The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Starting to prep for an engine rebuild

Hi guys, I have a 54 3100 and over the weekend while preparing to install my new distributor, I opened up the valve cover on my 235. Inside I found two snapped off rocker arms and 5-7 bent push rods. When I took the lifter cover off I found some lifters that don’t look seated properly, and some rust buildup. So if chosen to go the rebuild route on the motor. I’ll be pulling the motor and doing a full rebuild on it. Along the way I’ll add some things like pcv system, full flow oil filter, Carter yf carb, hei ignition, new wiring harness, among other things. What I’m here asking, is if there’s any good guides or places to look for info as I start to prepare for the entire thing. I have the factory service manual and Iv been doing some looking around online and on this website. I found devestechnet, which has a pretty good rebuild guide. Just wondering if anyone has any more good info I can poke around at. Thanks!

Has the truck sat for a long time .sounds like a few stuck valves that caused the push rods to bend .take the side cover off and get some penitrating oil working on those lifter,and valve guids up top..It would not hurt to take the head off and have redone .you may be lucky with the short block just needing a good going through.I was given a 235 that i was told spun a bearing but only had a bent pushrod from a stuck valve but it also had some pitting in the cylinder walls from sitting .

Yes the previous owner had the truck for about 17 years and only put a few hundred miles on it. I bought it recently and redid the fuel system. Got it running but it would run really bad under throttle. A lot of the ignition was jacked up so I redid all of that. Before I got all that back in, I discovered the valvetrain problem. I considered just pulling the head and having that redone and hoping for the best, but I think the smart option is to pull the motor and atleast assess the condition of the lower end. Given how the inside has looked so far, I think it would be wise of me to pull it

If you're going to do the full flow filter conversion, the block needs to be stripped down to bare bones- - -cam bearings and oil gallery plugs removed, etc. The machining and oil gallery modification creates lots of tiny cast iron chips that can ruin a new rebuild unless they're ALL removed by pressure washing and/or steam cleaning. When you're done, the filter you install doesn't do as good a job of oil filtration as a good bypass filter, BTW.
Jerry

Jerry is right with his comments. I had previously gone to an electric fuel pump, had no interest in going with mechanical and ran the oil plumbing over and out the old fuel pump hole. No drilling, no tapping, etc. Just a different thought.

http://i1154.photobucket.com/albums/p535/JonGoodman/plumbing%20oil%202-1.jpg

Kyle S,

"I’ll be pulling the motor and doing a full rebuild on it."

Regarding:
"Along the way I’ll add some things like' :
- pcv system - nice, but not needed, unless you will do a lot of short trips
- full-flow oil filter - read Jerry's post/advice again, if necessary.
- Carter yf carb - OK - get one for/from a 235 (I have been lucky using good Rochesters for decades)
- hei ignition - cool, but not needed
- new wiring harness - YES
among other things."

Good luck with your 1954 engine. I have had three 1954 235s and they all ran/run very nicely, with good oil pressure (after rebuilds, if necessary). All have/had a well-maintained by-pass oil filtration system. I use multi-grade detergent oil, and the by-pass system works very well.

Everyone has opinions - mine are based on a time-tested principals that works well with these stovebolt engines:
- keep it simple
- keep up with maintenance
- enjoy the rides

Good luck.
Do want you want - it is your truck/engine.
Let us know when you make progress, and when you have questions.

Thanks a lot guys! This is why I wanted to start this thread, Im very new to the stovebolt world (I come from the corvette world) and I wanted advice and opinions from people who have been around them a little longer then myself. Ok so I will scratch off the full flow oil and the pcv mods. The reason I listed the carter carb is because I had recently purchased a 788s and the rebuild kit, but wasn’t planning on putting it on yet. But I might as well with the new motor. The truck already has a bypass filter system so I’ll keep that for now. Iv been looking around and rebuild kits for the 235, there seems to be a lot of different ones out there. A lot of them on eBay. Does anyone have any recommendations? I know I have to wait till the machine work is done to order incase anything is over or undersized. Iv rebuilt motors for motorcycles, lawn mowers, and other small equipment but this is my first car motor

Kyle S,

The major differences between your 1954 (and earlier) 235 and the 1956 and later 235s is that earlier rod-bearing and main-bearing adjustments were made using different numbers of shims.

If you do not have a 1954 Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual, reproduction printings are available, and a copy is on-line.

With regards to engine rebuild parts, Egge & Kanter seem to be common choices. Wait to hear from a pro like Jerry (Hotrod Lincoln) and Dragsix, etc. I think my engine shop used Egge parts for my 1954 235 truck engine (and a 261 camshaft - the one used on Corvettes 235s).

Very common for stock GM push rods to bend in these motors when they have been sitting around a bit (stuck/rusted valve stem is a usual and common suspect). Interestingly, the stock GM push rods bend easily and are not as strong as the after market tube push rods. Lifters not sitting right, any chance those are on the cylinders with broken rocker arms and bent push rods? if so, probably because no spring pressure to seat it back down after the cam goes to max lift so I would not write them off they are likely just fine.

As an alternative to pulling and doing a full rebuild you might consider getting yourself a new set of trw or sealed power push rods. Dig up another set of rockers (make sure they are not the 59-62 version. Look inside the rocker arm, the oil groove should directly intersect the dribble hole on the rocker. If offset and does not directly intersect,59-62.) You can send them to Rocker Arms Unlimited in California and they can rebuild them good as new. Have the head gone through. You will have to do this anyway if you do a rebuild. Put the motor together and see what you have. You might be pleasantly surprised.