1958 Dodge Coronet

[tonysrt]

I was 12 years old when the B motor came out so I really didn't follow what was going into what. I had a 58 Fury with the 350 and I thought I read somewhere that 350's were Plymouth and 361 in the Dodge because it was more upscale. As usual with Chrysler anything goes

 

[matthon]

1958 350 B engine was a 1 year only engine.

 

[matthon]

Might add a half quart of Rislone to loosen and clean out the sludge.

And run it, or prime it?

I posted on the Forward Look FB page.

Some say remove the rocker shafts and clean everything out, but a few chimed in that the shaft bolts, especially the ones that also have the valve cover studs, are fragile and unobtainium.

At least half used a completely different engine as their example, and the few have the same/similar poly, so I think I'll try the other suggestion, some kind of additive and rotate the engine while priming.

Additives included Seafoam/oil, MMO/oil, diesel/oil, or just straight diesel.

The 50/50 mix crowd was also 50/50 on manually rotating the engine vs putting it back together, pour oil over the rockers, and run it to get heat into it as well.

I think I'll try manually rotating first, but I also believe heat would be a big benefit.

 

[khryslerkid]

And run it, or prime it?

I posted on the Forward Look FB page.

Some say remove the rocker shafts and clean everything out, but a few chimed in that the shaft bolts, especially the ones that also have the valve cover studs, are fragile and unobtainium.

At least half used a completely different engine as their example, and the few have the same/similar poly, so I think I'll try the other suggestion, some kind of additive and rotate the engine while priming.

Additives included Seafoam/oil, MMO/oil, diesel/oil, or just straight diesel.

The 50/50 mix crowd was also 50/50 on manually rotating the engine vs putting it back together, pour oil over the rockers, and run it to get heat into it as well.

I think I'll try manually rotating first, but I also believe heat would be a big benefit.

I think you got the right idea. Priming it first to see if you can get any oil up to the rockers would be my first choice. Adding a half to a quart of Rislone will help break down the hardened sludge.

It's a crap shoot when you don't know the engines history. Why did the previous owner park it? Was there a problem with the engine?

I had a customer once who had an AMC 258 six cylinder. The rockers weren't getting oil and they were rattling and squeaking. She only made short trips with it to take care of her mom everyday. The engine never had time to warm up and it was full of crusty gunk.

I removed the rocker shaft and ran a wire down the oil passage. Even used an old speedometer cable. Still couldn't get any oil up there. I put the rocker back on, added a quart of Rislone to the crankcase, fired it up and just let it idle. A couple of minutes later there was oil running everywhere. Another minute or two there was a rod knocking and it kept getting louder! I had to drain all the oil, use 20w50w and a can of STP to quiten it down. I told her what happened and explained why things went the way it did.

You never know what you're going to get

 

[matthon]

Why did the previous owner park it? Was there a problem with the engine?

Guy I bought it from bought it in 1990 as a 'just in case' parts car for another car that needs nothing. He never started it, put it in storage.
Prior to him, it was fully serviced in 1990, still has the 1990 new parts on it, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, water pump, etc.

It turned when I got it home, plugs were fine, no rust, but I filled the cylinders with MMO anyway and left it sitting for a few months. After that, when I first cranked it, MMO shot out of every plug hole.

I put a rebuilt 4 barrel on it, new battery cables, cleaned the points, and it fired up.
I didn't see oil at the rockers asap and shut it down.

It has great compression and I don't want to risk it, so I'm trying to play it safe.

 

[matthon]

And, a year and a day later, the car next to it:

 

[matthon]

 

[moparedtn]

I'm another big fan of the late 50's forward look cars, Dodges in particular.
Yes, they're well known to rust - but man, when they're right, they're glorious beasts.
Looking forward to seeing this one get its' just due!

 

[matthon]

On the road!

 

[toolmanmike]

On the road!

Love it.

 

[khryslerkid]

On the road!

She reminds me of my daughter when she was her age. Likes cars and is a Straight Shooter!

 

[matthon]

Got windshield installed, it's not tinted like the rest of the glass, but it's barely a 2 model year piece, new ones are big $ and they don't have the correct 'bulge,' and it was $75 with other parts!

 

[matthon]

Received the dual exhaust from Waldron.
Installation will come later.

 

[matthon]

The plan is to dive into this car within the next few months.
Someone posted a comment on the youtube that it reminded them of a 50s nascar.

I was surprised when I realized, over time, this comment has sunk deep into my brain.

Found 2 pics today of what I believe is a 57 D-501, hardtop no less, black/silver roof no less even more.

Been thinking on doing an old old school nascar vibe.

This car is not getting a restoration or fancy paint. It is getting the rust fixed and a cheapo homemade paint job, whether that's spray gun or cans.

As close to original as possible, charcoal grey, silver roof/trunk/fins.

And either my crappy Cragar GTs, or my shiny ones pictured below, possibly with spinners.

What say you?

 

[matthon]

Good or bad, love it or hate it, this is getting rattle can primer/paint.
Once it gets some dignity back in the looks department, two tone color, trim, emblems, mirrors, etc., it needs everything else to make it roadworthy and safe.
It's the everything else I want to spend the time, energy, and $ on, as that will get us to our main goal of having a reliable, safe, 1958 Coronet 2-door hardtop back on the road.

 

[matthon]

Rattle can redo is chugging along, and it looks a gagillion times better already.

 

[#41]

I sure do appreciate your taste in cars Other than the B-bodies, I have a 60 Plymouth Suburban and my current project is a 57 Dodge Coronet.