Jump to content

33 Plymouth engine confusion

Guest JohnF

By Guest JohnF
in Plymouth

 Share

Recommended Posts

Guest JohnF

Guest JohnF

Posted
Posted

I have a 33 Plymouth 2 door sedan with a 189.9 ci engine or so I believe. I however don't find anything on the net about this engine. What I find listed is a 201, 218, 230. Can someone shed some light on the subject for me? I'm considering doing a flathead hop up but am confused about what parts I can use. :confused:

Thanks for any inlightenment.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
keiser31 25,000+ Points

keiser31

Posted
Posted

My Plymouth book shows the 1933 PC had the 189.8 C.I. engine that put out 70 horsepower. With the optional "red head" it would give 76 horsepower. Does your engine have the PC designation on the number pad?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted

1933 is the first year for the six cylinder engine for Plymouth and is a bit different than all others. It even varied during the year. A quick summary off the top of my head, I might be forgetting something though...

1. They used three different setups for the oil pump and oil pressure relief valve during 1933. Along with a factory retrofit kit for the middle version. You will have to check your parts book against the engine number and look at the engine for a while to figure out what you have.

2. The late 1933 (with the oil pressure relief valve on the driver side of the block) and the 1934 engine blocks were basically the same. 1933/34 engines are slightly narrower than the 1935 and up blocks as they added the full length water jacket and water distribution tube in 1935. So head gaskets are 33/34 specific. However all the other gaskets (pan, valve covers, etc.) are the same for 1933 up through end of industrial production in the early 1970s.

3. They stroked the engine in 1934 to 201, so the 1933 rods and crank are different than the later ones. But, as far as I know, you could use a 1934-41 crank and rods in a 1933 block if you wanted. I've left mine stock as I figure it will deal with higher RPMs better with a slightly shorter stroke.

4. 1933-41 189.8 and 201 engines used the same bearings and pistons. The 1942 218 changed that.

5. Water pump housings changed for 1934 and again for 1935. Same mounting hole pattern but the inlet to the block differs. You can make up your own backing plate to put a later water pump on. Or rebuild your water pump with readily available parts (internals were the same for many, many years). Arthur Gould does a great job on rebuilding these too.

6. It is possible to put a later engine into the 1933 but there is a clearance issue with the starter. The starter position was rotate outward a little when they went to the full length water jacket in 1935. I've seen some where the back of the starter was ground down. And another where an adaptor plate was made. If you feel so inclined to reduce your power, a 1933 engine can be bolted into replace the L-6 engine on any later Plymouth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted

P.S. A Google search for "1933 Plymouth" turns up, on third link my page at 1933 Plymouth DeLuxe Six which does show the 189.8 engine detail.

Is your car a PC, PCXX or PD? Serial number on the passenger door hinge post will tell for sure.

Does your car have an original interior and/or original paint? I'm trying to reconstruct the paint/trim codes for 1933 as Chrysler Historical does not have that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest JohnF

Guest JohnF

Posted
Posted

Based on engine # and serial # mine is a PCXX. While I'm not certain the car hasn't been repainted it was the same color if it was. There are areas that appear to have been repainted. The body is blue with the fenders and running board black. I believe the interior except for carpet is original. I will attempt to post some pics here shortly. Thanks for the info. It's already more than I've been able to find so far.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
Based on engine # and serial # mine is a PCXX. While I'm not certain the car hasn't been repainted it was the same color if it was. There are areas that appear to have been repainted. The body is blue with the fenders and running board black. I believe the interior except for carpet is original. I will attempt to post some pics here shortly. Thanks for the info. It's already more than I've been able to find so far.

John

I will be interested to see the pictures.

One thing that took me years to learn was that the firewall will be black regardless of the body color. I was certain that my car was originally black because of that...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
keiser31 25,000+ Points

keiser31

Posted
Posted (edited)
P.S. should I buy the parts interchange book I see available on the net or Ebay? Will this help in my quest for info?

Thanks, John

If you are speaking of the book with the orange cover and black binding, it is a very good book. I am looking at mine right now. LOTS of good information. No pictures, but a lot of numbers.

Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
P.S. should I buy the parts interchange book I see available on the net or Ebay? Will this help in my quest for info?

Thanks, John

I am not sure which interchange book you are referring to. An auction number would help on that. There have been some generic interchange books that I've seen that I thought would not be very helpful.

The 1928-33 Master Parts Book will be invaluable. I purchased a reprint years ago and still constantly reference it. It would be nice if it had more and better illustrations, but a careful read will often get you the information you need. A supercedence (spelling?) list from the late 1930s or 1940s would be another good thing (which I am looking for now). I now use a 1936-48 parts book for that since many mechanical parts are the same between 1933 and 36. Once I have the newest Chrysler part number I can find for the item I am interested in I then try NAPA Online or Parts Voice to find a current supplier. It is amazing how often I can get a cross reference to something I can get at my local auto supply store.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
keiser31 25,000+ Points

keiser31

Posted
Posted

Not the book I was speaking of, but that one looks to be a good one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 5 years later...
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, countrytravler said:

32 PC had the 6?

20161119_105639_LI.jpg

Some books show a 32 PC but the factory parts book lists PC as a 33 model. Same engine in PC and PD but there were running changes for a number of internal things so check the engine number. So far as I know the cylinder head was the same for the whole production of the PC and PD.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, countrytravler said:

Thanks,

I just put a 34 head on a 36 Ply block and it fits. Now I'm really confused.

 

What are the engine numbers on the two blocks? Are the cylinder bores visible on the driver side of the block?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dep5 5,000+ Points

dep5

Posted
Posted

The beauty of a 1934 Dodge DR passenger car engine is that it will fit 1933-34 Dodge & Plymouth without alteration and it will accept a 1935 and newer aftermarket speed equipment Dodge-Plymouth cylinder head. As to your question about 1932 PC Plymouth, the Hollander Manual merely acknowledges that the early 1933 Plymouth PC production started in calendar year 1932

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, countrytravler said:

Here is one of our 34 DR 2 dr sedan.

 

Definitely shows the cylinder bores on the block. I am totally confused now. I guess a tape measure across the width of the head(s) and block(s) in question would tell something. . .

 

It was my very definite understanding that the blocks with full length water jackets were wider, not for the full length jacket itself but for the fact that they also have the water distribution tube and needed more width on the valve side to make that happen. But I guess I was wrong on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
countrytravler 25,000+ Points

countrytravler

Posted
Posted
56 minutes ago, dep5 said:

The beauty of a 1934 Dodge DR passenger car engine is that it will fit 1933-34 Dodge & Plymouth without alteration and it will accept a 1935 and newer aftermarket speed equipment Dodge-Plymouth cylinder head. As to your question about 1932 PC Plymouth, the Hollander Manual merely acknowledges that the early 1933 Plymouth PC production started in calendar year 1932

 

Most of the cars would start production in the previous year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
countrytravler 25,000+ Points

countrytravler

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, ply33 said:

 

Definitely shows the cylinder bores on the block. I am totally confused now. I guess a tape measure across the width of the head(s) and block(s) in question would tell something. . .

 

It was my very definite understanding that the blocks with full length water jackets were wider, not for the full length jacket itself but for the fact that they also have the water distribution tube and needed more width on the valve side to make that happen. But I guess I was wrong on that.

 

That is why I said also that I'm REALLY confused. I have a 33 block but from the move, it's buried. I'll have to pull it out for comparisons.

Edited by countrytravler (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 years later...
  • 1 month later...
keiser31 25,000+ Points

keiser31

Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, countrytravler said:

I'll be home next week. Up in Seattle delivering cars then headed to the Bay Area to unload then heme. 

Thanks

Dave

Wave to us as you drive through Phoenix, Oregon, Dave.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...
ply33 25,000+ Points

ply33

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, migsmopar said:

Is there any freeze plugs behind bell housing on 34. 201 PE?

Been a long time so my memory may not be accurate. . . That said, I don’t think so. There is a core/welsh/freeze plug on the back of the block above the bell housing for sealing the hole used to hold the sand casting core the formed the water jacket. On the '33 you can replace it with the engine in the block by removing the front floor boards and toe board. I assume the '34 is the same.

 

If I recall correctly, there is a welsh/core plug a bit lower, might be behind the bell housing, to seal off the back of the camshaft bore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...