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Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer
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Mac
Posted 2021-04-14 6:06 AM (#611007)
Subject: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer


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Posts: 5

Hello everyone!

My brother bought a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer mid 2019 and I have been trying to help him find some info on the car cause it has been modded and repainted several times through the years and we can't find any plates on the car except for the vin.
From what I have found on this forum so far it might never have been any other plates since the vin of the car is 34749915 ?
It was sold new in Sweden in may 1955 and the original papers from the sale still exist but they doesn't have any info on the color, trim, engine or anything so I'm wondering if there is any way that we can find out more info on the car?

Someone might be able to help me with what distributor supposed to be in the car, it seem to be a 270 poly in the car right now but the wrong distrbutor cause it's spinning the wrong way for the vaccuum to work.
I'll put an image of the distributor that is in the car right now.

Edit: Added a pic of the engine if that helps.

Regards Markus

Edited by Mac 2021-04-14 7:37 AM




(Dist.jpg)



(eng.jpg)



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Attachments Dist.jpg (249KB - 212 downloads)
Attachments eng.jpg (228KB - 208 downloads)
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56D500boy
Posted 2021-04-14 12:10 PM (#611019 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: RE: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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Welcome to the forum Markus. If you are in Sweden, there are a few Swedes here already and they might be able to help you more directly.

Regarding the cowl data plate, apparently they were NOT used until after about June 1955. Anything before that, no plate (other than the VIN number).

56D500boy - 2020-10-28 8:36 AM.
I knew that I had read this in Mike Petersen's 1955 Dodge "book" but I couldn't find it until this AM:
"From my observations not all (1955 Dodge) cars were equipped with a paint/trim plate. Observations indicate that paint/trim plates were first used (on Detroit built-55 Dodges) between: 05/26/55 - 06/22/55 and on to the end of production for Detroit".


To get the paint and trim codes without a data plate, you would have to contact Chrysler Historical and they are shut down right now due to Covid.

As for the distributor, 1689 319 seems to be from a later (1957) Dodge (D66, D67, D70, D71) (your brother's car is a D55) (1956 = D62 or D63). That said, from what I can see, the vacuum pot on the distributor is sitting correctly to pull the distributor plate towards advance. The engine rotation is clockwise looking from the front. The distributor rotation is clockwise from above.

There is something weird going on with the valve cover that I can see. The shape is wrong and there are too many bolts going through it. There should only be 2 bolts (see photo below).

See if you can find the engine number which is stamped on the flat part of the block at the front of the engine, in front of the valley cover, in the area to the driver's side of the oil filler/breather tube.

If you find the number, post back and we might be able to help you figure this out.





(1955-dodge-coronet_EngineBay_2.jpg)



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Powerflite
Posted 2021-04-14 3:46 PM (#611030 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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The valve covers are for a '57-'58 325 motor. Definitely check the stamped engine number at the top to see if someone transplanted something in there.
That distributor won't work in a 270 motor directly. It would be too long, so either someone shortened the shaft on it, or this motor is really a 325 from '57.
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56D500boy
Posted 2021-04-14 3:55 PM (#611034 - in reply to #611030)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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Powerflite - 2021-04-14 12:46 PM
The valve covers are for a '57-'58 325 motor. Definitely check the stamped engine number at the top to see if someone transplanted something in there.
That distributor won't work in a 270 motor directly. It would be too long, so either someone shortened the shaft on it, or this motor is really a 325 from '57.


That would make sense, a 57 Dodge 325 Distributor on a 57 Dodge 325 engine. Besides the engine number, the other 325 "tell" would be if the water pump had a pentagram type flange base, with 5 bolts instead of the 4 bolt style of the 270 and 315.

Like this one on a 1957 325 Double-rocker "hemi":



Instead of this 4 bolt style:

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Mac
Posted 2021-04-14 4:36 PM (#611038 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer


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Posts: 5

We will have to look into the engine number.
Is there any way to rebuild the distributor wrong cause the vacuum retards the timing instead of advancing it but it runs fine with it disconnected.
He bought a NOS Auto-Lite IAZ-4003-c Dual point distributor in the belief that it would fit the engine but the shaft on it was too long so it didn't fit, wouldn't that have been too short if it had been a 325 then?

Thank you all very much for the help
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Powerflite
Posted 2021-04-14 4:52 PM (#611039 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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That's very confusing because that IAZ-4003C distributor is made for the 270, 259 motor, which has the shorter shaft on it. If that one was too long, it doesn't make any sense at all.
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Mac
Posted 2021-04-14 6:03 PM (#611042 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer


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Posts: 5

Yes it's very strange.
Is there any way that former owners could have rebuilt the distributor wrong since the vacuum retards timing? Is it possible to put the arm from the pot to the plate in the wrong place so that it pulls it in the wrong direction?

Edited by Mac 2021-04-14 6:04 PM
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Powerflite
Posted 2021-04-14 6:17 PM (#611043 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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We are unable to help you remotely. You'll need to dig into it and take some pictures so we can see what's going on. Take some pictures of the motor with the distributor out too. There are plenty of ways to do things wrong, but generally, the way the vacuum angles on the distributor ensures that it goes in the right direction - unless you connect it to a pressure port.

Edited by Powerflite 2021-04-14 6:20 PM
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Powerflite
Posted 2021-04-14 6:28 PM (#611044 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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Keep in mind that the vacuum advance, advances the timing at idle with high vacuum. As you rev the motor up, you lose vacuum and the ignition gets retarded. This is normal and desired.
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56D500boy
Posted 2021-04-14 7:56 PM (#611047 - in reply to #611042)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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Mac: You need to check which engine is actually in the car. Here is a photo showing the location of the engine number relative to the location of the lifter gallery/valley cover and the oil filler/breather location. Your number might be KDS-nnnnnn

Also check for the shape and number of bolts for the water pump. 5 = 325 , 4 = 270 (or 315)



Edited by 56D500boy 2021-04-14 9:41 PM
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Mac
Posted 2021-04-26 6:44 AM (#611444 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer


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Posts: 5

Due to the car being away at a shop doing repairs on brakes nd other stuff I couldn't get any pictures but the guy gave me the numbers on the engine that says D55-39594 if that makes any sense.
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Powerflite
Posted 2021-04-26 11:02 AM (#611445 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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D553 is a 270 Dodge motor from 1955. So the 270 distributor should have worked on it.
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56D500boy
Posted 2021-04-26 1:28 PM (#611450 - in reply to #611445)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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Powerflite - 2021-04-26 8:02 AM
D553 is a 270 Dodge motor from 1955. So the 270 distributor should have worked on it.


So those 325 Poly valve covers are a "red herring"? (I'm a bit surprised that they fit - but it might explain the extra hold-down bolts)

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Mac
Posted 2021-04-26 7:15 PM (#611457 - in reply to #611445)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer


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Posts: 5

Powerflite - 2021-04-26 5:02 PM

D553 is a 270 Dodge motor from 1955. So the 270 distributor should have worked on it.


Thanks for the help, now atleast we know that it's the right block and we will have to take a closer look at the distributor when he gets the car back from the shop.

What is the difference on the 57 block since it uses a longer shaft on the distributor?
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Powerflite
Posted 2021-04-26 8:07 PM (#611458 - in reply to #611007)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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The 315 & 325 Dodge use a longer stroke crankshaft, and also raise the top of the block higher to accommodate the larger stroke. As such, it is called a raised block engine. And thus it needs a longer shaft on the distributor. And the intake manifolds don't interchange between the 270 and 315 because of it either.
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56D500boy
Posted 2021-04-26 8:51 PM (#611460 - in reply to #611458)
Subject: Re: Some help with a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer



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Powerflite - 2021-04-26 5:07 PM
The 315 & 325 Dodge use a longer stroke crankshaft, and also raise the top of the block higher to accommodate the larger stroke. As such, it is called a raised block engine. And thus it needs a longer shaft on the distributor. And the intake manifolds don't interchange between the 270 and 315 because of it either.


The details about the change in stroke and deck heights between the 270 and 315/325 are in this table about double-rocker engines but the details would apply to the polyspherical engines as well:





Edited by 56D500boy 2021-04-26 8:52 PM
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