The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Valve Cover has me puzzled.

Hey All, I just bought a 1953 Chevy. It is on its way to me from California so I won't be able to check the numbers on the engine to ID it for sure until she arrives in a few days. The man I bought it off of said he thought it was a 235. One the pictures that he sent me of the engine, on the left side of the valve cover, there looks like a large "plug" in the side of it. For the life of me, I have never seen one of these plugs in a valve cover before. Any ideas why this would be on the valve cover?

You just might have gotten very lucky there. The engine MIGHT be a 261. It's got a PCV ventilating system, and the valve cover appears to be from a much newer truck than it was in when that picture was taken. The picture isn't clear enough to see if there are captain's bars or big oil filter ports, but the valve covers with the oil fill in the center were mostly on mid to late 1950s engines. I can't remember seeing that type of plug in a 235 valve cover. The big vacuum fitting on the intake also screams "BIG TRUCK ENGINE".
Jerry

Thanks for the info!! To be honest I am wondering myself if it is a 261. I am hoping it is. Do the 261s have the stamping behind the distributor like the 216s and 235s for identification?

Looks like it has an alternator already installed so the 12V conversion has already been done. Your off to a good start.

It looks like a 1959-1962 valve cover.

The best way to identify a particular block is with the casting number, down near the oil pan rail on the passenger's side front. There may (or may not) be a stamped, not cast letter/number sequence on a machined pad immediately behind the distributor. Original equipment engines had the stamped number, linking the engine to the vehicle in which it left the factory, and its size. "service replacement" blocks were supposed to be stamped by the installing dealer, but many weren't. The only surefire way to identify a 261 is to pull the cylinder head and measure the bore. (3.75"). 235 and 261 engines use the same crankshaft- - - -3 15/16 inch stroke.
Jerry

Here is some information on how to ID a 235/261 head/block.

Here is a "warning" about using valve covers that have four "slits" in the top of the valve cover.

I couldn't get very good pics. It is raining and the block is covered in old oil. The number behind the distributor has heavy thick paint on it but it looks like the last digits are F54. Any ideas???

3837004 Is a 55-57 235cid. It has the 848 head, which is good to have.

May have been a California thing to add pcv system.

The engine serial number breaks down as follows;

xxxxxx = unit number out of plant F starting with 1001.
F = Flint Engine Plant
54 = year (1954)
x = Letter/s telling what vehicle it came in.

Mike B

'Bolter
Is the 55-57 a drop in engine? It looks like it has a regular water pump on it but the radiator doesn't look like it has been moved forward to make it fit and the firewall is intact and not cut. Also, did the 55-57 have hydraulic lifters or solid? I haven't started it not knowing what it was because I didn't know if I had to adjust the valves or not.

A 55-up engine doesn't fit an earlier engine compartment unless the water pump shaft is shortened, the radiator is moved, or a relocation plate is used to run the 216 style water pump. There will also be a fan clearance problem with some crankshaft balancers unless a special shape fan with a notch in the blades is used. If you're concerned about valve clearance, create some. A little lifter rattle during an initial engine run isn't going to make all your children be born naked, or some other life altering catastrophe!
Jerry

Hotrod Lincoln, Isn't it correct that 1954 and early 1955 high pressure 235 engines also use the "216 style water pump?" So you can also call that water pump an early 235 water pump (short shaft, high mount, impeller not spinning inside the block's water jacket).

Ol55 -- You need to check the casting numbers and date codes on the blocks to be sure of what engines you are talking about.

But think of it this way ...

1954 and 1st Series 1955 trucks were Advance Design. In the second Series 1955, the design changed to the Task Force trucks. The TF trucks had a lower design so the radiators sit lower in relation to the block. That's why the earlier engines have higher water pump mountings, whether it be a 216, a 235 or even the first year of the 261. I have one of those 1st year 261's in my truck, btw. It was a replacement crate engine built in 1959 but came out of the 1954 mold because it was built to be installed in an Advance Design series truck. I mention this to illustrate that there is more to this than just reading the casting numbers. Thus -- 261's out of the '54 mold will have the higher water pump. 261's out of the later molds will have the lower water pump. But ... to conclude the lesson, at least in the case of the 261's, GM changed the design for the main bearings at some point between '54 (when the 261 came out) and '59 (when my engine was made. So we needed to cross check the casting number with the date code. I didn't and we had to modify the main journals to accept the earlier bearings. You can read more about this in the Tech Tip we put together about my 261 rebuild.Rebuilding the 261

Summary -- If the engine was meant for an Advance Design, Art Deco or earlier truck, it will have the higher mount for the water pump. If the engine (235 or 261) was meant for a Task Force series truck, it will have the lower water pump.

SO it has finally stoped raining here and I was able to get home in time before dark and take a better look. The Core Support is intact. No cut or modifications. But it looks like some one did install a short shaft water pump. I have never seen one. I have only had a 216. I will attach the pictures I took. Does this look like the short shaft water pump?

That looks very similar to the water pump on my 216. I'll go look at mine to confirm.

The nose on that one looks longer than my 216 water pump. Here's a pic.