'59 Plymouth Forum

Guys and gals,
I have a problem and am looking to someone to solve it. Our '59 Sport Fury convettible, undergonig a body-off restoration, has a rebuilt "Poly" 318 from a '66 Dodge donor car and the rebuilt original 3-speed TorqueFlite. The bell housing of the transmission won't bolt to the rear of the donor block. Is anyone w/i driving distance of Delaware who has a 318 and a TorqueFilte which my MOPAR mechanic and I may inspect? Is there an adapter plate between the block and the bell housing, allowing the '66 engine to bolt to the '59 transmission? My best information is all "Poly" 318 engines through 1966 are the same, and any TorqueFlite should mate with the block.
I await your response(s).

wuzfuz wrote:Guys and gals,
I have a problem and am looking to someone to solve it. Our '59 Sport Fury convettible, undergonig a body-off restoration, has a rebuilt "Poly" 318 from a '66 Dodge donor car and the rebuilt original 3-speed TorqueFlite. The bell housing of the transmission won't bolt to the rear of the donor block. Is anyone w/i driving distance of Delaware who has a 318 and a TorqueFilte which my MOPAR mechanic and I may inspect? Is there an adapter plate between the block and the bell housing, allowing the '66 engine to bolt to the '59 transmission? My best information is all "Poly" 318 engines through 1966 are the same, and any TorqueFlite should mate with the block.
I await your response(s).

Wish I could help, Barry -- but Faulkner doesn't make those distances these days. I'm going to forward your inquiry to Ed Eckerson, he may know the answer to your question.

Dan

This is the type of information I have resisted absorbing. Although the 318s are essentially the same thru the years, Mother Mopar eliminated the parking brake feature from the tailshaft of the transmission by 1963, and the transmissions changed from cast iron to aluminum case. If I read your post correctly, you are trying to mate a '66 318 to a '59 Torqueflite, so you can keep the pushbutton tranny and the parking brake set up. I believe there is an adapter plate available.
There are several "motorheads" on the ForwardLook website (www.forwardlook.net) who can answer your technical questions. I will contact them for you.
Roger

Sorry to have to tell you this, but you have the newer bellhousing engine. That happened in 1962. The flywheel and bellhousing changed in that year. You need to do one of 2 things. Get an older engine, or get an adapter and a newer tranny. I have an adapter if you choose to go that route.

this information is not for me, but for a Guest who wrote into the 59SportFury website.
I do not know how to cut and paste your reply, nor can I figure out how to contact you privately, so I reply to you here. If you have the needed adapter plate, tell me your price and I will pass it on, or get onto the SF site and contact the needy party.
Thanks

ORRRR<! I see you are already here..so sorry, I have my kid with me and a million things on my mind and I obviously am not paying attention. I am sure the Guest will read your reply, as you have directed it to him.
Roger

WOOPS!!
My first thought is,,,are you sure its a POLY 318??????????

Also by 66 there were other small blocks like a 273.
For some reason I DONT THINK it had the same bolt pattern.

Can you send a pic of the 318?

The poly's last year was 66. 67 was the first of the LA, unless you lived in Canada, and then you got the poly for one more. If you indeed have a 66 poly, you will need an adaptor to put it on your 59 Trans. I have one. I paid 350 bucks for it. I would like to get somewhere around 250 for it.

safetymike1977 wrote:The poly's last year was 66. 67 was the first of the LA, unless you lived in Canada, and then you got the poly for one more. If you indeed have a 66 poly, you will need an adaptor to put it on your 59 Trans. I have one. I paid 350 bucks for it. I would like to get somewhere around 250 for it.

Mike, do you mean the '59 cast iron TF will work with a '66 318, if you have the adapter plate?

Dan

Sorry... the old 318 will work with the newer 727s.....


But.. the more I think about it... couldn't you adapt hot head's design the other way, ya think?