From: Kenny J.
Email: kjosephson@sprintmail.com
Date: December 12, 2001
You're in luck, Brian. I just uncrated a running '57 Flathead for use in my '59. I plan to clean it up before installing it into my wagon. I will look for any evidence of a VIN stamping. I know my '68 Charger R/T had part of the VIN stamped into the tranny casting and a couple of other places. I can also check my shop manual and see if it indicates whether or not the VIN is stamped on a '57's engine. My first question is, what is most important to you? If keeping your car as a matching numbers car is the most important, then rebuild the original engine and reinstall it. Second question........do you have another car to drive while your '57 is out of service? If so, and if you want originality, simply pull the original engine and send it to the shop without installing the spare used engine. Why pull engines twice within a short period of time? If originality isn't an issue with you, and both engines need a rebuild, then go with the best block, head, crank, rods, etc. to build the best engine possible. If the spare engine is in good shape, I suppose you could run it until it's tired and then reinstall the freshly rebuilt original engine. My original '59 Flathead was on its second rebuild when it spun a rod bearing. It is .060 over and always ran a tad bit warm, so I'm sticking with my '57 engine for now (I may go to a 318 or 440 someday.) Besides, somewhere along the way, my original '59 engine picked up an intake/exhaust manifold set from a '60 Dodge truck, a mid '50 Plymouth's coil mount and other odds and ends. It's not like I'm altering an unmolested car.
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