The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs engines

looking into changing my engine(235)to a 472. what engine do you have or going to install in your suburban or panel. looking for some more ideas. also the albertons grocery chain in this area is selling small metal models of suburbans('47-'53).

tony'n weatherford

Hey Tony, what does the 472 come in? I'm just an old fart and behind times. :confused:

I went with the 350 SBC. Parts are plentiful & cheap. Look here:
http://community.webshots.com/user/pywgn

JS

Seon, the 472 and 500 came in the cadillacs
tony'n weatherford

Boy, that is what that thing needs,,a real gas guzzler,,,hey, did you buy that 70?? how about going down to winnsboro on the 23rd,,,,regards..Fred

The 472's and 500's are only slightly bigger, and heavier, than smallblock Chevvies. There's a pretty good assortment of hotrod parts for them, too. I'm planning to put a 500/Turbo 400 setup in my 59 Burb one of these days.
Jerry

i have a cad 500/turbo 400 with an eldlebrock intake in my 64.

I like the big Cadillac and thought about putting one in my Suburban.

My Suburban is a '55 1st GMC. The next model GMC's were available with Pontiac V-8s.

I've often thought it would be fun to install a Pontiac 455 with valve covers with GMC stamped in them. And then I'd tell everyone it was the original motor.

But I've since learned that the valve covers had decals, not embossed logos, so it wouldn't be near as interesting.

I found a good deal, so I bought a 454 and will probably put that in. Someday...

hey fred , what do you mean by gas guzzler if i install a 472, i'm getting 9mpg with the 235 that in there now!

tony'n weatherford

I scored a 1987 454 w/ th400 from a wrecked 1 ton. I'm installing on a 69 Nova clip into a 49 burb. Hope to be on the road by spring.

Mine currently has a 267 V8 from a '79 or '80 Maliubu or Camaro. It has ring blow-by and valve problems. All I wanna do is junk it. My dream is to put a big block in there. For now I would be happy to find a decent SBC to do a direct swap, and think about a big block when I find a deal on one and tear this thing down for the frame-off rebuild.

My dad had a '68 Caddy with the 472, and that thing would fly! Didn't they have a beefed up version of the TH400? I seem to remember it being called a TH475.

Hey Tony, thanks for the 472 info. I need to get out of Chevy box because small and big blocks are the only engines I've ever instlled in these old Chevies :rolleyes: . Those Caddy engines should push a Burb down the road with ease.

I towed a 3-axle backhoe trailer from California to Tennessee in 1980 with a 70 Fleetwood, with a 472. Gross weight on the car and trailer was 16,700 pounds, by the truck scales at the Arizona point of entry, where I had to get an over-wide permit. I was moving back home to Nashville, with everything we owned on the trailer, and crammed into my 59 Burb with my wife behind the wheel. 2,500 miles at 5 MPG, (10 on the Burb) but no problems out of either vehicle! Those 472's are tough!
Jerry

Shoot, Tony -- why stop there? everybody does gas V-8s. They're so yawnsville, dude. Be original! If you want power, slap a 671 Detroit or a Maxidyne in there, man!

That's what I'm waiting for. I wish I had a quarter for every AD truck I've seen with the 350/454/T350 combo in it. Yay. Whatever. So far, no one has sent me any photos of their diesel-equipped AD. My friend and neighbor, Mike Boetteler, has a big diesel-equipped Task Force but it doesn't count 'cause it came from the factory that way.

Torque? Think diesel! C'mon, one of these days, somebody is going to impress me! :p

Regards,
John

Well, John, you might get your wish one of these days! (Gotta be careful about wishes, sometimes they come true!) I've got 5 120-HP Cummins turbo diesels socked away, take-outs from UPS trucks, and one of them is likely to end up in a stovebolt one of these days. They have the same bellhousing bolt pattern as the smallblock V-8's, or the 230/250/292 6-cylinders. The ones that are on the engines right now are the hydraulic clutch types, with the slave cylinder/throwout fork on the passenger's side. UPS used these engines interchangeably with 292's and Ford 300 I-6's. They're heavier than a 292, and a little longer, I think, but not too big to fit under an AD hood. I've got a couple of New Process 235 transmissions that will fit the bellhousings, or a Turbo 350 or 400 could be adapted, I believe. How would that work out for an unusual early-50's Stovebolt?
Jerry

hey john, there is a gentleman in my aera that has an olds deisel in his '53 5 window. he's had some good service out of it. if i ever get a chance to put a nail in his foot, i'll get some pictures of this truck.

tony'n weatherford

I'm looking for a late model 350. I want the computer and fuel injection and everything. My Dad has a 95 chevy truck that has the same and gets 24 mpg. My Burb is destined to be a road dog so good mileage is a must.
Of course a higher speed rear axle will also have to be in this picture.