FINALLY!
A posting by someone that knows what he's talking about when it comes to the 216 and early 235 oiling system! This system was great on a stock engine and not abused. I changed my '52 coupe engine to a late 235 because I knew I wouldn't leave it stock--NOT because the 216 was defective in any way. I grew up with and built numerous Chevy 216 engines and NEVER had a thrown rod or broken crank--this with the idiocy of a 16 year-old kid abusing them!! So please quit badmouthing these engines if you never had any experience with them (and I suspect that most of this board is too young to have any). No, they won't take 4500 rpm for long, but they weren't designed to! Hell, you couldn't stop them at 55 mph anyway! If you're going to "soup it up" then go with a '54 or later 235.
