The Stovebolt Site Forums The Side Lot Old Dominion Stovebolt Society (MD, VA, West VA, DC, DE and PA) Help with 235/261 change out

Hey y’all! I have a, garage kept, 1949 6400 dump truck and I would like to swap the 235 Babbitt with a 261 full pressure but I lack the time and experience to do this. Hoping someone here would be a good fit for this project? I’m between Norfolk and Richmond so someone in eastern VA or NC would probably be best.

How do we know if your money is any good?
You look pretty young in the middle pic, although you do appear affable and confident.

On a serious note, do you already have the 261 ready to drop in?

Regardless of your age or how wealthy you are, I would be happy to offer my assistance with your transplant if I were not so far away.

Are you looking for a few guys to assist you in the engine install on a Saturday or are you looking to hand it off and get it back running?

Mike B

Be more specific. Where are you? "Between Norfolk and Richmond" covers a lot of territory. Do you already have a running 261? What year is that 261? Everything bolting to the rear of a 261 is a simple swap but the front mounting is not but is doable. Need to use the old 235 engine mount, the balancer pulley and waterpump/fan. The newer 261 items were a newer design from 1955 forward.
Are you staying 6v or going to 12v?
Many questions.

Hey guys, thanks for your response. Great questions so let me try and provide sufficient details ;-)

I have this truck in Surry county Va. I wish I had the time and knowledge to do this myself but I’m pulled in too many directions and have 3 kids and a business. Therefore, I think the drop/off pick up scenario is best. That said, I can lend a hand where/when needed. Y’all are an amazing resource that our country has a diminishing supply of and I certainly don’t expect any free help ;-)

I do not have a 261 yet. I have looked and posted and there are a few out west for cheap but I cannot know their condition or analyze the risk and therefore am not the best person to be shopping for this. It’s probably best to have the 261 in ship shape condition before deploying the work of installing it. This is also something that would be better in your hands.

The truck was fully operational before the Babbitt gave way. I actively used the truck for hauling and dumping and I believe the interstate speeds are what did it in. Because it has sat for…let’s see… 15 years or so.. it will need fluids, lines etc checked and replaced as needed. I have had it on jacks to prevent flat spots on the tires and it’s been inside its whole life.

The 6v to 12v conversion is something I have not researched. Happy to listen to your suggestions.

Although I have been ceremoniously run out of this august assemblage of Grand Men ...

I think I may yet be able to say what isn't being said ...

The Old Dominion Stovebolt Society, comprising members from throughout Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and perhaps even the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware, is primarily a group of friends who have developed close friendships over the past 20 or so years. We've pitched in to help each other here and there and have had many good times doing so. Not that we haven't warmly welcomed newbies over the years ... it just that there hasn't been that many lately ... (Nick and Vic being the latest, I think... who are still with us ...). and of the Old Timers, I think Mikey is the youngest and he's knocking at 60's door....

That being as it may ...

It may be that you really need to find a shop near you willing and able to do this swap for you as waiting on us to gt together to travel and make an "Amish Barn Raising" out of it just may not be doable any more.

Maybe I speak out of turn, but I am just trying to manage expectations and keep anyone from wondering why there is so much cricket chirping coming from the swamp all of a sudden.

If you do not already have a 261 lined up ... You might want to ask the greybeards here about a later 235. It just might be able to do what you need a repower to do for your application. A few of us, me included, got caught up in the 261 craze years ago, but in retrospect, besides being easier to find, a 235 just might give you most of what a 261 offers. Something to consider.

Maybe one or two of the gang closer to you will make a liar out of me (wouldn't be the first time ...) ... we're here with advice, encouragement and camaraderie in the meantime. And we hope for your great success. We'll help as we can.



John
(Run off to Northeast Alabama )

Thanks, John for your insight and feedback. It is very much appreciated….otherwise I would be sitting here going….”geez, what the hell did I say that was so offensive”😂

I am happy to consider a full pressure 235. I was happy with the power of the original engine so no qualms there. The 261 path was just based on feedback I received from other stovebolt aficionados.

To Clarify… I’m certainly not looking for an Amish barn raising or any volunteerism (unless someone’s looking for a catalyst event for a cold beer with bros). Also, I’m aware that there are shops out there that restore vintage vehicles. My experience with these organizations is that they are fine tuned for the affluent who fancy owning vintage/mint condition vehicles and have a tolerance for blank check agreements. I talked with two in my area and received over the phone guesstimates that were meant as warnings as much as quotes…..hey…if your ok with your wallet being left open on our counter then we are a good fit.

In my mind I think about where I wish I will be in my retirement years… In this utopic future…I have a nice shop/barn etc and enjoy restoring “real machines” to working or pristine condition. Hopefully I can involve my grandkids where appropriate but ultimately I want to bring value to the machines and to the people in my community. To that end, and because I get personal enjoyment from it, and because there are less fortunate “young” folks out there who are still stuck at work, and because folks show their appreciation for what I can do with dollars….I work on/restore/take on projects…like bringing a 49 6400 back on the road. This is who I hope I can be someday and also who I hope I can find today ;-). If no-one in this friend group fits this description then perhaps y’all know of someone else who does?

I would be responsible for delivering the truck and picking it back up as well as anything else that I was directed to do by the stovebolt sensei.

Thank you again John and the rest of you for your responses 😊

Once you source your replacement engine you should be able to find a local mechanic willing to swap engines. If all of the bolt on stuff is in good working order it shouldn't be a very difficult job.

Place an ad here on Stovebolt in the Parts Wanted section and see if you can come up with an engine.

Good luck!

Mike B

Thanks Mike. I’ll do that 😊

Finding a local mechanic (ideally one that has done some Stovebolt restoration work) is something I am hoping this community can help with. In addition to posting in the parts section (here's that post), is there another section where I should post “looking for mechanic”?

I wish (almost) I had not left the area. " cold beer with Bros" with an admirable project would have been right up the alley. Surely we have leads on a 235 and local machine shop that fits this bill. And a weekend thereafter to bring it all together. If in the right season, I would drive down to cold beer with the bros to make it all happen.

One other consideration- - - -with an appropriate amount of metal butchery by a well-qualified machinist, the lowly 235 can become a 270 cubic inch torque monster, using pretty well available off the shelf parts. Those parts just don't all bear the GM logo. It's not a simple, (or cheap) project, but there are many more 235's available to whittle on than the relatively scarce and pricey 261s.
Jerry

Jerry .... Question ... And I am well aware of the beating I might possibly receive from my ... friends ... for asking it, but ....

All other things being equal (stock across the board), and the whole "No substitute for cubic inches" song and dance ....

In light truck applications such as ours (1/2-ton up through 1-ton) does the 261 offer enough of a performance boost over the 235 to warrant the hassle/cost/effort/etc of sourcing and rebuilding a 261 versus a 235?

I think I have heard conversation on this subject sufficient to beg the question ...

What sayest thou, oh grizzled holler-dwelling fount of wisdom???

To be sure, we 261-running he-man paramounts of all things masculine *do* stand just a taller than everyone else ....

And oh by the way, Just this week, I happened to stumble onto a Top-Secret storage facility for 235's and a few 261s ....

If the Civil War were fought by 235s and 261's instead of people, this place would be the Antietam Battlefield....

Just remember John, that place is a HIGH Priorty Top SECRET! Guard it with your life.
Only the ultra cool truck guys know it even exists.

Don

Never been there, But, I do believe that after a few minutes of ISA level image analysis it would be an easy drive to the pictured sacred stash of Stovebolt treasure. The Harley Softail may or maynot have been a clue.

RonR

Don.... I'll be happy to guard it with *your* life ....

:P


Ron ... I doubt you'd even need that much to figure it out ... However comma the "easy ride" part not so much. The place has impressively layered defense in depth ... The outter perimeter is cover by water cooled .30 Browning M1917 .30 cal machine guns. Seriously. Next in is family (including a brother Marine). The inner defenses are ... I'm not at liberty to discuss.

Even the UPS driver gave me a good looking over before he allowed me to pass him going in ...

Bottom line: Unauthorized entry into the sacred Stovebolt Repository would be ... ill advised.

Yes Sir, "Touché" Sir!

RonR