Not to hijack the original question, but here is a parallel thought I've question I've had in mind for a while.
Why did Chevrolet opt to stay with the low-pressure/ babbit bearing 216/235 for so many years?
Conventional wisdom, both today and apparently at the time....seems to be that full pressure oiling and insert bearings were "better" from a user and maintenance perspective. Both of those features, in one form or another, were common several years before Chevy retired the engine and moved on to the full-pressure design.
Was it purely cost avoidance? Or was there some other motive? Did the 216 hold some little-known advantage over other engine designs of the period?
