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Engine differences - 1955 Dodge
I have a '55 Dodge with a 270 Poly engine, V8. From time to time, I see parts listed for a 1955 Dodge, 273 V8 engine. What's the difference in engines? I think the hemi is a 305 or something similar.
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as far as i know, they made a 276 hemi, and a 277 "A" engine. the only 273 ive heard of is a "LA" but that dont mean nuthin.
heres another question to add to yours. Whats the difference between a red ram (241,270,315,326) and the "A"(277,301,303,313,318,326)? |
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The 270 and the 273 have nothing in common. The 270 is a polyspheric engine, the low buck alternative to the Hemi, but the 273 is a totally different design, sharing parts with the '67 and later 318, the 340, and the 360. As far as I know, the Red Ram engines were all Hemis, whereas the others were ployspheric engines.
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Didnt the 318 Poly and the LA engines use the same crank. I thought you could interchange them? The 276 was a Hemi engine. It was used in DeSoto's and possibly others. I had one in my 52 Firedome 8.
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Here is some info from Chrysler History:
There are three engines used in the 55 Dodges - the Getaway Six, the Red Ram V8, and the super Red Ram V8. The flathead six displaces 230 cubic inches and is found only in the Coronet six cylinder models. The Red Ram V8 is a polysphere (single rocker shaft) and is used in the Coronet V8 and Royal series as standard equipment. The Super Red Ram V8 displaces 270 cubic inches (like the Red Ram V8) and has hemispherical combustion chambers. This engine has double rocker shafts and old timers call it the "double rocker" instead of the more familiar "Hemi." The Hemi is standard on all Custom Royal series and is optional on all Coronet V8 and Royal series cars. The two V8s share many internal components, and will accept manifolds and other components from the 53 and 54 Dodge Hemi of 241 cubic inch displacement. I rest my case. |
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well, he has a poly 270, whats the difference between a poly 270 and a poly 277??? are parts interchangable?
he he, look what i started. |
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So, further searching turned up this write up from a man named Bill Watson: The poly head first appeared in 1955, with Plymouth using Dodge's 241-cid (3.44" / 3.25") block with different heads. Dodge, meanwhile, bored its engine from 3.44" to 3.63" for 270 cid. In mid-year Plymouth bored the 241 to 3.56" for 260 cid. Plymouth used the 270 with poly heads in 1956, but replaced it with a new 277 engine, the first A block. It shared little with the Dodge V8 and came only as a poly. The early hemi heads will not fit on the A block. So, the 303-cid V8 was used, based on the 277 V8 block, with the 3.75" bore replaced by a 3.81" bore. The adoption of the 277 size over the 270 reduced costs - they could share crankshafts and piston rods. Chrysler also offered a poly head engine in 1955 on the Windsor, using a small bore version of the 331 (3.63" vs 3.81") for 300 cid. The Windsor never came with a hemi engine, using poly heads through 1958. The A engine was built through 1967, actually, with 1966 being the last year in the U.S. and 1967 in Canada. The US-built 1967 LA 318 has engine number prefix C318 while the Canadian 1967 poly A 318 has engine prefix CC318. (The "C" stands for the 1967 model year while the second "C" for the poly stands for Canada) There, ya happy? |
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well, all i can say is dodge had a ford moment back then (made lots of non interchangable engines) glad they got over it.
also, plymouth/dodge/chrysler/desoto were different companies competing with each other (like GM) probably why. |
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Dick, im always happy! aint ya figured that out yet? |
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Today, Some, if not all Chrysler dealers handle Dodge and some have the Jeep too. |
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Okay, the Dodge 241 Red Ram was a Hemi, I know that for certain. The 350, however, wasn't a poly; it was a "B" engine, produced for 1958 only and used in Dodge, Plymouth, and DeSoto cars, but not Chryslers, since they were in the last year of the Hemi. Dick: the reason that Plymouths were sold along with Dodge, Chrysler, and DeSoto cars was because Walter Chrysler realized that Plymouth was going to be the company's saving grace, given both the Depression and the Airflow debacle. He ordered the Plymouth line sold alongside the others. It seems that the marriage of the Plymouth and DeSoto lines was among the most short lived; I rarely see any merchandise with the two together.
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cool! history lessons! Thanks guys!
so, red ram was "dodges engines"? they included hemi, poly, and wedge? |
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Yes, the Red Ram name seems to have been applied to whatever the "hot" engine setup was, specifically in the D500 package.
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Hey, Custom880
I just found a 53 DeSoto here in town with no rust holes, straight, no bondo, Hemi, 2-speed auto, four doors, and restorable interior for 800 bucks. All the brightwork and trim is on the car save for one door handle, and the hood ornament is rotted. If you are interested, shout back. :-) PCRMike
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I think the Dodge 241 and the 270 are low deck motors. The 315 and
325 are raised deck. The 325 is the same as a 315 with a larger bore. I believe the 325 Dodge has a square bore/stroke. I believe you can not convert a Dodge Poly motor to a hemi. DeSoto 276 and 291 are low deck, I believe the 330, 341 and 345 are tall deck. The Adventurer motor is overlooked, it actually achieve 1 hp per inch with hardly any recognition. During these years the DeSoto V8 has the distrinction of always being a hemi. I think the first run of Plymouth V8s might have been a variant of the Dodge poly. Which brings up a question, how do you identify the displacement of a Chrysler spitfire motor ? I often come across the Spitfire motors, heads for a 354 Hemi are also not hard to find. I have heard that the intake manifold and pistons are the parts needed to convert a Spitfire to a 354 Hemi. Has anyone here created a Hemi from a Spitfire short block? |
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