Hello! This is my first post here on Stovebolt. I don't have a truck, I have '41 Chevy coupe that I'm building but the motor will be a 235...and I have been hard pressed to find better forum-based info on these engines anywhere else!
I've read a lot of posts about different cams for the 235, and many say to avoid hydraulic lifters because of the poor quality of presently available parts. I've also read lots of recommendations for cams. Trouble is, nearly every post I land on is at least 10 years old, and the recommendations don't seem to be listed or available anymore.
So here's details about the engine, and then the question...
Engine - 1957 Chevy 235, passenger
Intended build - street engine, with bolt on upgrades (fenton split headers, would like to run an offy tripple 1 barrel manifold)
Looking for nostalgic look and sound, around town drive-ability, will get some highway use but not much.
I pan on ditching the hydraulic lifters (they are worn out) for mechanical. I don't mind mechanical and period adjustment at all, and the original 1941 engine would have been mechanical anyway.
This is not a go-fast build.
Questions
1) Good sources of solid lifters that will let me re-use the existing pushrods?
2) Who makes a decent solid-lifer cam, only present-day list I can find is from Elgin E-293-S
3) I've read about a 261 cam but I can't find a present-day source of an equivalent grind...minor improvement is fine, lumpy cams (for me) is not.
4) I've read a lot about "Patricks"...they don't seem to exist now. Website dead, lots of posts about them becoming unresponsive. I assume they are no longer in business. Langdons and Howards don't have present listings for these cams. Comp Cams only seems to offer higher-performance grinds and mostly for hydraulic at that.
So, no rocket science in this build, just need solid, reliable parts. Lots of older information out there, but it seems availability of these parts has really dried up since those posts were written. Looking forward to suggestions!
Matt
