Some time ago, there was a lot of discussion about increasing the stroke length on a 261 engine, using connecting rods for a 292 Chevy six, and a very scarce set of Cadillac pistons to end up with an engine very close to 300 cubic inches that looks like a 235 at first glance. Here's anther sneaky modification that might make a little more sense, and won't involve quite as much work and expense. By some sneaky parts swapping and a little machine work, I believe I can assemble a "216" engine with 231 cubic inches, aluminum pistons, 292 connecting rods with replaceable rod bearings, and eliminate the spray-oiled connecting rods in the process. The engine would be impossible to tell from an original 216 from the outside, since it would use the same engine block, cylinder head, and sheet metal as the original, with the exception of the oil pan. The pan would come from an early-production 235 with the same bolt pattern as a 216, minus all the spray-oiler hardware inside. It would use an oil pump from a 230 or 250 inline six, one that flows nearly twice the volume of a 216 pump. Other modifications would include a Melling camshaft that's slightly hotter than the "Corvette 235" cam, and a leakproof rear crankshaft oil seal. Even with these modifications, the engine would probably cost less than a stock 216 spray-oiler rebuild. I wonder if anybody would be interested in having a "modern" engine that looks like a bone-stock 216 and has 15 more cubic inches and 30-40 extra horsepower or more? It could probably cruise all day at 3500-4K RPM with no problem.
Jerry
