MGBBOB Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Hi folks, New here. My son sent me a picture of an older V8 rusting away and can't identify it. It has a center rocker arm shaft with rocker arms going two directions. At first I thought hemi but I can't see any spark plug holes. Any ideas? Thanks, Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Its a Poly motor. Note the scalloped shape where the valve cover goes. Most of these were considered 318 wide blocks. Even though there were not all 318s but nobody knew that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 17 minutes ago, JACK M said: Its a Poly motor. Note the scalloped shape where the valve cover goes. Most of these were considered 318 wide blocks. Even though there were not all 318s but nobody knew that. Yep. Chrysler product motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGBBOB Posted June 13, 2018 Author Share Posted June 13, 2018 Interesting. My dad had a 318 in a 1964 Dodge. It was a pretty strong running car. This one had a very small transmission behind it. Definitely not a torque flight and from the looks of the steering box this is in a considerably older car. Thanks for the information. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Yes it is a Polysphere engine built by the Chrysler corporation. There were several different engines of this type for Chrysler, Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth. This one looks like a Dodge or maybe a Chrysler, the earlier ones from 1954 to 1958 not the later Plymouth/Dodge 318 type. The early ones were Dodge or Chrysler hemi blocks with the simpler, lighter and cheaper Poly heads added. The newer ones had no hemi counterpart. The distinctive feature is the scallops on the lower edge of the valve cover, early ones were as shown here, later models were more of a saw tooth shape. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted June 13, 2018 Share Posted June 13, 2018 Yes, this is the older version. It is either a Chrysler or Dodge block. The length of the heads would be different between Chrysler and Dodge, and that could conceivably tell you which it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Right behind that water cross over, is a flat spot on the block, just in front of the valley pan/cover. It should have a stamping on it, with a engine number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 13 hours ago, Xander Wildeisen said: Right behind that water cross over, is a flat spot on the block, just in front of the valley pan/cover. It should have a stamping on it, with a engine number. If you want to supply that number I may be able to pin it down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 If I had to guess I would say Dodge based on the size of the carburetor compared to the distributor and the overall size of the engine. Not much point in pinning down the exact details, I am afraid it is scrap iron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 4 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said: If I had to guess I would say Dodge based on the size of the carburetor compared to the distributor and the overall size of the engine. Not much point in pinning down the exact details, I am afraid it is scrap iron. You might be able to save that vacuum plug on the intake manifold. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 If it wasn't strapped to a chassis with a steering box, I would swear it was a boat engine, still in the boat having just been raised from the bottom of a lake or maybe even the Ocean. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 22 minutes ago, auburnseeker said: If it wasn't strapped to a chassis with a steering box, I would swear it was a boat engine, still in the boat having just been raised from the bottom of a lake or maybe even the Ocean. Agreed. I've found stuff abandoned on beaches in the Bahamas that were not that badly rusted. MGBBOB; Are you located in a coastal area? Cheers, Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Roth Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Ages ago my cousin had a '56 Dodge (and also a Plymouth), and I recall the top of the engine looking a lot like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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