The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop out in rain 235

i have been offered a 235 motor (free for hauling it off) that has been "laying in the yard" for two years. there is no valve cover or exhaust or intake manifolds so i am sure the thing is full of water. is this motor going to be worth my time and effort to pick up? my goal would not be to rebuild it but to have extra head etc for the 235 in my 54 chevy. thanks for any info.

Do you have a boat?

very small jon-boat and i'm afraid using this motor for an anchor would probably sink it. i take it i would be wasting my time??

Tony! Be nice.

It seems to me that it's worth what you're paying for it (nothing). Take it home, tear it down, check it out. If it's toast, follow Tony's thought process and go find a boat. But for all you know it may be worth your time. I've seen worse work out fine.

Risk with no dollars attached is a good thing.

Think of it as picking up a lottery ticket found on the ground. It may be garbage, it's not a million dollar winner, but it could be worth a buck or two. What's it worth for scrap iron at least???

I can never resist anything free. It was probably not a "good" motor or it would not have been left out. But, who knows. I suggest you get it if you have a place to store it. If it has only one good part that you can use it's worth it.

i think i will go over and see if he will let me pull the head, oil pan, and anything else i might be able to capture without having to pick up the block. are there any precautions i should take in "storing" the head for awhile? do they "warp" or anything? (you can tell i am not a motor man).

When you store the head, just make sure it doesn't rust.
:p
Who knows, maybe it was laying on it's side and no water ran in. Go look.

I am still kicking myself for not getting a nearly free recent rebuilt 53 235 just because it was only a 53 and at the time I could not imagine ever putting it in my 54.

If it were me and I had a place to put it, I would take it if the frost plugs are not popped. A lot of people junk motors when they start to smoke and a simple rebuild will create a new machine.

Grab it!
Even a trashed-out junker will have a lot of useable parts, and they're sure not making any more of them! I've got a 59 model 1-ton with a 235 that was running when I parked the truck 15 years ago, and I'm sure it hasn't improved any with age, but I'm also sure it could be salvaged if I ever decided to put it into running shape again. I know it's got cylinder head problems, possibly a crack, but it's still in one piece, and can be repaired with a little effort. One trick for long-term storage is to dismantle the engine, put the parts into a 55-gallon drum with a ring-seal top, and fill it with cheap oil. (or even Diesel fuel). They'll last 3 days past forever stored that way!
Jerry

Hotrod Lincoln,

Better be carful storing engines like that. Someone might think there is bodies in all those drums.

Short iron=$5 a hundred here, good money for scrap. I say get it, tear it down, if its no good turn it into a Kia at you local scrapyard. Brian

LOL!
"Lord, grant me the courage to change the things I can, the patience to endure the things I can't change, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the jerks who tick me off!"

(Slightly modified to keep the PC crowd from getting upset!)
Jerry

For what it's worth, I was given a 235 that had been sitting in a guy's backyard for several years unprotected. It did have the manifolds on it, but no cover over the carb opening. I had low expectations, but a friend who had just rebuilt another 235 volunteered to take it apart and rebuild it if it was good. He's nearly finished with it and says that it appears to be a very good and solid engine. So I'd go for that 235 if I were you. What've you got to lose? Oh, I also found that you can move those engines around quite easy with one of those Harbor Freight hand trucks.

I don't know about the motor in your question... but a pal of mine, went to this guys house, who for some reason had several 4 bolt main 350 chevy engiens laying around out in this field behind his house. He was cleaning up or something... so the deal was, my pal and his pals help him clean out the weeds and over growth and they could have a block or two each or something.

Well, my pal got his block, took it home, tore it down, took it to the machine shop. They pressure checked it and it was fine. I believe that is the block he used to build the blower motor in his hot rod t-bucket. So... all you have to lose is time and effort in getting it to your place and taking it apart.

It is free... like Jake53 mentioned, take it home, tear it apart and check it out. If nothing else you get to have fun taking someothing apart without having to put it back together. Then maybe dump it off at the recycle place and get some lunch/gas money or something.

-W