bend
John Brown
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: May 2012
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South Bend
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Add one pint of old original PB BLASTER to the oil and running it a few hundred miles will also help loosen stuck rings. Garage where I used to work did that on mid 60's little old lady Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs that had problems with slow cranking caused by carbon getting behind the rings. By time for the next oil change, the problem was usually gone.
EDIT: Just add a pint instead of a quart.
July 19th should be "Drive Like Rockford Day". R.I.P. Jimmie.
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: Dabee]
#2959282
08/31/21 01:29 AM
08/31/21 01:29 AM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,482 Canada
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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OK dangit I'll try. I was gonna pull the head and put something in the bores, have a look and toss a new gasket in. It ALMOST fired once..... well it barely ran for about 10 seconds. Compression was 60-30-50-25-60-90
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: poorboy]
#2959595
08/31/21 04:56 PM
08/31/21 04:56 PM
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Joined: May 2019
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They did indeed come with a V8 option from mid 54 on BUT that early motor mounted off a bracket attached to the front of the motor and had a transmission mounts on side of the bell. That stuff isn't too compatible with the modern engine and transmission mounting systems. Wasn't trying to suggest he put in the optional poly, just that if a poly was optional then the room was there for at least an LA. Though to be honest a 440 ought to fit too, but I am assuming that, lol. Sounds like that original poly mounts very similar to how the 6 mounts in my 51 Plymouth.
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: Sniper]
#2959632
08/31/21 06:34 PM
08/31/21 06:34 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,827 Freeport IL USA
poorboy
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Actually, 241 Dodge hemi motors were installed in those trucks from the factory at some point in the production cycle. The Hemi motors were available in the big trucks. The available info isn't real clear, maybe the early Hemi was another option above the early poly, or maybe the hemi was the original V8 offered but later Dodge changed to the poly as the standard V8.
At any rate, the early V8 motor & trans mounts were very similar to the flathead 6 motor & trans mounts and may have been the same mounts. I never pursued using the factory mounting system because I was installing a much more modern drive train.
My son bought a 56 Dodge panel that had a 383 Mopar big block & 727 installed with an aftermarket motor & trans mount kit (Cal Custom, or maybe Competition Engineering). That panel was assembled in the early 70s. They hacked out the firewall from about the gas pedal all the way to the right side of the firewall and put in a piece of sheet metal. It was done pretty crudely. The 383 barely turned over and the guy wanted to keep it, so we installed a 360 with a 727 into it, and welded in a firewall that more resembled what would have been closer to original. My son drove that panel all through high school. I believe the main reason the guy hacked out the firewall was because the 383 still had a car oil pan on it and it sat pretty far back. Gene
Last edited by poorboy; 08/31/21 06:48 PM.
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: poorboy]
#2960224
09/02/21 08:31 AM
09/02/21 08:31 AM
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Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 16,482 Canada
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Wellllllll I got the flathead 6 fired! A night of soaking rings in Liquid Wrench, then tossing a boat gas tank to the fuel pump with new fuel and a carb from a 53 Chevy. Ran for about half an hour. Smoke almost went away, it runs not bad. Compression went from 25-90 to 85-125 worst cylinder to best. Engine might be ok! Truck has 59,000 original miles......
CrAzYMoPaRGuY
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: CrAzYMoPaRGuY]
#2960296
09/02/21 01:18 PM
09/02/21 01:18 PM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,492 nowhere
Sniper
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Be careful, next thing you know you will be hopping up the 6. I have a modern, high compression aluminum head, split exhaust and dual carb intake for mine, Going to run Microsquirt controlled dual Weber EFI throttle bodies and am converting the stock points to electronic ignition using a mixture of a slant 6 and original distributor. A reground cam is in the mix as well. Shooting for 150hp. Now I know I could just slap a stock 318 in there and get that with no sweat, but then it'd just be another V8 swap whereas I am looking for a more period look and sound for my 51. The pretty http://www.yourolddad.com/blingThe EFI swap, it's in progress http://www.yourolddad.com/efi
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: Sniper]
#2960367
09/02/21 05:05 PM
09/02/21 05:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,524 Michigan
MarkZ
Worthy
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Worthy
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Be careful, next thing you know you will be hopping up the 6. I have a modern, high compression aluminum head, split exhaust and dual carb intake for mine, Going to run Microsquirt controlled dual Weber EFI throttle bodies and am converting the stock points to electronic ignition using a mixture of a slant 6 and original distributor. A reground cam is in the mix as well. Shooting for 150hp. Now I know I could just slap a stock 318 in there and get that with no sweat, but then it'd just be another V8 swap whereas I am looking for a more period look and sound for my 51. The pretty http://www.yourolddad.com/blingThe EFI swap, it's in progress http://www.yourolddad.com/efi Nothing to add, but damn, this is so cool.
1987 Fifth Avenue - 512/518/D60
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: CrAzYMoPaRGuY]
#2961183
09/05/21 10:27 AM
09/05/21 10:27 AM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,179 Canada
demon
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,179
Canada
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I bought a 1959 Fargo, super clean truck. It's short box, 2wd, 230 flathead 6 and 3 in the tree manual. Engine is PROBABLY not good. Thinking small block or big block, anybody mounted a newer V8 in a 55-60 truck? Mounts off the frame or? Thanks! I saw that truck for sale on FB, and thought about buying it too. Super clean looking in the pics. nice deal
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Re: 1959 Fargo (Dodge D100) engine swap
[Re: procharged 484]
#2964680
09/16/21 11:52 AM
09/16/21 11:52 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,212 north of coder
moparx
"Butt Crack Bob"
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"Butt Crack Bob"
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 20,212
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it's funny you mentioned the super red ram. i uncovered a pair of super red ram cylinder heads and valve covers the other day from under the "stuff" pile on the one shelf. i knew they were there, but the shelf needed a super cleaning, so the heads go to another shelf that contains a complete 241 engine i have had for 40 years or so. my one buddy is building a 34 dodge "jalopy" replica, and will be using my engine. it's amazing how much "stuff" i know is hidden away in this "pile" i haven't seen for years and years.
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