The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Which 235 to build?

Ok so in the last year I have picked up 2 235’s both have the x designation for 3100-3800 thrift master truck one is a complete 54 truck engine with the 913 head, other is a 56 missing a few parts but found it for $100 main reason I bought it was to get the 848 head it was a steal just for the head and so far looks like a good candidate for a rebuild both would be solid lifters which from what I gathered most people prefer on the 235’s and I’m wanting to put the more aggressive cam in. I’ve also read where people say the 54’s are harder to find bearings for because they have the notch in them. Replacing my 216 which really has no issues but want some more power. Thanks for the input

52 sportscoupe Sounds like you are right on track,only thing better would be a 261. The last time I done engine hard parts they came from Patricks in Phoenix,he has since passed on. I learned more from his little parts leaflet about engine ID than any where else. Now it's mostly internet for parts. Welcome to stovebolt,if your working on a car don't mention it as this is a truck sight,same engine stuff though, no one will know just fly under the radar LOL.

I agree, the 56 is the better choice.
However, the cam selection is a bit of a puzzle.
With a stock engine, a small cam won't do much except raise the RPM for good torque a bit.
A big cam without other mods is a mistake: poor traffic manners without making big HP on top.

The 54 and early 55 engine is a better fit to replace a 216 due to the water pump location. The late 55 and newer engines have a low mounted water pump which creates fan fit problems when replacing a 216 in trucks older than mid-year 55. Your "truck" will have the same problem, or maybe worse. The 848 head will fit either engine, so that's not a concern. The choice of cam is a no-brainer- - - -use a Melling CCS-1 or an Elgin E-293S, both of which are a virtual clone of the solid lifter cam used in the 6 cylinder Corvette and the 261 truck engines. Main bearings with the upper dowels for the 54-55 235's aren't terribly scarce- - - -I've bought three sets on Ebay in the past couple of weeks. The ones that are exceedingly difficult to find are the mains for the 1948-53 216 and 235 spray-oiler engines.

Make a couple more posts to get access to the private message system- - - -I'll buy your 216. I make 258 cubic inch stroker engines with pressure lubed 235 crankshafts from them. If you can find a 54-55 261 engine it can be built into a 290+ cubic inch version of the same stroker setup.
Jerry

I guess I will change my user name as I didn’t mention car in this post I also joined Chevy talk more diverse lol

Thanks Jerry I will keep that in mind I was after 261’s but I got both of these engines for a song so figured I’d stick with 235 plan on doing the hot cam boring .060 over I don’t want to go to the max of .080 and run hot. I talked to Clifford he was trying to sell me on his whole setup with a single 4 barrel said 150hp bolt on but I really want the old school look of two single carbs. Checking rods and mains on the 216 here before it gets nice out and resealing front and rear main seals and oil pan gasket

Take everything Clifford says with a big grain of salt. The easiest way to get lots of performance out of a stovebolt engine is to lie about it- - - - -with no documentation to back up your claims. Two carburetors on a stovebolt is either one too many, or one not enough. The dual carb setup makes good eye candy to impress the mouth breathers at a car show who have no understanding of physics, and only loses a little bit of performance over a 1 barrel setup. A modified intake manifold with a 4-bolt flange and a Rochester 2G 2 barrel works a lot better, and actually gives power gains that can be measured on a dyno. A stroker crank and a set of 223 Ford 6 cylinder pistons gets 270 cubic inches from a 235 if you don't have a 261 block handy.
Jerry

Interesting on the stroker crank and ford pistons thanks for the info

A connecting rod for a Nissan 2.4 L. 4 cylinder and a standard bore 223 piston works out to a 4 5/16" stroke and a 3 5/8" bore (.060" over 235). The displacement comes out at almost 269 cubic inches.
Jerry

Good information, Hotrod, thanks.
Can't help but notice a lot of your informational posts as I browse this stove bolt forum. And you answer the question about how I can private message without me even having to ask. So I'm just going to make a few more posts as I see fit, and hopefully can join in and talk with stovebolt brothers

60-something years of tinkering with these glorified tractor engines makes me want to share a few experiences before I start looking at the wrong side of the grass. I was fortunate enough to grow up around a bunch of old geezers who made a living fixing cars in the 1920's and 30's- - - -and they were kind enough to share their knowledge with me. Now it's my turn to be the opinionated old curmudgeon without a filter!
Jerry

Jerry so 216’s have bearing inserts? I was thinking I saw where they were poured Babbitt bearings maybe I thought wrong pulled the pan on mine to do rear main rope seal and saw it had inserts I went back and read your reply up here and saw you talking about inserts.

216's have Babbit bearing connecting rods originally, and insert main bearings. There have been connecting rod insert bearings made for 216's for a long time, but they're made for rods that have had the original bearing material bored out and the big ends of the rods honed to the proper size. Those bearings are getting very scarce and expensive, but it's possible to bore the rods out to fit a Massey-Ferguson tractor bearing and custom grinding the crankshaft to match the M-F connecting rod bearing diameter. Lots of parts can be force-matched by a machinist who knows what he's doing- - - -the part doesn't know or care what engine it's in, as long as the machinist does his job correctly.

I use connecting rods for a Nissan 2.4 Liter 4 cylinder and Ford inline six pistons to make a "235" into a 270 cubic inch engine that looks completely original from the outside.
Jerry