The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 216-261 swap

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Hy 52-Mobil,If the 261 came from a standard four speed truck the bellhousing from the 216 should fit and work. As far as I am aware there was only one year of 261 production 54 which used a six volt fly wheel, so chances are your 261 will have a 12 volt flywheel which will require a 12 volt starter. You can always compare the two engines components to check for differences, hope that helps.

The flywheel, clutch, starter, and bellhousing from the 216 should be able to bolt onto the 261 block and crankshaft. The 1946 transmission- - - -is it a 3 or 4 speed? There was a major change in transmission design in around 1947/48, with a different bellhousing bolt pattern on the later transmissions. The earlier, lighter duty trans and clutch might be on the ragged edge, torque-wise, for handling the output of the 261, so don't abuse the light duty driveline components.
Jerry

When we did my 216 - 261 conversion Read about it here, we just moved the ring gear from the 216 flywheel to the 261's flywheel. We flipped the gear around while we did it to put the unworn side of the teeth to the starter gear. Swapping the ring gear was pretty simple. Why didn't we just use the 261 flywheel as is? I don't remember.... maybe I talk about it in the writeup. Or better yet, maybe Jerry remembers -- he was there guiding us through the whole thing.

IF you are fortunate to find a 261 out of the 1954 mold (again, see the article...), its a FAR simpler swap than the later 261's. Either way, make sure you know what year your block is so you get things right (like main bearings). Knowing the Date Code is critical, not just the casting code as not all 261's are identical and you want to know exactly what you have before you starting buying expensive parts for it

How do I know this? Indeed .... read the article

Like HRL said swap the ring gear and everything else works. If you looking to upgrade the old crash box. I used a bell housing with the casting #3835201. It has the pin for the pedals plus it has the larger pilot hole and bolt pattern for a "newer" style transmissions. It was originally used for 49-53 truck bell housing.

John, IIRC, I was not present for the 216/261 swap. I got concerned about low oil pressure on a ride-along at a later date, and some further investigation revealed some badly worn connecting rod bearings. Then I got to participate in the rebuild of the 261.
Jerry

Most likely, the 216 flywheel ring gear was used due to compatibility with the original 6V starter.

That's correct- - - - -John's 3800 pickup ("Charlie") still runs a 6V electrical system.
Jerry

That's right!! I remembered that later after I had posted that.