The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop dump her or work on our relationship? 235 woes

hi guys,

so i have this nice 56 year 235 in my 49 1/2 ton nice oil pressure (on the gauge) starts imediately runs nicely, no smoke - nice.

the other day i hear a slight clanking sound. couldnt hear it on idle much but it gets louder when you open the throttle. not really loud but its there.

i adjust the solid lifters - sounds still there.

its definitely coming from the front upper part of the engine.

i pulled off the valve cover - bone dry. not a drop of oil.

the rocker arm shaft oil feed pipe was blocked, but even after unblocking the pipe the flow was pitiful almost nothing, no visible drips, nothing coming out the rocker arm holes just weaping out of the shaft seals a bit and the pipe base. So i guess there is a blockage further upstream.

then i took a look at the solid lifers.

they were all badly pock marked, but the front no.1 valve was the worst it had radial scratches all around the center portion and its fit in the valve hole was loose - i could rock the valve with my finger.
conversely the valve faces were like new as was the cam lobes from what i could see down the lifter holes

i assume then this was the cause of the clanking, its certainly in the right area. when i short the spark plug to cylinder one the clanking is still there - if thats a sign of anything else???

im assuming the oil flow blockage limited the flow to the lifters and that no.1 saw the least lubrication hence the wear.


so....choices....

I could;

1) pull out the engine, send it off to get refurbished with lifter hole reaming and rebuild = USD3500 in labour,(i live in japan) I supply parts, so maybe USD5000 total.

or

2) pull the cam out, ream out the lifter holes and try to flush out all the debris (ie leave the engine assembled) and install ford oversized lifters. of course i realise its not wise to do any machining with it assembled, not sure keeping the crank in if i could ream out the lifter holes and flush her out and not end up with an engine full of metal debris - but if i open her up im going to have to send off the head to get machined, new bearings, may as well do new pistons etc etc and im back up to USD3500 in costs!


or

3) spend USD3500 on a new crate small block v8 and a further USD2000 on install parts, fitting kit, bellhousing and shipping to japan. how much work is it to install? any downsides?

4) get a custom made oversized lifter made and install that without reaming the hole......perhaps just honing it (again with the engine assembled, i know thats not wise but if its possible......)

5)....others?? suggestions?


i would love to have more power so a v8 swap is tempting. i know i have to move or replace the stearing box, i know i can buy bolt in fitting kits and bell-housings to mate up against the stock 4 speed 49 1/2 ton) it appears to be fairly straight forward... and i would end up with a strong engine with more power...

i guess im really looking for opinions....

i would love a quick easy low cost fix - but if i have to spend USD5000 to fix up the 235 should i just spend the same instead to install a small block??

id be interested to hear what people would do in my shoes and why


cheers
mike

Definitely makes it tough trying to ship and reship large parts to the U.S.
The v-8 would be a new engine? But you'd the clutch housing to go with it. Motor mounts would need to be made up, maybe a little firewall reshaping maybe not.

John

You're in Japan,so Isuzu,(Chevrolet Corp).,Diesel engines should be cheap,and easy to find. If you're looking for a swap option,this may be viable. Find a good running,low-mile donor,and go from there. you may be able to find an Isuzu gas-powered truck,as well. I'm pretty sure they'll have a Vortec 350,for a power plant,like they do here in the U.S.,since Chevy owns a good percentage of Isuzu. Check a local Isuzu dealership. They may be able to help you locate one?

I'll go out on a limb and give you the answer that'll draw some criticism. What do you have to lose by trying to clean it up assembled. If you end up with shavings in the crankcase it could be the end but it sounds like any of your other options that's where you're starting anyway. I say give it a try. Flush it out good and see what you get.

In years past, they use to rebuild engines in the car or truck. Honing the cylinders ect..... try and protect the crank as much as possible.
John

I agree with GeoRichards, and Whitelightning, what do you have to lose?

If you have good oil pressure and no smoke from the 235 it shouldn't cost you anywhere near $3500 to pull it out and get it freshened up and ready for another 50K miles, even in Japan. Just get the lifter hole sorted and run her till she blows (probably a lot longer than you think) Then worry about finding a V8.
My guess is in Japan you are not doing 15K a year as a daily with a 235 these old lumps will soldier on for years.
Rich

"Run her till she blows." I have a high mileage 52 216 with a cracked water jacket (weeps externally). Starts and runs very well. I am restoring the truck and I don't see the logic in having the crack repaired and spending big bucks for a rebuild. I also don't want to have a weeping block in my truck. At the same time, it is killing me to have to put the old girl down. I was hoping to be able to "run her till she blows."
Carl

Here is something easy and inexpensive that you might want to try if you are not getting enough oil to the top of your engine. There is an old GM service bulletin detailing this if you want to search the web.

The oil tube from the oil pump to the rocker assembly is prone to getting blocked. An insurance policy is to run a secondary oil feed line directly to the head from the fitting on the block that feeds the tube to the oil pressure gauge on the dash.

I have this on my truck. I made the line out of 1/4" copper tube with standard fittings available at any hardware store.

I adapted the fitting from the block that feeds the aux oil filter and the oil pressure gauge line to accept to accept the secondary oil feed line going directly to the head. You can see this in the lower right in this picture...the rubber line going straight into the fitting is the oil filter and the two coming off at 90 degree angles are the oil pressure gauge line and the new secondary oil feed line.

http://s844.photobucket.com/user/ma...891_zps07d6f60a.jpg.html?sort=6&o=68


There is a threaded plug in the head between the #4 and #3 cylinders above the sparkplugs that can be removed to accept this secondary line.

Here is a picture of the secondary line going into the head--

http://s844.photobucket.com/user/ma...851_zps1ab903e3.jpg.html?sort=6&o=66

Might solve your problem with little work or money.

Matt

Here is one of those "work around" kits. Similar kits were made by other companies.