The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop New Member from Northeast Tennesse

Hi there,
I learned of this site from Christopher on the Chey 3100 FaceBook page. My husband and I recently purchased a 1953 Chevy 3100. I apologize in advance because I probably will not use the correct terminology. Our truck is 216 6 cylinder, 3 speed manual transmission and we are having a problem with the rear main seal. We had the rope seal replaced by someone who restores these trucks, but it still leaks. My husband saw a video of a rear seal conversion which will eliminate the 2 piece seal by boring the seal cavity and the rear main cap. My husband hates leaks so we decided to have the real main seal converted.
Currently, we have the engine pulled and are still waiting for the machine shop in town to perform the work on it. They've had the engine for 6 weeks and have not yet started the work. We had already waited 4 months before they said they were even ready to work on it; which means we've been waiting over 5 months with no completion date in sight. We are frustrated and were hoping to find another machine shop to do the work. We have been living here for a relatively short time so we do not know that many people in the area. We live in Greeneville Tennessee, which is in the northeast corner of Tennessee, about 70 miles northeast of Knoxville. We were hoping someone could recommend a machine shop not too far from us.
Thank you!

A member here goes by Hot Rod Lincoln and lives in Dellrose Tn. Very knowledgeable. I am sure if he sees this he will speak up. You can Personal Message as in PM top right of your page it will look a small envelope but you have to post a few times before it activates.

Welcome! I live in Knoxville and know several stovebolters in your area. I reached out to one who suggested contacting “Performance Automotive Machine & Engine” in Greenville. This maybe who has your engine now but if not, worth a try. Understand, he has had no work done by them. If you are will to put some miles on, there are other places like Morristown. Several stovebolters are in your area and may provide better input. Hot rod Lincoln lives more toward middle Tennessee but may know of a local builder in your area.
Come back often as this is the place to learn all about your truck.

Okay - I’ll reach out to him - thanks!

Thanks. Performance Automotive has our engine. I will check with them on Monday to see if they can commit to a date. If not, Morristown is within reach so I will explore that area. Thanks,

Make at least one more forum post and you will have access to the private message feature. Drop me a PM, and I will be glad to make arrangements with you to modify your engine block. The job takes approximately 4 hours to do, as I demonstrated at one of the annual "homecoming" gatherings the forum has, a little over a year ago.

Here's the seal you need:
https://www.zoro.com/skf-shaft-seal-3-78x4-34x38-crwa1-nbr-38647/i/G9397674/

Jerry

P.S.: When a 216 quits leaking, it's empty- - - - -pour some more oil into it- - - -just like a Harley Davidson motorcycle!

Are you planning on having the machine shop disassemble/reassemble your engine, as well as doing the machine work? If so, proceed VERY cautiously when choosing a shop. 216 engines, with their Babbit bearing connecting rods and oddball oiling system, are very difficult to rebuild properly. Unless a shop has a lot of experience at rebuilding 216's (unlikely) there's a strong possibility of making mistakes that will allow the engine to destroy itself due to insufficient lubrication of the connecting rods. Then oil leaks become a moot point- - - - -an engine that doesn't run also doesn't leak.
Jerry

Unfortunately Hotrod Lincoln is right on the money. I hate leaks too but the good and fun side is you can keep your engine looking like new using absorbent cloth to wipe it down every once in a while. Doc

When we show our vehicles inside convention centers or golf courses etc. diapers are provided. It is a 4x4 piece of absorbent material with plastic hooks on elastic lines. Don't drive with it on however. Doc

Oh by the way welcome to this fantastic site. I'm relatively new myself (6 months). Wonderful helpful people. Doc

Great - thanks. I just posted a new message on the Welcome forum so hopefully I will be able to send you a PM soon. Appreciate your input. Will send PM when I’m allowed. Thanks 😊

Yes - that is the plan. The shop came highly recommended, but as I mentioned we have been waiting so long for them to work on it. Good shops will always have more work than they can handle, I suppose.

Welcome to beautiful East Tennessee and the forums. I live in Washington County, only about 30 miles away. I have to agree with the earlier posts, the old timers who knew babbit 216 engines are mostly gone. Have you considered a 235 engine as a replacement as many of us have? They were built from 1953-1962 are a bit more modern, easier to find parts for, easier to find someone who can rebuild it, usually leak less, and add from 10-35 more hp depending on the year. A 235 engine has the same dimensions as your 216 and will require minimum modifications (usually just the water pump). Also the 235 can be camouflaged by using the 216-valve cover and parts until only the initiated know the difference. Just a suggestion, I understand those who insist on 100% originality.

BTW, come over and join us Saturday evenings with the Carter County Car Club, -look up their FB page for details. Usually several hundred classic vehicles every Saturday 5-9pm.
Don

If you decide to swap to a 235 engine, the same "no leak" seal modification can be done to it. I'd suggest finding a rebuildable 235, preferably a 1954 or early 55 production engine with the water pump in the same location as a 216, and rebuild and improve it, it instead of risking a disaster with the 216 if some old geezer like me doesn't build it. I was among the last bunch of professional mechanics who grew up working on Babbit rod engines, back in the late 1950's.
Jerry

Thank you for the recommendation! We will seriously consider making that change. We’ll start researching where to get a rebuildable 235. Appreciate you taking the time respond.

I just viewed the picture of your truck posted in the welcome forum. From the picture, that appears to be an outstanding, beautiful original looking truck. Someone has obviously put a lot of effort and money into keeping it original right down to the pinstripes. Trucks in this condition are pretty rare; - I’ve only seen a couple in this region. If this is the case, do not discard the original 216 engine. Put it in storage as this will make the truck more valuable if you ever resale. If you just want to enjoy driving the truck without worries, the 235 is the obvious option. If you want to retain the trucks value as an antique, keep the 216 on hand, rebuilt or not. You can have the best of both worlds.

There are also ways to make internal upgrades to a 216 that make it perform very close to later model engines, and also increase the oil pressure, horsepower, and reliability. These modifications can be completely hidden, so even an "expert" can't tell it from an original engine without disassembling it. The modifications aren't inexpensive by any means, but it you're planning to drive the truck frequently, it's certainly worth considering. Even if you choose to keep the original engine untouched, a different 216 can be modified for use as a daily driver. I'm working on modifications like fitting 235 aluminum pistons, a high volume oil pump, the improved main bearing seal, and possibly even fitting the same camshaft as the 6 cylinder Corvette engine ran. That would end up with a 224 cubic inch engine with very good oil pressure and considerably more power than an unmodified 216. Putting in the 3.55:1 ratio rear end gears that are available would produce a 55-60 MPH highway cruiser that looks bone-stock! "There's no substitute for cubic dollars!"
Jerry