I bought two early Chrysler Hemi Engines that I accidentally found in an old salvage yard. One is a 1951 Chrysler 331 and the other one is a Chrysler 392 hemi that came out of a 57 New Yorker. The 331 hemi is a complete engine and is all together. The 392 hemi engine was disassembled so I wanted to check some engine and casting numbers before I paid for it.

It’s easy to find what the engine numbers and castings numbers are for these old Hemi Engines, but there is not a lot of information available about where some of the engine and casting numbers are located. Sixty plus years of grease and grime don’t help either.

 

Possibly the most important number is on the block itself. The engine number. All early Hemi engine numbers are stamped on the top of the block in front of the valley cover. This number identifies what size hemi it is, what year it is and what kind of vehicle it was in. Mine is a 1957 392 out of a New Yorker, and NE57 is the correct engine number for this hemi engine.

 

The engine block casting number is on the top of the block too, on the passenger side roughly above the third cylinder. A 57 392 hemi block casting number is 1673729. The correct casting number is on the engine. If you look closely at the front of the block you can see the engine number stamp.

I felt better knowing it was the correct 392 hemi block. Other parts like connecting rods, pistons and heads are fairly easy to identify. I wanted to make sure the crankshaft was from a 392 hemi too, but I could not find any information online about where the crankshaft casting numbers are found on the hemi crankshaft. The correct number for the 57 392 Hemi Crankshaft is 1673755.

After I cleaned lots of grime from years of storage I found the correct casting number in two locations on the 392 hemi crankshaft. One was cast into the side of the third counterweight from the front of the crankshaft. I found the same number on the side of the fourth counterweight from the front of the crankshaft. (Below) I don’t know if the number was always put on the 3rd and 4th counterweights (probably not) but it’s probably safe to say it will be on the side of one of the counterweights.

Now I just need to rebuild it and find the right vehicle to put it in. A couple of candidates I have are a 62 Chrysler 300H or my 1983 2-wheel drive Dodge Ramcharger.

Mark Polk

I bought two 62 Chrysler 300H letter cars. One is restorable, but the other one was too far gone to save. I hate to see a rare Chrysler letter car get scrapped, so I was determined to get any and all useable parts off the car before it goes to the junkyard.

First I removed the front end to make it easier to pull the 413 big block and the 727 transmission. After that was out I removed everything from the engine bay and firewall, to include the inner fenders. Next I removed all the chrome trim and badging from the car along with the bumpers.

I removed the doors and all the glass, and then I removed the entire interior, to include the dashboard.

I removed the deck lid and hinges. By the time I finished all that was left was a shell. I can use some of the parts when I restore the other 300H and sell whatever is leftover.

The only thing left to do is figure out where to put all the parts!

I just purchased two Chrysler letter cars (61 Chrysler 300G & 62 Chrysler 300H) and a 300H parts car, so my car fund is depleted. I hate to do it, but to free up some cash I’m going to cut my one owner 92 Dodge Dakota Warrior.

The Dodge Dakota Warrior was designed to resemble the black Dodge Warlock truck’s of the 70s. There was also a red Dakota to resemble the Lil Red Express truck’s of the 70s. The black Warrior truck’s are more rare than the Lil red Express Dakota truck’s. These special edition Dakota truck’s were intended to be made in 1990 and 1991, however some of the bed conversions were left over and used in 1992 model trucks. It is said that only about 40 of the 1992 conversions were done. Another thing that makes the 1992 model truck’s unique is the magnum 318 V8 used in some of the truck’s.

I bought the Warrior from the original owner who purchased it in 1993 with a 318 magnum engine. It is 100% original from the factory. I have the build sheet and the original pricing from the dealership where the owner purchased it new in 1993.  The truck has 162,000 original miles with a list of all the maintenance that was done on the truck. The clear-coat is peeling off and it could use a paint job. There is no rust except for some surface rust on the roof and there are no dents in the truck. This is a very rare and original 1992 Dodge Dakota Warrior.

i was asking $7,500, but because I need cash to work on the letter cars I’m selling it for $6,000. Try to find another one for sale, you probably won’t see one let alone one for sale. If you are interested in the truck email me at rveducation@aol.com

 

 

 

 

I just spent several months looking for my next restoration project. Some of my all time favorite cars are the Chrysler 300 letter cars. But, even if you find a letter car project they are typically out of my price range. My favorite 300 car is the 61 Chrysler 300G. It was the last of the big fin cars designed by Virgil Exner, and in my opinion it is a beautiful car.

After looking for an affordable 300G project for months I stumbled unto not one, but two 61 Chrysler 300H cars. One was in a restorable condition and the other was a rusted out parts car. I know how much used parts for these cars can cost, so the idea of a part’s car (especially a complete parts car) sounded good. The asking price for both cars was $13,700. I drove to Indiana to look at the cars and after some negotiations got both cars for much less. I brought one back on a trailer and paid $450 to have the second one delivered.

A couple months later I was doing some research on the Chrysler 300 Club website when I ran across an eBay listing for a 61 Chrysler 300G with no reserve. I had enough money in my car fund to restore the H letter car, but now I was seriously considering bidding on my all time favorite 300G. It was an original survivor car with all the documentation from the original owner who purchased the car in 1961.

I decided to place my high bid on EBay and see what happened. As the final seconds ticked down the last bidder stopped bidding one dollar short of my high bid, yes I said one dollar short! I just won one of my favorite cars and it was an original survivor. I paid to have it brought from Florida to North Carolina.

My car fund was completely depleted, but both letter cars (and a parts car) were parked at my shop.

Not only is the 300G in great condition, it is also super rare. All of the letter cars came equipped with tan leather seats, but my 300G has a rare 888 trim code meaning it was a special order car with black leather seats. I have only found a couple other letter cars still in existence with the 888 trim code.

I think the WW1 Alaskan white exterior along with the black interior looks fantastic.

And how could anybody not like the 380 horsepower 413 big block with cross ram induction.

Let the work begin!

Mark Polk

 

 

In the early 90’s Dodge came out with two special edition Dodge Dakota trucks with step-side beds. A company called L.E.R. Industries did the conversions. The step-side beds were constructed out of fiberglass and a product called galvineel was used on the inside of the step-side beds.

These trucks were designed to resemble the popular Li’l Red Express and Dodge Warlock truck’s of the late 70’s. Although the exact number of these special edition Dakota truck’s is not known it is believed that there were less than 500 made.

The Dodge Dakota truck that resembled the black Dodge Warlock truck’s was named Warrior. The black Warrior truck’s are more rare than the Lil red Express Dakota truck’s. These special edition Dakota truck’s were intended to be made in 1990 and 1991, however some of the bed conversions were left over and used in 1992 model trucks. It is said that only about 40 of the 1992 conversions were done. Another thing that makes the 1992 model truck’s unique is the magnum 318 V8 used in some of the truck’s.

I recently found and purchased a one owner 1992 Dodge Dakota Warrior with a 318 magnum engine. It is 100% original from the factory. I have the build sheet and the original pricing from the dealership where the owner purchased it new in 1993.  The truck has 162,000 original miles with a list of all the maintenance that was done on the truck. The clear-coat is peeling off and it could use a paint job. There is no rust except for some surface rust on the roof and there are no dents in the truck. This is a very rare and original 1992 Dodge Dakota Warrior.

If anybody is interested in purchasing the truck you can contact me at mark@rveducation101.

When I went to look at and eventually purchase the 65 Coronet 500 I did not expect it to be a running car. As a matter of fact no vehicle I ever restored to date had a perfectly running engine when I started the restoration. So it was a big plus when the owner told me the 426 street wedge not only runs, but runs really good. He said he removed the valve covers and the top of the heads looked brand new and it was easy to see all the new gaskets and gasket sealer at all the seams in the engine. This alone will save me thousands of dollars in machine work, parts and rebuilding this big block engine.

The biggest problem these 426 street wedge engines had was an inadequate intake manifold and an undersized carburetor. My plan for the engine is to get a better breathing intake manifold, larger CFM carburetor, and possibly a mild camshaft grind, we’ll see. I would like to get the horse power in the 375 to 390 range. I will keep the original parts as well.

The interior of the car is in terrible condition and needs total restoration, to include all new floorboards. What is nice is there are aftermarket parts available for the Coronet like complete floorboard sets, OEM matching seat covers and more. It’s a job removing the old floorboards and welding in the new ones, but having replacements available that are equivalent to the original makes the job much easier and a better looking end product too.

When I restored my 71 Dodge Power Wagon there were no aftermarket parts so you had to locate used parts all over the country and recondition everything. A lot of the Coronet parts are not available either, and if you are lucky enough to find used parts in good condition you will pay a pretty penny for them.

 

There are other modifications I can make to upgrade the Coronet, like front disc brakes and a rebuilt steering gear box to help improve the driving and handling. When I restore a vehicle it is so I can drive the vehicle, so any suspension, braking, or steering upgrades are beneficial.

The Coronet is in a much better condition starting out then the 71 Power Wagon was so once I get into the restoration project it should go smoothly.

Mark Polk

Auto Education 101

 

When I purchase a classic vehicle with plans to restore it I like to learn as much history about the vehicle as I can. When I say history I mean historical data about the year, make and model and history of where it originated and who owned the car. Sometimes it is difficult to get this information.

When I got the 65 Coronet home I found part of the original broadcast sheet. A broadcast sheet was used on the assembly line so workers knew how the car would be built and equipped. There were usually several broadcast sheets throughout the assembly process and sometimes you will find one (or more) tucked away in different places in the car. It might be under a front seat, above the glove box or like in my case located in the springs behind the back seat. Only about half of the broadcast sheet survived, but it’s pretty amazing any of it was there seeing as how the back window was out of the car for quite some time.

I could not get any information from the broadcast sheet, but I am glad to have what is there. Chrysler has a historical services department and you can write to them and request the build card for your vehicle. All you need to do is show proof of ownership. They have microfilm records on most cars up to 1967 models. You send a check and they make a copy of the build card and send it back to you. When I got mine they apologized for it not being very clear, and they even sent my check back. I was able to verify everything I thought to be true about the car. It was a 65 coronet 500 and it did leave the factory with a 426 street wedge engine and 727 transmission.

Something else they told me was the original selling dealer was Lynn Cooper Inc. in Clinton SC. When I bought the car the owner, who lived in NC, told me he saw an ad for a tractor in SC and when he went to look at the tractor the family had the 65 Coronet 500. They told him the previous owner started restoring the car and then got sick and passed away. The man I bought it from purchased the tractor and the car. This guy builds 426 hemi cars and he needed some money to buy a 70 Cuda body from a junkyard so he sold the Coronet to me.

I thought it was interesting that we traced its roots back to SC and just for the heck of it I searched the internet for the original selling dealer. Turns out Cooper Motors is still in business after 70 years. Lynn Cooper senior started the dealership in 1938 and passed it on to Lynn Cooper Jr. in 1956 who in turn passed it on to third generation Lynn “Chip” Cooper III who still runs the dealership today. I wrote to the dealership and told them I thought it would be cool if they had a dealership badge that I could put on the deck lid after the car is restored. They immediately got in contact with me and said they were sending a package with several different badges to choose from.

Knowing the history of a vehicle makes you feel more attached to the vehicle. I have to finish a Jeep CJ7 restoration project I am currently working on then I can turn my attention to the 1965 Dodge Coronet 500. I can’t wait and I will do the owner who started the restoration proud!

Mark Polk

Auto Education 101

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