Does anyone on the forum have a Hoof Governor fitted to your 216 to 235 cubic inch Stovebolt Chevrolet engine. If you do could you please take a couple of photographs at different angles including a snap of model name and model number? Then could you please post the photographs of this site? Thank you!
I belong to another forum where the topic of two Chevrolet Stovebolt engines being brought into workshops with holes blown through the top of Cylinder Number 4 piston came up for discussion. The original poster is a mechanic and started to wonder what might be going on when he heard about two motors having the same issue in a very small amount of time. The holes occurred in a 216 and a rebuilt 261 engine. Another forum member who is veteran mechanic, suggested that a possible preventative measure of a hole being blown in Number 4 cylinder could be fitting a Hoof Governor. However, the veteran mechanic has not worked on a Hoof Governor for decades and they cannot recall the model name or parts number for the governors fitted to the 235 cubic inch 'Delivery' motors. Apparently back then it was very common for delivery vehicles to be fitted with governors.
Has anyone else on the forum recently come across Stovebolts having holes blown through the top of Number 4 piston? It could be just a very localised issue limited to one geographic area. Or it might just be something that could be becoming more widespread. The current cluster is happening in a part of Canada. Well across a big pond from me and then you go up in a northerly direction
"Hoof governor" is not a term I've heard before, in 65 years in the automotive business and 30+ years teaching the subject in the public school system. In general terms, holes in pistons happen due to very lean fuel mixtures, early ignition timing, or a combination of the two. Damage to a single piston is almost always the result of a vacuum leak at one intake manifold port. Since the stovebolt engines have paired cylinders that share a single intake runner, I would expect an air leak to cause damage to pistons 1 and 2, 3 and 4, or 5 and 6, depending on which port or intake manifold runner has the air leak. Governors in general are there to prevent overspeeding of the engine in lower gears, particularly in heavy trucks with very low gear ratios.
I'd suggest using fuel gas from an unlit Acetylene or Propane torch to search for vacuum leaks- - - -run the tip of the torch around the intake ports and carburetor base, and see if the engine speeds up or runs smoother when the gas is pulled into a leaky joint. Another source of a lean mixture might be a ruptured diaphragm on a power brake booster or a Hydrovac. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
"Hoof governor" is not a term I've heard before, in 65 years in the automotive business and 30+ years teaching the subject in the public school system.
Yes, sorry about that - I should have been clearer. It is a governor that has been manufactured by the "Hoof" company. The idea of using a governor was in case the engines self-destructed due to a lead-foot being applied while a loaded truck was being driven up a steep hill and the driver not selecting an appropriate lower gear. When the engines came in with a hole in Number 4 piston there was no explanation about what conditions the vehicle was being driven like at the time.
The pictures in the ad of the one side plate shows it is stamped "CHEV-235" and Model# "K-313".
Hope this at least helps you ID the particular model info you asked about.
Dan
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
"Live and learn!" I was not familiar with that particular brand name. Most of the engine failures I've seen that could have been prevented by a governor have involved spun connecting rod bearings and/or stretched connecting rods, or swallowed valves. Failure of a single piston from overspeeding would be pretty unlikely unless it was collateral damage from a valve coming adrift. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Speaking of governors, the one on my 302 fire truck is a lot more elaborate than the Hoof pictured. I haven’t puzzled out how it works.
~Charley 1954 Chevy 3100 with 235 “Bud” Follow along in the DITY 1963 Chevy half ton stepside short box 230 1954 GMC 3 ton 302 And several more Chevy camper and work trucks 1979 1987 1996
