Silverdome engine ???

[Guest]

A friend of mine just bought a REALLY old road roller that has a four cylinder "Silverdome" engine in it. Someone told him it was a Chrysler motor. There is a tag riveted to the block that reads "9-30". There is a cast number on the block too. He hasn't cleaned it up yet. <P>It does not have a water pump but has a sliding gear trannie.<P>Does anyone have any knowledge on the make and/or a website for additional information.<P>Thanks in advance,<P>Scott

[RoadsterRich]

Scott,<P>I am certainly no expert on engines or antiques. I do however own a 1930 Chrysler 77 which has a 268.4CI Silverdome L6 engine in it. I know Chrysler used the Silverdome name on 6 cylinder engines, I wasn't aware of any 4 cylinders but I am just beginning to learn. The SilverDome was embossed on the head of mine. There was an alternate high compression head available it was embossed "RedHead" and was painted red as I understand it.<P>Rich

[ply33]

Plymouth engines also were tagged as "Silver Dome". The Plymouth Silver Dome was a four cylinder engine from it introduction in 1928 through 1932. Thermo-syphon cooling was used in 1928 through the first part of 1930. A water pump was introduced in 1930. Does your friend's engine look anything like the one for a <a href="http://www.ply33.com/Models/30-U/index.html#4door">1930 Plymouth</a> or a <a href="http://www.ply33.com/Models/PB/index.html#7pass">1932 Plymouth</a>? These are engines with water pumps, but the older non-pump engines looked very similar.<p>[ 05-10-2002: Message edited by: ply33 ]

[RoadsterRich]

I learn something new every day! Those 4's look very similar in design to the 6 in my car. Thanks for the added information, more knowledge to add to my ever expanding list of Chrysler facts...<P>Rich

[Guest]

Thanks for the information. The morter looks the same as the 1930 Plymoth with the following axceptions. The oil dipstick is by the oil cap and there is a brass hand turn valve on the intake manifold. I got it running this weekend, but did not clean the distrubiter. After blowing out 30 years of mouse litter it stopped running. My neighbor says he can clean the distributer and re-time. The question is, which one is the #1 cylinder.<P>Thanks for every thing so far<P>Josh

[ply33]

Number 1 is the front cylinder (by the water outlet).

[Guest jjbrown]

Sir, I also bought a old road roller many years ago and it sounds like has the same engine as your friends. The only difference is, the tag reads "7-32". The question is, has your friend found out who made/built the roller?

Josh

[Steve Braverman]

The engine number should tell you what year it is. The first digits are the model.

Q- 1928-29

U - 1929-30

PA - 1931-32

PB - 1932

1932 Plymouth PA - YouTube

Edited October 28, 2012 by Steve Braverman (see edit history)

[Rick Higgs]

We have a 1929 Plymouth Silver Dome 4 cyl "U" engine - NO water pump - that was transplanted into an older McCormick-Deering 15 30 Tractor.

 

What would the original carburetor have been?  I ask because the current set up does not look to be original.

[Soupiov]

If it's a '30 U it would look like this

[ply33]

Wow! Restarting a thread/topic that is over 20 years old.

 

The 1928-33 Plymouth Master Parts List shows the Model U for domestic US used either a Carter 130-S or a 130-A.

[Jack Bennett]

My curiosity got the best of me, and I won’t sleep tonight if I don’t ask.

It piqued my interest in what a “road roller” was when you mentioned that a friend had bought one.

I call a big, heavy machine with a huge, heavy roller, used to compact new laid asphalt a “steam roller”……which is surely a dated colloquialism which should have died out when “steam rollers” became diesel powered.

But, someone tuned in and mentioned that they too had bought a “road roller” themselves, and it too has a silver dome engine.

So, either the two of you are from the same generation, and the same demographic area, which commonly call a “steam roller” a “road roller”, or I need to ask…….”what the heck is a “road roller”.

In order to establish my qualifications to ask such a question I present my credentials in the form of a Silver dome engine, which too remains unidentified, but was in a 1929 Fargo Express Packet Panel truck I bought a few months ago.

Could you please post a photo of your “road roller” to put my curiosity to rest?

Jack

 

Edited March 9 by Jack Bennett (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

Edited March 9 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Leif in Calif]

Interesting vehilce to have around...