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I know I wil be probably drumed out of the Chrysler Club but I feel my Traveler needs to be updated to live in the modern world. Although I love the car and have been a mechanic all my life, the problems with the engine and trans since I bought it are not worth any more expense and trouble. I plan to put a Chevy v8 in it with auto trans. I know it wont be easy but I can have reasonable power and shifting I can depend on. I would like to talk to anyone who has done or tried this installation so I can learn what to avoid. I know the 48 is pos ground 6 volt Perhaps a 6/12 battery is the way to go. Would appreciate any comments.

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Hi guys,

Yea,I was thinking about doing the same thing with the small block Chrysler in my '53 Windsor Deluxe.I heard conversion may be difficult/expensive (gauges, accessories, etc. remain 6-volt?) Probably will have to change rear end as well--get rid of torque tube. Gotta go --John Force on TV right now <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> --Moparbob. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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G-D small block Chevy!!--I know it's a great engine, but does every car have to end up with one? I know that the main reason so many rodders use them is because they are plentiful and the parts are cheap, especially the mounts, brackets and such. If you have to do this, go with a Mopar drivetrain--especially a 727--one of the very best. They'll say you butchered it, but at least you kept it kosher.

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I have heard the same idea many times especially from newbies. They are afraid of the old engine but they are not afraid of an engine swap, probably because they don't know enough about old engines and definitely don't know what an engine swap entails.

Not sure what troubles you are referring to but if you are a mechanic I suppose it must be a rod sticking out of the block or something equally drastic.

As for the traffic problem, I have 1951 DeSoto coupe with the original 236 cu in 112HP flathead 6 and fluid drive so I know what you are talking about. That's why I recently bought a supercharger for it. No I'm not kidding. For various technical reasons I believe a flathead engine is ideally suited to supercharging and I'm putting my money where my mouth is.

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Rusty, on the supercharger--I have heard this talked about and have seen pictures of one set-up. My question would be, most SC`s come at higher RPM`s and the old six banger doesn`t rev that high. If you start winding them more some engine mods would be in order---is it really all worth it? The article you have talked about would verify that. The benfits seem non productive. Grant you it looks cool-----what`s your take???

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Rusty-been looking for speed parts for MY flathead.Any suggestions? Also,after cleaning out block,new distribution tube,160 thermo,new W/P,and rad.O.K.'ed,still gets hot in traffic/idle.53 Windsor with fluid-drive.Was thinking some sort of shroud with Flex-A-Lite fan.Whadda ya 'tink.Thanks,Bob.

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The new water pump is a good start--on the rad, did you re-core it? If not and it is still original, I would still re-core it. The old style core isn`t as effcient as the new stle cores. Did this engine sit for awhile? Did you pop the frost plugs on the drivers side and flush out the block---you would be surprised at the junk that sits in there. I did the new water pump,rad,heater core,thermostat and cleaned the block---it runs cool even in hot weather---best move for cooling issues. Good Luck!!

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Guest imported_billmeyer

I went the opposite route with my 1950 Dodge Wayfarer... it came with a Chevy V-8 & auto tranny but the previous owner had not discarded the old flathead 6, fluid drive unit and 3 speed tranny. The engine had a blown piston. We completely rebuilt it (bored .040 oversize) and it priobably puts out about 105 HP now (103 original). Previous owner had removed the rear engine/tranny support cross member so we had to find one (Wildcat Motors has a great selection of old parts cars). I love this set-up. The engine could never keep up with the V-8 but it does have great low-end torque and cruises easily at 55. I rarely use first geat and it will pull a steep hill at 20 mph in 3rd! Here's my reservation about putting the Chevy in your old car... the suspension, steering and brakes are not up to higher speed handling and stopping. They were designed for a different era and for much less power. I once had a '53 Windsor with the "Gyro-matic" or whatever they called it and much prefer the "3 on the tree" shift with fluid drive. Have fun with yours whichever way you go!

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The supercharger I plan on using is a McCulloch VS57 made by the McCulloch chain saw people between 1953 and 1957.

It was designed for the 1953 engine which was typically a flathead 6 or 8 of 200 to 300 cu in and 100 to 150 HP. Most of the testing was done on 239 cu in 100 or 110 HP Ford flathead V8s.

The VS stands for variable speed and refers to a variable speed belt drive. This is arranged so you can get some boost from 2000 RPM, full boost from 3000 RPM. Yet when you don't have the gas to the floor the blower slows down and "loafs" at a lower speed.

The downfall of this supercharger was the introduction of larger higher powered OHV V8s. A 150 to 200 HP engine was a walk in the park. 200-300 HP made it sweat. After that, you were beyond its design capabilities. They did try beefing it up with heavy duty drive etc but in the end they brought out new larger designs.

They did redesign the VS57 without the variable speed feature. In this form it was used on Studebakers from 1960 up, and is still in production. They sell them for 302 Mustangs and 305 Camaros, they also have a bigger blower for bigger engines. But the original design (without the variable speed drive) is still being sold as the Paxton SN model.

I happen to think the old low compression flatheads are ideally suited to supercharging. One of the first thing they do is lower the compression ratio on a supercharged engine - ours are already low. Plus the engine is so detuned with mild cam, small carb, small valves etc a blower is the best way to make it breathe.

Then there is the fact that vintage speed equipment is so expensive. The same week I bought my blower on Ebay there was also an Edmunds 3 carb manifold for the same engine. The manifold sold for $512. My VS57 went for $275. I believe I can get a substantial performance improvement (McCulloch claimed a 40% increase in rear wheel horsepower) cheaper than I could with a conventional hop up. Plus, if I want to remove the blower I can restore the car to stock trim in less than a day.

If you are interested here is a web site that does an excellent job of covering the McCulloch supercharger story from the 1930s to the late 50s.

http://www.vs57.com/

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The Inliners International site has some great ideas. Try the Mopar section. On the overheating all I can suggest at this point is to make sure the rad is clean and not plugged up and likewise your engine coolant passages. Try running some CLR mixed with water in your rad. Get it at the hardware store, it removes calcium lime and rust. Put 1 container in your rad and fill with clean water, drive 50 miles or so (in one go if possible) and drain it out. Might take more than one application.

I can't be responsible if this causes rad leaks. The CLR will not hurt your rad but if it removes the caked on lime and dirt it could expose old leaks that were sealed by dirt or by 50 year old Bars Leaks.

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Re. the rad-it IS the original core. Rad. guy was surprised it was still in the car.Claimed he tested it for flow.Yes, all plugs were removed and passages cleaned.Distribution tube was replaced at same time.Guess I was trying to convince myself it CAN'T be the rad. After all,what else CAN it be? Thanks,will look into new core as budget allows.Rome wasn't built in a day! Bob. Hey guys-found something new today.Rodco,Riverside,Ca.has pre-formed shrouds made of plastic/polyurethane in a variety of sizes and configurations.Just supply your CORE size,not including your tanks,fan to rad.clearance,and your fan diameter.Talk to Scott @[951]-683-3010.He should be able to help.Hope this helps someone else out there with the same problem.-By the way-He quoted me a price of about $100.00.-Good luck,Bob.

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Bob, it`s a sure bet it`s your rad. Mine cost me $312 bucks, runs cool. The old closed cell pattern was a poor design and is not avaliable anymore as far as I know. The new stuff is much better. As you say Rome was not built in a day---do it when you can. Good Luck!!

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