Hey guys. Got an interesting question. This weekend my father and I are going to look at a 33 plymouth coupe. If the car is in as good of condition that the guy says it is, my dad wants to buy it. He wants to make a rain or shine cruiser out of it that he can hop in and drive without showing the car or really worrying about it being show quality. He wants to throw a carbureted 4 cylinder with a manual transmission in it. We are trying to find a good candidate for the swap but Im not quite sure what to look for. He says he isnt worried about power but I know if it is really slow he will be disappointed. I want to find something close to 100hp but it doesnt have to be a rocket. Foreign, domestic, doesnt matter. Any suggestions?

 

I talked to my boss and he has a 4 cylinder and a 4 speed from a late 70s pinto we will probably use. It has a 2 barrel carb so it should be easy to swap in. They are supposed to be good motors with a lot of aftermarket. Should be a cool project as long as the car is useable.

 

Sounds like a nice project,I have 2 old chevys ,1940 with 350 carb,1946 with 350 tune port injected , enjoy the looks I get driving on highway have fun

 

i was going to sugest somthing out of a chevy, like out of a s10 or somthing out of a mopar like a slant 6

i don't know too much about either but my budy had a slant 6 and 3spd auto in his apsen when bought it and the thing got awsome mpg i could only imagine the mpg bump from a manual

 

I thought of an inline 6 as well but I think the size/weight would be too much for what he wants out of the car. I guess this little pinto 4 cylinder has a huge aftermarket (aluminum heads, cams, intakes, headers). I think it will be neat to build up maybe tho I dont think he is too interested in huge power or anything. I shouldnt get ahead of myself tho. We havent looked at the car yet. Cant say for sure if he will buy it yet without having a look at it.

 

Too bad this didn't come up 3 years ago. I sent my carburated 2.2 4 cylinder (plus the car) that was in my 1983 2.2 Charger to the salvage yard. The engine still ran great. The rear straight axil was was doing it's best to come out from under the car.

I did every thing I could think of to secure the axil. But the floor pan in the back was getting weak from Ohio's winters and any time I did a repair, it only lasted a short time. I kept the car for several years, cause well I'm a pack rat for one and keep everything.

The 2.2 would have been a good candidate for your dad's new street rod.
It also had a 5-speed transmission in it.

 

the pinto driveline is a neat idea, my dad and his buddie had about 15 pinto's when they were younger and got pretty good at fixing them, lol. and none ever blew up!

if that falls through i would try to find an Iron Duke 4 popper & 5 speed out of an 80's S10, plenty of those in the J/Y and reliable as hell.

slant 6 is a good engine too, suprisingly i've seen quite a few 1/2 ton dodge p/u's with that engine, if it's backed by a 4 speed they run along really good at highway speed. should fit no problems scince that car would have a flathead six from the factory, i think?

the 2.2 is a damn good engine too, although i've only gotten to experince fuel injected virsions. that's the same engine my dad managed to pull 200,000 miles out of with almost zero mantince.

 

I looked at the motor and trans today. Its in great shape and everything is there. The carb looks very clean and the butterflies operate smoothly without sticking. If my dad buys this plymouth this weekend we car going to bring the whole pinto down to work and try and get it running before we pull it out of the car.

 

Hi Mod `Matt,
Sounds like a SuperFun Project for sure...Will be looking forward to all your updates & pic
s...
Did you dad every consider a Flat Head engine ?
You or your dad may find this link interesting..Check it out when time permits..

2001 Antique Nationals - Events & Shows - Hot Rod Magazine
^^^Click 2 View ^^^^

 

Hi `Matt,
Dr GoogleSearch helped me find the below links/infor
Hope you find it helpful/interesting...Let us know what you & your dad decide...Look 4ward to reading about your project.

A cutaway photograph of Nissan M9R 2.0L Straight-4 DOHC Common rail Diesel Engine installed



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