Thread: Dodge Defender Jeep ??

Many of the later Chrysler side valve sixes sold here into the 1950's were known as the Dodge Kew after the London UK plant. From memory Kew was either a casting mark or part of the engine number. There was a 16' skiff boat racing class that mandated the use of the Kew engine like Formula Vee and Formula Ford. There once was quite a lot of speed equipment available for them notably from Frank Kleinig. Lots on the internet about Chrysler flatheads.

Here is a link.

Chrysler flathead engine - Wikipedia

The Kew Dodges were indeed made in UK , Essentially the same engine as our 25" head model, and a 'kew' prefix on the engine number. The Kew Dodge has no resemblance to the USA dodge and also known as the Parrot Nose due to the beaked bonnet.

KEW engines also found their way into local Fargos & Australian Canadian Dodges.

Typically British styling

Also the Dodge Sidevalve Engine was still being made well into the 1970's for use in Combine Harvesters, gen-sets and Aircraft Tugs !

I love the concept, saw a 109 wagon body on a V8 D4 chassis for sale in the states. The exterior was essentially styled as a defender but with the full D4 interior and tech - just as LR should have built except with a TDV6.

Just picked my engine up from rebuilders. Woo Hoo.

3 new sleeves, .020 pistons & rings, .020 under mains & conrod bearings , resized bigends, crank ground, replace cam bearings, SBC inlet valves , ( orig Ex valves were fine) linished lifters, new camchain & oil pump . Acid bath and decked block , crack tested and surfaced head. Good for another 70 years.

One of the things I always noticed about those old American flatheads is the cups for the spark plus - to collect the dirt , water, stray nuts, etc and funnel them into the cylinder when you take the plug out!

(Possibly originally intended as priming cups - put a spoonful of petrol in each cup, loosen the plug to let it in, tighten, and then crank.)

I have run across the issue of a foot pedal operated starter set for LHD before, but I can't remember what it was on. Possibly on a 1930s ute that a cousin of mine had in the fifties, which may have been a Dodge........

As a kid I remember them being on old gun carriers from WW11, many cockys bought them cheaply. I used to have to stand up to drive one.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

One of the things I always noticed about those old American flatheads is the cups for the spark plus - to collect the dirt , water, stray nuts, etc and funnel them into the cylinder when you take the plug out!

(Possibly originally intended as priming cups - put a spoonful of petrol in each cup, loosen the plug to let it in, tighten, and then crank.)

Sunken spark plug ports just like a landrover 2.0l motor..... You never know what dirt lurks in the bottom of them, ready to drop into cylinder when you remove the plug.