Sounds like your radiator was repositioned forward to accommodate the longer shafted water pump that came on the ‘56 235. My ‘59 235 was that way in my ‘52 3100 when I first purchased it.
If this is the case, you options would be:
- (1) Use the CP pump and reposition the radiator back to the original position. Pros it works and many have gone this route. Cons, it positions the water pump too low for maximum efficient cooling.
- (2) Buy a water pump repositioning adaptor plate (available thru a fellow ‘bolter, Pre ‘68 Dave), and buy a new pump for a '51 216/235. Then, reposition the radiator in its original installed position. Pros, it positions the pump in the original position for efficent cooling. Cons, it's more work and more money.
- (3) leave the radiator in it's installed position and buy a new pump for a '56 235 (original style with the longer shaft) . Pros, much less work and money. Cons, it still maintains the lower pump position lowering fan cooling efficiency.
I opted to buy the adaptor plate and new original pump, to retain as much originally and cooling efficiency as I could.
I posted two pictures of my radiator position, a before and after so you could see what I am talking about.
