Lookey what I got for a project!! (Hyfire Poly!)

After chasing Hemis all over the Pacific NW for the past month, I finally got my motor and I love it. I went to go look at a Poly motor we thought was a 55 Red Ram... and it turns out it was a 55 Plymouth Hyfire 260 Poly. What luck! Not only is it very cool, unique block, but it's a Plymouth... and it'll fit right into my 49 Special Deluxe's engine bay. Now all I have to do is tear it all apart and completely rebuild it... but I have my 9 year old excited about working in the garage with dad, so this is a good thing. Take a peek at how cool those valve covers are! I'm going to have so much fun sticking this pup into my little box!

Pics -
1. cool valve covers
2. dual point ignition (original)
3. future home (evicting the flathead 6)
4. snarly old torque converter

 

awesome! ive never seen valve covers like that, cool looking engine for sure!

 

glad your happy with it pete. I had no idea that was a plymouth block.

Glad to see it go to a good home.

 

Marty,

Figured it out today when I went hunting for a "P27-XXXXX" casting number. Well... it's a 55 Plymouth! That's even better, 'cuz it keeps "Big Blue" all Plymouth, instead of just all MOPAR! Thanks again for helping me rassle it into the garage. I'll be like a kid at Christmas when I figure out how to get the darned torque converter off the back!

 

I have one of those in my garage for "Someday" I did get cheap chrome valve covers and a valley cover on Ebay

 

Use a long wrench to get the nuts off the backside of the crank flange. If you haven't already, check out scooter's Hemi tech index. All the Hemi block tricks work on the Poly.

 

They are great, super reliable motors.... Share a bunch of semi-easy to find Hemi parts since they are based off the Dodge RedRams. Good luck!

Hyfire

 

You can build some serious horsepower with those.

 

Interesting build project would be a 259 Poly, a 259 converted to Hemi, & a 260 Ford. See how they compare when using simular build specs. Techichally the Plym is a 259!

 

Love it!!! That thing is very cool!!!

See? Everything happens for a reason!

 

George - if you can get a wrench in that narrow little space to get the flywheel off, you need to change your name to Houdini. I dunno what to do to get this pig off!! Is there a magic bolt I'm missing?? Is it something covered up, or encrusted in gunk that I'm just not seeing? Believe me, I spent 90 minutes going thru Scooter's tech links... but nothing on peeling off an old torque converter that looks like it is one with the flywheel. It's going to be a little hard to get that pig on the stand with that big donut on there!

Scooter?? Hyfire?? Any tips?

(promise to do a tech on it, since I haven't been able to find one)

 

If you are keeping the stock steering box, you are probably going to have to offset the engine to the pass side by about 2 inches. When everything is in it is hardly noticable, but otherwise the drivers side ex manifold will interfere.

 

Hey pete,

When we lifted the motor up, i noticed a recess under the engine, about 4 inches wide. You might have to get under it to get the torqe converter off.

That might give you enough room.

 

Marty - you're a genius! I went out this morning and jacked the motor all the way up on the hoist, and had a look at it from the underside with a good flashlight. That thin, bent up little metal plate that covered the flywheel opening at the bottom was the key. I thought it was part of the starter housing plate, or tucked under the rear lip of the oil pan, but it's separate. I was worried I might have to drop the oil pan to get it off, but after scraping off a pound of undercoating with a putty knife, I found the bolts and wiggled it free. Voila - the narrow, 4" recess at the back, just behind the oil pan, that I need to unbolt the torque converter. Tonight, after work, that bugger's coming off, and I'll take pictures (Scooter - as promised). Thanks again.

 

Plym - have you shoehorned a SB Poly into a P15 or P18 before? It sounds like you may have... in which case any and all info is appreciated. Any pics of how you did it, or any other tips would be awesome!

 

not me but it has been discussed numerous time of the p15 d24 forum. http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/forumdisplay.php?f=2

You might want to check that out, lots of information regarding 40'-early 50's Mopars. The forward Look site is a good resource for Poly engine stuff. You are probably going to need to modify your heater duct also if you are gonna keep it.

The 49's are kinda unique as they share stuff with the later similar models 50-52, but are just enough different to be significant.

 

Torque converters suck to remove, but how about a thread to help you with your Poly performance? I know you'll contribute!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3911032#post3911032

 

It's cool to see these rare and obscure engines come to light.
Something unique.

 

Just FYi a P27 is a 1955 [Belvedere, Plaza and Savoy] and might be a 241 or 259 according to my Hemi Bible. I believe that the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comPlymouth</ST1</st1:City> guys called it a 260. Same engine as the 259 Dodge&#8230;

Even better you can make that thing into a Hemi by replacing the heads up&#8230;
<O
I had a 259 poly in my old Dodge truck that I was going to convert. PM me if you need any parts&#8230;
<O
With all that being said those scalloped valve covers make a kewl looking engine too&#8230;

 

PS...you do not need a different intake if you do a Hemi conversion. Hemi and Poly intakes are the same...

How about a P27 Hemi???

 

Scooter - Installment one of the Hyfire rebuild - Pulling that old, worthless torque converter off -

Following advice from good old Dynaflash, I jacked the motor all the way up on the crane and crawled under it. After scraping off a pound of undercoating that had welded itself to the starter plate, I was able to discern four small bolts holding on an inspection cover. I pulled off the flywheel inspection cover and was finally able to see a way to get at the bolts holding on the flywheel/torque converter. There are 8 (count 'em) 5/8" nuts on the flywheel bolts, and there is JUST enough room to get a wrench in there and break them free. I had to try a bunch of techniques before hitting on one that finally worked. Since the engine turned freely, I was able to loosen one nut at a time, then index the flywheel to bring the next into view for a similar treatment. I tried bracing/pinning the flywheel against a sawhorse (under its own weight) so I could torque off some pretty rusty nuts, but that required raising and lowering the block every time I had to move the flywheel 1/8 of a turn. That got old after 2 nuts, so I decided to just let the motor hang free, bear hug the torque converter to offset my wrench, grunt, and pray the penetrating oil I dribbled in there was working. An hour later, I finally got the torque converter and flywheel off, allowing me to remove the starter plate. Whew! Tomorrow, I lower it down onto the engine stand, bolt it up, and get busy tearing it apart. See the accompanying pics, as all good stories should be accompanied by illustrations!

 

Yes it is, and I have been all over it this evening, looking for pointers. Thanks for the steer!

 

I got the engine on my cheap-ass Harbor Freight stand. It says it's rated to 1000lbs, but the thing is already groaning under the weight and will probably be good for one build, and one build only. What should I expect for $39?? Anyway... I finally had a bit of free time, so I ran out to the garage this morning and got after tearing down the motor. I got the manifold and heads off without any trouble. The valley is hella grungy - Marty said the goop is solidified paraffin from the old motor oil - but it's going to take some serious cleaning to get all that snot out of there! The heads look good, and all the valves work (tapped them to make sure they were free). The pistons don't look bad at all, and the bores caliper our at 3.56", which is dead on for a 1955 260 Hyfire. The poly chambers look pretty neat as well. All the oil is drining out right now, and as soon as I drop the pan, I'll spin her upside down and have a good look at the crank and bearings to see how they are doing!

 

Chally -

Everybody has a darned hemi (not that they aren't good motors)... but they only made the Hyfire 260 Poly motor in ONE YEAR - 1955. This makes it a little obscure, funky, and (in my humble but accurate opinion) very cool. The engine bay in my 49 Plymouth (P-18) is a delicate shade of matte black right now. I intend on taking this little Hyfire block back to its original color - silver - and I have this image of what she'll look like in that black maw. She's gonna shine like a diamond in that dark engine bay, and she may very well be the only one of her type ever to get stuffed into a P-18. So... others may like those hemi valve covers, but there are only a FEW guys around here that dare to run the scalloped valve covers under their hoods! As for the intake, I am currently hunting an Offy model 3372 that will plunk a 3x2 on my block. If that doesn't squeeze a few mor ponies out of her, I don't know what would!

 

Great score man, I never saw that motor before. I'll be watching this one. Congrats and teach the young ones good!!!!!

 

A few more pics of the tear-down. My number one tool and BEvERage fetcher ambled out to check the progress and to see if dad was thirsty (he was!). #1 Son will be helping me put the whole thing back together once I get it all cleaned up and get a rebuild kit for it. I just need to find someone local who can hot tank this puppy (block, heads, oil pan) and get all the old paraffin sludge out of it, and all the undercoating off of it. What a mess! The good news is the bottom end and the timing chain all look to be in good shape. I'll pull the mains tomorrow after I borrow the stamp set from the motor pool at work. I want to mark everything so I can put it back together like it's supposed to go. Yeah, I know the rods are number stamped, but I want to stamp the other stuff to make sure. This is, after all, my first V8 rebuild. The only other engine I have ever rebuilt is an 1100cc 4cyl out of a 1966 Austin Healey, and that was 20 years ago.

 

Darn Hemi engines???

Once you get it in your blood...it is tough to get out!!!

There is nothing wrong with running a poly! In stock form the Hemi is only 10 more horses...

They use the same intakes for both Poly and Hemi flavors. I have a good working 2BBL and that's as hot rod as I'm getting for now...

Offy makes the 4BBL, 2x2, and your 3 duece. I really wanted the 3x2 but the cost of 3 3-bolt carbs is out of my price range. Nothing beats the look!!!

 

WOW! You're makin' some good progress!! Keep the posts coming!!

Careful with that stand! I have a "china freight" stand and I have my block on it right now, but will NOT put heads on the bottom end without reinforcing it! I suggest you do the same or pick up a little nicer stand. You would be pretty heart-broken to come out and see that thing nose first in the pavement. I hear about it happening all the time.

Thanks for posting! Can't wait to see this thing done!!

 

Many years ago I had one of those in a beach buggy. Damned torquey little dudes and carried my ass over a many a very tall dune.

 

Got up at the crack of dawn this morning and tried to get it all the way down to the short block. I pulled all the main bearing caps, unbolted all the connecting rods, and had 1 bolt left - the one holding the timing gear on. I got the impact wrench out to get it off, and the 1-1/4" socket shattered on me the moment I squeezed the trigger. Cheap piece of Harbor Freight junk. I got exactly one bolt off with it, and it shattered on the second bolt. So, partially dismayed, I loaded it in the truck and took it to be hot tanked and magnafluxed. I'll go check on it next week and see how much (if any) machine work it'll need before it goes back together. So... until next Wednesday... no more updates on the Hyfire rebuild.