interchangable engine parts

[Guest Jamie Mc Monagle]

If I have a desoto and a dodge engine that are both 25 in long ,are the blocks the same casting and interchangable ? Or do i need more details on the cubic inches. i am not fimilar with the range of cu in displacements of desoto engines. i know dodge makes 218 228 236 cu in, what does desoto run for cu in engines

[Rusty_OToole]

Yes if you have a Canadian made Dodge and DeSoto with flathead 6 the engines are alike and interchangeable.

Here is how they made the different engines. They used the same block casting bored to 3 3/8 for the smaller engines, 3 7/16 for the larger.

They also used different stroke crankshafts, 4 1/16 4 1/8 4 1/4 4 1/2 4 3/4. Each crankshaft had its own rods, the longer the stroke the shorter the rods. This means you can use the same piston with any crankshaft as long as it fits the bore of the block.

By mixing and matching different bore and stroke they got 218, 228, 237, 251 and 265 cu in engines out of one basic engine.

Plymouth and Dodge got the 218 and 228 along with Dodge trucks. DeSoto and Chrysler got the 228, 237, 251, and 265 depending on year (the newer the larger).

The 251 and 265 were optional on certain Dodge trucks, 251 were used in military Power Wagon 4 wheel drive 3/4 ton trucks, and the 251 and 265 were optional on 1 1/2 ton and larger Dodge trucks up to 1962.

There were other differences such as, different oil filters. DeSoto and Chrysler got full flow filters in the late 40s. The first ones were remote filters with fatter oil lines. 50 up had an aluminum tower casting bolted to the block. The cheaper Plymouth and Dodge kept the bypass filter or no filter at all, up into the fifties.

The smaller engines got smaller combustion chamber heads and the newer the engine the higher the compression. So a head off a 56-59 Plymouth or Dodge 228 will fit a 251 or 265, and give higher compression.