The 216 in my 51 Canadian GMC has served me well for over 40K miles. Initially I replaced the rings and pistons and installed a completely rebuilt head. The cylinders have significant wear at the top and one cylinder has been honed out some by a previous owner. That cylinder yields quite a bit of piston slap noise. The motor runs well and does not use a lot of oil. However I am planning to eventually do a rebuild and have the block bored. Several times in previous years I have done compression checks. The numbers ranged from 80 to 90 lbs. This year I converted to a 12 volt system keeping the 6 volt starter. So it turns over much quicker. I did a compression check the other day and all the numbers are between 110 and 120 lbs. The only conclusion I can come to is that the compression numbers can be greatly affected by the speed that the starter turns the engine over.


1951 GMC 1 Ton Flatbed -- It is finally on the road and what a great time I have driving it!
1951 1 Ton Completed


My Chevy Master 4 Door is on the Road!