The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 59 235 test firing

I recently bought a 1959 chevy car 235 that is mated to a powerglide trans. Carburator was missing along with upper thermostat housing, starter , and generator. It turns free. I pulled spark plugs to put a little lubricant in cylinders. The plugs appeared nearly new, with only a thin uniform layer of black soot on each one. Plugs were not oil soaked or wet. I also noticed the heatriser was stuck which might have caused the soot. I also noticed the valve cover was painted red, which makes me suspect that a rebuild might have been done at some time. Plans are to make a test bed and run the engine and put it in my 53 Chevy 3100 and retain 6 volts. I hope someone on here can tell me if I need to change the points and condenser to 6 volts . Is there a difference between 6 and 12 volt when it comes to points and condenser ? I have an extra 6 volt foot starter that I will use and an extra 6 volt coil. Mounting the engine assembly on a temporary test bed won't be a problem but I really need advise on how to rig up temporary wiring to start the engine and run it for a few minutes. I hope a thread might have been posted in the past on this topic. Not planning on hooking up cooling or charging system at this point. thanks George

Flywheel will be different .It won’t match up to the 6 volt starter. If your using 6 volts use flywheel and starter from the 6 volt engine.

I plan on removing the powerglide and it's flywheel. Will use a flywheel from a 54 with a 6 volt starter. I wonder if the powerglide is worth anything other than scrap metal value.

Just a friendly word of caution, take the time to read and follow our Tech Tip on bringing a dormant engine back to life. It could save you some $.

If you look on rock auto you will see that the ignition ,points and condenser are the same for a 1954 235 and a 1958 235 .

In case you have trouble finding the link:
https://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/engines/Dead%20Engine%20Start/index.html

also
https://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/engine_dolly.html
I strap mine down to this to use as a temporary stand. The balance of an I6 (up and down axis) is more "stable" compared to a V8 (up, down and side-to-side axis).

The old 6 cylinder is heavier than a Chevy V8 so you need something strong to lift it.

Earlier truck starters have no solenoid so need for a starter button.

The 59 235 would have an ignition ballast resistor between the stock 12 V coil and ignition switch (or on/off switch).

A 6 volt starter will work okay on 12 volts.

If the points are in decent condition, I would try to clean them up with a points file.

The engine will run without a generator or alternator.

Don't run the engine long without coolant.

There are Chevy car forums out there on the Internet. Maybe you can trade your transmission for your missing parts.

You need a fire extinguisher and safety glasses.

Ok I will clean up the points on the 59 engine and also use the condenser. I will be using a 6 volt battery a 6 volt coil and a 6 volt foot starter , flywheel, and bellhousing robbed from another engine. Now, after I hook up my Positive battery cable to the starter and the negative terminal to the ground cable that connects to the bellhousing, what do I do with the coil wires and distributer wires in order to simulate turning the key on ? Also, could I use an off/on light switch to take place of the ignition off/on switch? I remember my uncle years ago lost the keys to his 53 3/4 ton and had an on/off light switch dangling under the dash that worked.

Coil needs battery voltage, starter solenoid needs battery voltage with on /off switch. Thats it, if it starts, pull power off coil to kill it. Without any torque on the flywheel, the engine will set dead solid when running. For a quick cooling system, just plumb up a garden hose to the water pump inlet, and let the hot water run out on the driveway.

My setup will not have a starter solenoid because I will be using the foot starter from a 53. I'm thinking I need to run a jumper wire from the positive battery terminal to the positive terminal of the coil and this would be my on/off . Am I right?

Geo 55 Yes that's it jumper it like a car thief,lube your valve stems be sure thry're not gummy,garden hose it for cooling.