The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 Build Options/Recommendations

I am looking for suggestions for builders; and specks, mods, and additions-to discuss with a 235 builder or in evaluating 235s for sale.
Thank you, Brad

While I am but a newbie, to this Site, I am not a newbie as a truck owner. (I did scroll through a number of pages here gathering past comments, any links to posts I would appreciate.) I bought my 1952 Chevy truck back in 1973. It remains an off and on again hauler and mover and recreational driver, not a restore for show, truck. It still has its old 216 in it on the 6-volt system.
After many years idle, I have blown the dust off to enjoy it once again in my elderly age. On my bucket list it always included replacing the 216 with a later full oiler 235-with some moderate performance additions and mods, including a differential gearing change. *My primary goal is to be able to drive a bit faster than the ol 216 could maintain safely. I am thinking I would like to keep up with traffic at 65mph on short trips on non-interstates. I do not want a "finicky" high maintenance engine either at my age. Secondarily, I want it to sound better with dual exhaust mods. I do not need to race through gears, and plan to keep my original 4-speed (granny gear) transmission.
Unfortunately, at this time I cannot consider doing most of the work myself. I am but a "piddler" with a fading background of having worked in a full service gas station back in the 1970s.

You might consider reaching out to Hotrod Lincoln.

Yep Jerry (hotrod Lincoln) is the one to talk to and I’m sure he will join in tonight.

Don

I've been building engines for 65+ years, anything from completely stock to highly modified round track engines. A 235 is a good beginning for your proposed project, especially if you can locate a 1954 or early 55 engine which has the same water pump position as the 216. Later engines can also be used by relocating the water pump to align with the radiator on the early truck. Our resident stovebolter "Pre-68 Dave" makes and sells that kit, which uses the 216 water pump on the later engines. Dual exhausts and/or carburetors are sort of "eye candy"- - - -nice to look at, but they do little, if anything to actually improve performance.

It's also possible to modify a 216 with a 235 rotating assembly to get a pressure-lubricated crankshaft and up to 250+ cubic inches, without altering the outward appearance of the engine. That requires some pretty creative metal butchery which the average shade tree tinkerer might not have the facilities to accomplish. Drop me a PM and we can discuss some of the options you might have available to you. Good luck with your project!
Jerry

Jerry's comment about modifying a 216 is what I did, although I didn't get as large as 250 CI.
There's some discussion about my project in this thread and also in my Project Journal starting witih this post.
Along with the 235 crank and rods, I used 1950 Chrysler 250 pistons (0.080 OS), and installed a higher capacity oil pump and had the block machined for a full circle rear main seal. The pistons only worked because my engine was standard bore, so if a 216 is already bored out, those wouldn't work.

There are several pistons for Japanese Diesel engines that can be used to modify stovebolt engines, especially ones with altered stroke lengths. The piston crown is around 1/2" thick on them, so the compression height can be corrected by machining the top of the piston to match the block deck height. The 3.5" bore size of a 216 is within a few thousandths of 90MM, so pistons up to 92MM (.080" oversize) or so can be used as long as the deck height is close to correct. A 235 bore (3 9/16") is around 90.5MM.

For instance- - - -Kubota E110 92MM pistons will work on either 216 or 235 engines. The wrist pin bores can be sleeved down with bronze bushings to accommodate a variety of different connecting rods.

www.ebay.com/itm/167235152808?

Jerry

Thank you for the early replies. It’s good to get my brain going. It also will help me as I move forward with the motor. Back in the turn of the century when I last considered an engine swap, I printed out literature available for a common 235 build. Back then it seemed multiple Rochesters were the popular method of taking in more air. Today that may not give me the simplicity and reliability I desire?

"Popular"- - - - -yes. "Right"- - - - -NO! No matter how many, or what brand of carburetor you choose, multiple carbs on a stovebolt engine only accomplish one thing. That's to impress the mouth-breathers at a show & shine event, the ones who don't have any idea about physics. A stovebolt cylinder head simply can't breathe well enough to take advantage of an increase in carburetion (or exhaust) airflow. It's like joining two pieces of heavy tow chain with a paper clip. A good single Carter YF carburetor calibrated for an American Motors/Jeep 232 or 258 cubic inch six will provide all the fuel/air mixture a 235 can handle, and unless you're planning to run a 261 engine wide open all day every day in a big truck, hauling a max load of cargo (or a big overload), it will also work well on that engine. 261s are scarce and somewhat e$$$$pensive, but they seem to be the holy grail for folks who want to stick to a "stock-appearing" engine in a stovebolt pickup. They were used from 1954-62 in the bigger stovebolts- - - -1 ton and up, school buses, etc. The same displacement engine, with a hydraulic cam, was used in "Pontiac" cars in Canada during the same time frame.
Jerry

Is it my imagination, or are we running identical threads on two forums? Maybe these pipe dreams can be consolidated?
Jerry

I am pleased to read this post regarding maximum amount of air these engines can take in and increase performance. exhaust may be a bit of vanity with dual exhaust. When I built up a ford inline 6 in my daughters 64 Falcon many years ago, (I put on a 2-bbl weber progressive carb with a fuel pressure regulator on the gas line. as I recall) I added a splitter in its Siamese middle exhaust port and a set of headers out of it into dual exhaust with sixties style mufflers (that our old classic cars muffler shop installed). It sounded pretty darn good, negating a bit of that inline "rapping" sound and closer to a vintage V8 sound. That was long ago and she still drives it. While I can talk about add ons and stuff-I am surely no mechanic nor designer. All that is so far in the past for me. Thank you, Brad

Hmmm, could be, though not intentional. I am just learning to navigate this forum, after months of only being able to read posts. Thanks, Brad

In the 50+ years I have owned and "piddled with" and driven my truck, I have never had the head off and do not know if the cylinders have been altered etc. However, if I can see it-I have probably messed with it. carb, coil, distributor, water pumps, fuel pumps, radiator, etc. Like I have confessed, I am but an aging piddler. Thank you, for your reply, Brad

There are definitely at least two schools of thought on working with our old trucks- - - - -spend lots of time and money trying to improve the performance of the original style inline six engine, or drop in a "belly button" (everybody's got one!) V8 of some sort. Even a 305 Chevy will outperform the best-built six, simply because it can run a couple of thousand more RPM, even in stock trim. Either approach involves a pretty considerable investment of time and money, since the V8 is only the first step- - - - -the pre-1955 trucks also require changing the entire drivetrain, because the torque tube rear axle and very flimsy transmissions have a hard time surviving the extra performance of the V8 engine. One of my friends in high school back in the 1960s bought a 1947 Chevy 2 door sedan with a 1955 265 V8 in it. His clutch was the first thing to go south, followed pretty quickly by the transmission. Of course, he thought every stoplight was his own personal drag strip, and he had the speeding tickets to prove it!
Jerry

You said the water pump was different on late 55 vs early. What is the difference? Would it do any good to advance cam timing? Or does the 235 benefit from that when building?

On the mid-year 1955 to 1962 235 and 261 engines, the water pump was moved lower on the front of the engine block, and the pump impeller protrudes through about a 3" diameter hole into the front of the block. Earlier engines, 216 and early production 235s have the same water pump, one that bolts onto the front of the block close to the cylinder head and pumps coolant through two holes in the block. The position change was necessary for fan clearance when the midyear 1955 trucks went to a lower hood profile. If a late style engine is installed in an earlier truck, the fan to radiator misalignment causes cooling issues because a very small diameter fan must be used, and it doesn't pull sufficient air volume through the taller radiator. An adapter plate is sold by a stovebolt.com member (Pre-68 Dave) to make the early style pump fit the later block. It works very well.

Advancing cam timing increases low end torque while slightly reducing high RPM horsepower. Since the stovebolt six has a long stroke and it was engineered to produce lots of torque already, I don't see much advantage in advancing the cam timing, unless you have an engine dyno and enough experience to evaluate the results of your modification. On the small block Chevy V8s I built for round track racing, I found that about 3 degrees of cam timing advance worked well, especially since the class I was building for was restricted to a low volume carburetor and high RPM was virtually impossible to achieve. Doing race engine stuff on a street engine is stupid squared, in most situations, anyway.
Jerry