CMayna,
Your concern for the well-being of your engine is encouraging.
When I started driving my Grandad's 1954 Chevy 3/4 ton at age 17, I knew that it had a 4.57 rear, but really didn't know what that meant in terms of driveability, so I forced her down the road at 55-60 mph, not knowing how fast the engine was revving (didn't own a tach then!), just noticing that it sure sounded "busy" on the other side of that firewall! :rolleyes:
When it began to require a quart of oil every 100 miles and rods were beginning to rattle, it slowly dawned on me that perhaps I was pushing the vehicle beyond reasonable limits for sustained driving.
This was with a later 235, BTW.
Now, almost 20 years later, I don't have a hard answer for you as to "redline", but, I have had & driven many other pre-1960 vehicles, and particularly on long-stroke engines, don't like to spin 'em more than 2,500 rpms for extended periods.
Now, some of the guys might suggest that I'm selling the 235 a bit short here, and perhaps a meticulously re-built 235 will withstand more "revvage" than 2,500, but I'd say that the average unrestored or partially restored engine should probably be treatd with some respect, if we want to prolong its life.
If you were doing 50 mph @ 2000-2100 rpm, that's not bad.
I let my "ears" be my guide, for the most part; if the engine is sounding "taxed", I back off the gas.
Not very scientific, but I don't like old "undersquare" engines trying to "scream" like ninja-bikes!Bad things will happen!
Think of it this way, in 1950, there weren't many places where you could drive faster than 50 mph, legally.
My 2 cents.
