Good day, I’ve sourced and in the process of having a 1956 261 engine rebuilt to replace the 216 that went boom. The 261 had a broken dipstick with a piece of wire to stop it from dropping down the tube! My question is the 216 dipstick length the same as the 261? I know that there is a big difference in the dept of the oil pan between the two.
Assuming you have a dipstick tube in the block, I'd just make a dipstick out of a piece of rod. Fill the pan with the specified amount of oil and mark the rod with a file, after brazing or welding a washer to keep it just off the pan bottom so it doesn't wear a hole in the pan.
I know if you over fill them they will blow oil out the breather and make a mess. It might be worthwhile to make a windage tray or extend the factory baffle to keep the crank wind from stirring up the oil, though the factory never saw the need so far as I know. Maybe the later 261 pans had such a tray. The pan I have is a 56 according to its yellow color and has the floating oil pickup rather than the fixed one screwed to the main cap.
1951 3800 1-ton "Earning its keep from the get-go" In the DITY Gallery 1962 261 (w/cam, Fenton headers, 2 carbs, MSD ign.), SM420 & Brown-Lipe 6231A 3spd aux. trans, stock axles & brakes. Owned since 1971.
There is a link on this site somewhere to a chart that lists all the lengths of the dipstick tubes for various engines and years. Of course this presumes you have the correct length dipstick tube installed on your engine.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
Phil Moderator, The Engine Shop, Interiors and Project Journals
1952 Chevrolet 3100, Three on the Tree, 4:11 torque tube Updated to: ‘59 235 w/hydraulic lifters, 12v w/alternator, HEI, PCV and Power front Disc Brakes Project Journals Stovebolt Gallery Forum
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
doyle1950, The 216 and 1956 261 do not share the same dipstick. To get down into the detail level for the dipstick on your 1956 261, it should have the dimensions listed in the snipped pic below taken from the other post screen capture. Hope this helps define what you need.
~ 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)
