The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop AC Oil Canister Filters (1954Chevy Truck)

I recently purchased what appears to be an AC SC-655 oil canister filter for my 1954 3100 Chevy truck and I wanted to make sure that it is interchangeable with the AC SC-653 unit that originally came as an RPO. The canister, with the exception of the attachment bracket, appears to be identical to the SC-653. They also use the same element. Apparently the SC-653 was used on 1954 and 1955 1st Series trucks and the SC-655 was used starting on the 1955 2nd series. Am I correct in assuming that the bracket is the only difference? They both attach to the manifold with U-Bolts and they are both for 235 6cyl engines. Thanks!

Hello, SLC,

Have you visited the TechTips section?

https://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/engines/oil%20filters/index.html

There are many photographs and original installation documents.

Thanks for the response Tim. I guess I should have properly introduced myself. I am the proud owner of a 1954 3100 pickup w/Hydra-Matic that I purchased in 1976. I am retired now and I am finally ready to give this sweet truck the attention she deserves. I had visited the TechTips section "The Great Oil Filter Debate" along with the forums as well and they all have a wealth of information concerning Canister Type Oil Filters. I also had visited your websites in my search for information for the 54' and you have provided a wealth of information that has been extremely helpful in my research. You have also provided a wealth of information in the forums sections on this subject. This is how I figured out that what I have in hand is the SC-655 and what would be correct for my year model truck is the SC-653. (I could not find a SC-653 in my search efforts.) What I have is the S-6 Later Style shown in the photos and the one I have is apparently from a Tri-five passenger vehicle 235 6cyl. The correct filter for my truck is shown in Image #32 TechTips which I later found out has a longer/taller bracket. It appears, from all I have been able to gather, is that it should work as long as the hoses are long enough and it bolts up correctly. I did notice at the bottom of the TechTip is that Patrick has an e-mail address for questions so I will try that.
Thanks again for making this journey/adventure easier by sharing your plethora of information on 1954 Advance Design Trucks.
Phillip or SLC

I'm about to machine a couple of adapter plates to convert the Fram/AC canisters to use Frantz-style toilet paper rolls instead of a regular filter cartridge.
Jerry

I am not sure I understand what you are talking about? I know JC Whitney used to sell something like that, or at least I think they did, but I don't think that is something I would want to do.
Thanks anyway!
Phillip

Patrick’s is no longer in business and is an unreliable source. 🛠

"Frantz" filters were popular back in the 1950's and 60's and they used a commonly available roll of commercial-grade toilet paper instead of a pleated paper filter element. Early designs used a regular Fram or AC filter canister before Frantz began merchandising his own stainless steel canister. Those filters are still on sale new, but at an outrageously expensive price. Since the paper roll has a much tighter weave than a regular filter element, they filter oil much more effectively.
Jerry

Jerry, congratulations on your Frantz project. I've run a Frantz by-pass filter for the last 200,000 miles (20 years) on my '95 Dodge Cummins diesel and have never had a problem (currently at 300k). Supposedly a filter can't filter down to the micron level required to remove diesel particulate matter from engine oil. That's simply not true, even with the fuel turned up my old truck's oil looks more like it lives in a gas burner than a diesel. As a long term test several years ago, I pulled oil samples every 5,000 miles and sent them to John Deere labs for analysis. At 20,000 miles the oil (Delo 15w40) was still good to run with very good numbers. I finally broke down and changed it at 23,000 miles and adopted a annual change regiment regardless of miles.

The only secret to using a Frantz is you have to be very anal on the TP you use and how you install it. Mess up on either and channeling occurs with poor filtration.

RonR

Way back in the dark ages, (1970's) I sold a Frantz-type filter system for Diesel big rigs, with custom-wound paper packs made to fit a LuberFiner 750- - - -the one with a canister that's about 8" in diameter and well over a foot tall. We got very similar results of oil analysis with filter changes every 30,000 miles, and topping off the oil level just enough to make up for the loss during filter changes. Some of the rigs I maintained had over 100K miles on the basic oil fill of close to 15 gallons. That was a major saving to the fleet of trucks I serviced. The paper in those cartridges resembled the "John Wayne" toilet paper used in public restrooms- - - -"Rough and tough, and won't take "crap" off anybody!"
Jerry

Thanks Jerry and RonR for enlightening me on "Frantz" filters and their benefits. As a "New Guy" and eager to learn, I can see that I am going to like this place already. I am curious about what TP you would use though. I guess that was my concern.
Thanks,
Phillip

The cheaper the better. Since I stay in motels a couple of nights a week on a regular basis, the stuff they use to cut down on theft by their guests should work very well. Somebody's got to be pretty desperate for a roll of buttwipe to steal that stuff! I'm planning to wrap a piece of window screen around the outside of the roll, secured with bare wire or zip ties, to prevent the possibility of unraveling.
Jerry

Phillip, I use Scott 1000. It’s getting hard to find but you want rolls with a 1 1/4” center. Most now has a 1.5 center. Less paper, and you pay the same. Avoid the puffy smell sood stuff. You want the cheap industrial quality stuff like you’d buy from a janitoralsupply place.

For those folks who prefer the convenience of a spin-on filter, I've been doing a little research on the online WIX filter specification pages. Most spin-on engine oil filters have a micron rating of anywhere from 25 to 32- - - - -pretty coarse media. Since a bypass-type filter doesn't have to flow enough oil to keep bearings lubricated and/or hydraulic valve lifters pumped up, one of those filters can have a much denser filter media. I've found some spin-on filters intended for industrial hydraulic fluid applications with media rated for 3-5 microns. That's roughly equivalent to straining out BB's instead of golf balls! Just because a filter doesn't happen to have an advertised use for motor oil doesn't necessarily mean it can't be used that way. A 3 micron filter won't clean things up as well as a Frantz, but it will certainly outperform any motor oil filter, cartridge or spin-on. Just be sure to put a 1/16 inch diameter restrictor orfice somewhere in the plumbing for the spin-on adapter that will keep most of the oil headed for the engine bearings instead of back to the oil pan.
Jerry

Jerry, would a high volume pump work better? If so does Melling make a high volume for this family of engines?

The Melling OEM replacement pump for a 235 (M-45, IIRC) is larger than one for a 216, but neither one is actually "high volume". I'm working on a possible fix, though. 216, 235, and small block V8 pump gears are all the same diameter- - - -the only difference is height. By making a surface-ground spacer about 1/4" thick, it would be possible to put 235 gears into a 216 pump, or V8 gears into a 235. In practice, it's not quite that simple, since there are some shaft diameter differences, but it's definitely doable for someone with some precision machining ability and the right equipment. I'm also working on an adapter fixture to put a complete SBC oil pump into a 235 /261 block.
Jerry

Just wondering- - - - -how would the volume of the oil pump affect how the oil is filtered? Bypass filters, by their simple design concept, just strain a small volume of oil and return it to the oil pan- - - -it's a completely separate circuit than what's lubricating the engine.
Jerry

I appreciate all of the input and helpful information that this post has generated but I believe I have stumbled onto the answer to my original question. I promise that I did not go into this post without searching first, but that said, I typed in the word "canister" on my iPad in the forum search box last night and I got a hit with 40 pages of information. I think I was providing too much information in my previous searches. Well, eureka! It appears that just about every question known to man, or at least almost every question, has been asked and answered about this subject. One thing that is not on "The Great Oil Filter Debate" Tech Tip is the installation instructions for the AC SC-653 oil filter. I actually found these instructions (somewhere on-line) and they show a filter exactly like the one I purchased. The instructions are for a 1953 passenger vehicle but they appear to be exactly what I need. I also found some information about "automatic" installations from the great oil filter debate that I had previously overlooked. I have a PDF copy of the AC SC-653 instructions if anyone needs them.

I guess I got lucky with my new purchase because it is plumbed with the input on the upper righthand side and looks exactly like the diagram. I am striving for original, or as original as I can afford, so I guess the Good Lord is looking out after me so far. I know that what I will have will be a dealer installed option, and not an RPO, but it will still be something that would have been offered at the time of purchase. It will also make me feel more comfortable when I fire her up for the first time in 22 years.

The bottom of the canister still has the original blue paint and there are dots of orange on the top! I will probably only have to paint the top. I purchased the hoses (18" & 16 1/2") and the filter from Eckler's from their Tri-Five section so it appears that I have everything I need now.

Y'all please forgive me for not realizing this was a beat-to-death subject and that most of my original questions had been answered. I am still a "New Guy".

PS One pearl that I picked up from my search was that the oil from the cannister drains back into the oil pan so I will have to make note of this and remark my dipstick accordingly.

I love this site!
Thanks,
Phillip

No problem- - - - -one of the things you'll learn about this bunch is that we really love to hear ourselves talk, (or type, actually!) Only a portion of the oil in the canister will drain back into the oil pan, since the orfice hole in the standpipe is about 2/3 of the way to the top of the canister. That accomplishers two things- - - -it takes less oil volume to fill the canister at each startup, so there's a very short time that oil pressure is reduced until the filter fills completely, and the other advantage is that most of the can becomes a sludge trap if people neglect to change the filter regularly. I've literally had to pry filter cartridges out of the canister with a big screwdriver at times- - - -they were that gummed up with sludge!
Jerry

Thanks for all the help guys!