The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Swapping 216 for 235 in 1951 Chevy Truck

Hello all. Thank you ahead of time for the assistance. I have not posted here before, and I'm hoping to get some clarification on something.

I have a 1951 Chevy panel truck. I pulled a 216 from it with a manual transmission. Serial number of the engine is LAA94I202, casting numbers CON4 F63, and the head has 887, 066, 570 on it. The serial/casting number of bell housing is 3835201 G24 (see photo). It looks like the serial numbers for the trans are 919169 W3 1293 (see photo). The 216 needs significant work, and I have found a 235 for a good price and would like to swap.

I am buying a 235 (serial/casting 3836233) from a 1955 Chevy Belair wagon, which is currently paired with a power glide auto transmission (see photos of motor mounts).

I would like to use the 235 with the manual trans from my 216, and I am wanting to know what I am getting into. If there is anything to be aware of here. Can I mate these two together without issue? Will the bell housing for the 216 bolt right onto the 235? Do I need to worry about flywheel/starter compatibility? Etc.. If there are issues, what are they and how do I address them?

Also, I would like to drop the 235 directly into the truck without modification, if possible. I am having a hard time determining if the motor mounts for both of these configurations will be the same. Can anyone help with this? I need to order new mounts, so I would like to know what is correct for what I intend. The truck frame is stock, and I intend to keep it so, if possible.

I have attached photos of the bell housing, the side of the manual trans, a larger view showing the manual trans, and three closeup images of the mounts from the 235. The trouble is I am not with the 216 or trans at the moment, and I have not yet gone to see/purchase the 235. So, I cannot compare the mounts.

Can anyone help me determine what I need here? Hoping it is a simple matter of the mounts being the same, and that someone can point me to a good place to buy replacements.

Thank you for the assistance.

You will need to drill two holes in the front engine plate on which mounts the timing-gear cover. The holes must match the spacing of the bolts on the front engine mount of the 216.

Because this engine is going into a truck, it would be a good idea to swap the fiber timing gear for an new aluminum one; in which case it's only one more step to pull the front engine cover/motor mount plate off the 216 and swap it for the one from the 55 car. Then it's nearly a bolt-in except for the fan location. You can get a water pump location adapter from one of the Stovebolt vendors here and use the 216/style water pump, though I'd have it rebuilt first. You might also need to swap the crank pulley, which will be off already anyway.

This parts swap is commonly done from late 235 truck engines to early 235 truck engines. I'm not sure the 216 parts are a direct swap but somebody here does and will weigh in soon.

When swapping in a 235 in my '46 truck (235 was from a truck), I used the bell housing, flywheel, clutch setup from my 216. I also used my 6v starter.

Don’t forget the clutch pilot bushing in your 235.

Don't scrap the 216, please. Lots of us rebuild and/or modify them for people who want to keep their vehicles "stock-appearing". I can rebuild a "216" with modern parts and a pressurized 235 crankshaft to almost 260 cubic inches that appears to be a regular 216 from the outside.
Jerry

Thank you all for the replies. I guess I was naive in thinking the 235 from a car would be the same as a a 235 from a truck of the same era.

Is it foolish to use this engine in my truck? It seems it is OK, just a few things to change, as you have all mentioned. I wanted to keep the 216 for this, but it will be costly.

1Ton Tommy, are you saying that the fan is not located in the same location on the 235 as the 216? I was under the impression they were the same, but I guess this is not the case. I can get a 216 style water pump to address this if needed. That's OK.

Jerry, I definitely will not be scrapping the 216. I will probably rebuild it in the future, and maybe put it back into the truck. I was just told by the machine shop I took it to that I was looking at $5k to rebuild it, and who knows how long. And I am looking to just get this thing moving so I can drive it for now. The 235 will cost me ~$700 and runs fine. Power Glide trans included, which I do not plan to use. But I will probably keep this also, for now.

I also asked the owner if I could buy the radiator from the car to use with this when going into my truck. Again, perhaps naive to think it will be the same. Is this stupid, or is it the same as what was in the truck already? Will it not work at all?

And can someone point me to a good link to buy new motor mounts for this project?

Thanks

I know on my old 216 the water pump sits up on the block and on the cylinder head. On my 235 the water pump sits down on the block about 3 inches lower not touching the cylinder head. I've read where having the fan lower could affect the cooling, so someone made an adapter to raise the pump back up about 3 inches. I'm planning to run mine and decide later if I need to move the pump up.

Welcome to Stovebolt. I see your in Ga....check out Southern Bolters Forum. Quiet a few in Ga and we get together often.
....you will enjoy Stovebolt.

I have a 235 from a 59 car in my 52 1/2 ton and it is an excellent choice to replace you tired old 216, gaining you 40-50 HP. Many others on this site have done this exact replacement.

• The bellhousing, tranny and flywheel will bolt right on giving you your rear engine mounts. If the engine is from a car with an automatic tranny, you will need to install a pilot bushing. You can buy ones specifically made for this.
• The front engine mount from your 216 with also work with a minor mod.
• The water pump is only an issue on 54-62 235’s (Earlier 235 are an exact replacement, however are also not full oil pressure engines). There are two ways to address this issue. The first is to buy a short water pump made specifically for this purpose. (If you have the equipment and skills, you can do this mod yourself). The drawback to this approach is the fan is located lower on the radiator which does effect cooling. It may be an issue in Georgia. The second is to use an adaptor plate invented by a fellow member Pre '68 Dave designed and offers a pump relocation kit that will put the water pump in the correct "sweet" spot. Check out his website [chev235guy.blogspot.com] for a ton of great info on 216/235's, the relocation kit and info on drilling the front timing plate for the front engine mount! I installed his kit on my ’59 235 and it was fairly easy. His email is [email protected]

If you can find a machinist who is willing to do a little creative metal butchering, your "216" can become a pressure-lubricated engine instead of a spray-oiler, bored and stroked to 258 cubic inches or so. However, that involves major modifications to the block and crankshaft, and different connecting rods and pistons. It makes for the ultimate "sleeper"- - - -looks like a 216, and has the torque and horsepower of a 261.
Jerry

Please tell us the details on doing this "creative butchering". It sounds very interesting!

Here's a taste of that creative butchering. It involves putting a 235 crank in a 216 block. The 235 crank has a narrower #3 main journal that has the thrust bearing in it than a 216, so the bearing web on the 216 needs to be narrowed (same amount on both sides.) You can use 235 rods and piston pins fitted to 1950 Chrysler 250 ci pistons (Egge 279-6) in 0.080 oversize if your block is standard bore. Would be about 0.015 oversize of the standard 3.5" bore on the 216. The skirt length on the pistons needs to be cut down to clear the crank counterbalances. I also had the block machined for the full circle seal Jerry mentioned (last picture).

It's also possible to use GMC 228/248/270 connecting rods narrowed to fit the 235 crankshaft. They're 7" long, and will allow the 215 Buick/Olds V8 pistons to be fitted to the 216 block. Flathead Ford 85 HP V8 rods are also 7" long, but they require some more sophisticated machining. The 235 crankshaft can be stroked an extra 3/8" by using 7" rods, a piston for a Japanese Diesel forklift, and rod bearings for a CJ-3 Jeep 4 cylinder engine. That makes the stroke 4 5/16". (Longer than a GMC 302!) A 216 bored .060" oversize with a 4 5/16" stroke comes out to 258 cubic inches! That full circle oil seal is a Timken #417210, or the equivalent from SKF or National- - - -3 7/8" inside diameter, 4 7/8" OD and 3/8" thick. It has enough "stretch" on the lip (up to .015") to accommodate a "speedy-sleeve" on the crankshaft hub.
Jerry

Phak1, thank you for the details. understood, and very helpful. This is mostly what I was looking for. I appreciate the info.

Hotrod Lincoln, I'm not looking to do the butchering at the moment, but maybe in the future. Thanks for this.

Thanks! Will check it out. ray durham