The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 265 V-8

I found a 265 v-8 out of a 55 belair for sale. Anybody have any history on this motor? It looks like it made 160 HP, so not a huge jump from the 235. Curious how big of a project it would be to put it in my 48 3600.

Thanks
Jon

Strip the entire running gear out, bellhousing, transmission, torque tube, and rear end, and replace it with open driveline components. You will also need to change the crossmember under the bellhousing to accommodate the one that fits the V8 - - - the shape and position of the motor mounts are different. You will have major clearance problems between the steering column and the driver's side exhaust manifold.

The 55 year 265 engine is unique to that year- - - - -it has a bypass type oil filter mounted at the front of the intake manifold instead of the full flow filter built into the engine block at the left rear of the 56-up engines. Someone who is doing a period-correct restoration of a 55 model V8 car or truck will probably pay enough for your engine to buy a newer, more commonly available engine, with enough cash left over to help buy other bits and pieces you'll need for the V8 swap.
Jerry

I guess I have replaced more cracked pistons on a 265 than any other engine. If you freshen it up then something like the hyper eutectic pistons ends the problem I'm sure. The racers used forged pistons which worked fine but not a big fan of forged ones for street use. Many are round instead of cam ground and noisy as heck. The 265's usually would wear out the timing chain before any bearing problems so the partial flow filter worked okay if oil was changed on a regular basis.

Another chronic failure item on 265's (and small block Chevy engines in general) was cam bearings. After an in the frame rebuild the 265's started getting a flickering oil pressure light at hot idle- - - -too much wear at the cam bearings to keep the oil pressure above 7 PSI. In the late 1950's when the problem started showing up, Melling hadn't started making high volume pumps for Chevy V8's.

Ditto on the cracked piston skirts on 265's and early 283's- - - -I've changed a BUNCH of them! The Invar anti-expansion struts would break away from the main skirt casting, sometimes 3 or 4 in one engine.
Jerry

I have not tried but have been considering if I choose to save the 1951 rust bucket parts truck. I have access to several 265s and 235s laying around. This is a project several years off...

SM420 (and I think the other 3 sp tranies ) will bolt into the back of 265 v8 manual transmission bell housing (so I am told)-- Then the question becomes the firewall and being able to actually bolt it up to the torque tube transmission/drive train (if you wanted to keep the same drive line).

--- cross member at bell housing will need to be manufactured as pointed out by Hot Rod Lincoln -- and if you move engine back, then the same for front cross member for 265-v8 front motor mounts

the starter/ignition switch. If I do this, I will probably use a push button starter switch with same ignition switch. So you will need to do some more research on this.

Steering box: the steering box will not need to be relocated as I have seen advice given stating for people swapping in a 283 to use a 265 exhaust header on the left side. It may just be the 1955 left side header, .. could not nail that down.

then the rest of the things people do for switching to a V8 and addressing some of the weaknesses of the 265.

and the advice above about the value of a 1955 - 265 block