58coupe - 2017-06-02 9:49 AM

That,s a beautiful car. The Dodge Regent is actually built on the Plymouth body with a Dodge front end. That is how it was done in Canada for many years. Not an expert on Canadian built cars but it is most likely a 230 c.u. 6. No reason to run high octane gas, it was designed to run on regular. The bypass oil filter uses a cartridge, (Wix 51004 or equivalent) you could adapt a spin on but it would still be a bypass filter that filters some of the oil at a time. It is better than no filter at all. Since your engine is broken in, you don't have to run the high zinc oil but it won't hurt. Looking at the engine picture again, it might be a throw away oil filter where you change the complete canister. Not sure where to get that style but I would change it at every oil change.

imopar380 - 2017-06-02 11:45 AM

Nice car!! There is no need to use a lead additive to the gas, however you should try and use Ethanol free gas if you can find it. In BC we have CO-OP gas stations and their 91 Octane is ethanol free. Otherwise Chevron 94 Octane is ethanol free. but it's even more expensive. The heads/valves on these old flathead Mopar engines had hardened seats so there is no danger with using unleaded gas in them. However ethanol can eat away at your whole fuel system - perishes rubber and eats away at the carb and fuel lines.

DepsilonD - 2017-06-02 11:58 AM

Great car! Looks like a lot of your questions were answered. I have a '56 Dodge (U.S.) and a '56 Plymouth so I can help with some of the stuff. You can install a new duel pot master cylinder from a '60's Mopar with ease. There are also disc brake kits available from several companies including Rusty Hope, ECI, AAJ, and I think Scare Bird if you want to got that way. Since your car is mostly '56 Plymouth by U.S. standards, here is a link to that service manual: http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/servicemanuals/1955_1956_Plymouth_...

And are far as trans fluid, most use Dex/Merc III. No real quirks to speak of in the engine bay . . . these cars seem to run forever. Just watch for transmission leaks which can be common from a few locations. And it looks like your cigarette lighter is missing in the interior . . . . make sure you get one from a '56 Plymouth to match the rest of the interior knobs.

-Dave

56D500boy - 2017-06-02 12:01 PM

Very nice car. You're lucky to have purchased it. (I would have been all over it, had I not already bought a 1956 American Dodge Custom Royal).

I had a 1955 Dodge Regent in Saskatchewan in high school and university. It was a flat-head 6 with 3 on the tree. My uncle who was a warehouseman at Chrysler Canada in Regina had a 1955 Dodge Mayfair 2 door hardtop with the V8 and automatic. (I guess Canadian Regents were 6's, Mayfairs V8s).

As suggested the Canadian 55 and 56 (and later) Dodges were built on the smaller US Plymouth chassis, except for the front end, which was all Dodge.

The Canadian flathead sixes were always larger than the equivalent US application:

Dave F. in New Westminster BC

My future 1955 Regent in 1960 when I was just 9 years old (I'm the little kid in the red sweater on the wooden trestle with my older sister in the white jacket, Mar/April 1960):

Powerflite - 2017-06-02 11:26 PM

Nice plan. I put a Chrysler hemi into my '56 Plymouth too. You can check it out here:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=13584&...

And here:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=57904&...

Thank you. Funny, I had actually read both of these threads before as I was researching the project. Great info and if you don't mind...you'll probably be getting some PM's from me in the future with questions.

Did you ever install the 392 in the car? Not sure if I am doing something wrong on this forum but I only ever seem to get 1 page of info. Does your second thread have more than 1 page? Thanks again. John

Edited by Kmrumedy 2017-06-03 5:50 AM