The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts 55 swap

Well I am back with a new idea here goes in the truck I call a Jed Clampett special is a 1955 flat head 6 the gear ratio for the 2 speed rear dif is actually lower in the 53 than in the 55 and it looks like the same tranny. I am not sure if the flat head is 235 or a 261 have not been able to get to it for snow
but would this engine get her up to and maintan 55 mph. The other thing is the flat head 6 is it the correct or did someone bolt up a car engine to a truck tranny or was the 55s flat heads?

There were no flat heads in 55.

Did Chevy ever have a flat head (not considering Buick and some of the other cars) just Chevy cars and trucks, flat head or not?

If you had the proper gears and or transmission then a 235 overhead valve six cylinder, or the 261, and probably even the older 216 will get you to 55 mph.

Grigg

I went back to check out your pictures is this http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh198/olddozer/hillbillytruck.jpg Jed Clampett special did you mean 35 and not 55? Not sure what you are asking 235s and 261s are overhead valve engines no flathead Chevy’s in 55.

Chevrolet NEVER made a "flathead" in any configuration.

From 1929 thru 1954 they only offered valve-in-head In-line 6 cylinder engines.

1955 was the year they introduced the Small Block V8 we all know and love!

Mike B

And before 29 Chevy had only 4 cylinders, still overhead valves.
With the exception of 1917 and part of 1918 Chevy did have a V8 OHV engine, so 55 is not the first year for a V8 for Chevy.

About "the Small Block V8 we all know and love!",
Do we all love them? :confused:

Grigg

about a SBC,
I don't dislike them, or have any problems with them, but I don't think I would ever need one, buy one, or even find a use for one if it were free.
I would however, drive a truck that has one in it, but would not give much for it...

Grigg

OK now it seems I stirred up a hornets nest but old jed the truck has a flat head motor I will wade the snow and get a pic.
I was told it was a 55 chev drive train motor to rear end.the tranny looks the same as whats in the 53 and the rear axle including the rims and bolt patern are identical to the 53 now I dont want to upset anyone but here is something to consider is it possible that a motor could have been put in canadian trucks but not in US trucks or was it only ford and dodge that had flat heads.Regardless this head is flat and its bolted to a chev tranny if its not a chev engine the old farmer was a darn fine shade tree mechanic and jed the truck is even moreclosely related to Johnny Cash's Cadillac than I thought.

Canadian trucks used the same engines in 55 as US trucks, 235 OVH I6 .... and as said above, Chev never had a flathead

Bill

Maybe it is an old continental industrial motor or something

olddozer,

Maybe it's not a GM engine; maybe it's a mistake by the farmer? And, you are correct about many farmers being able to do all sorts of things to keep these old trucks running. That says something good about farmers and about these old trucks.

The flatness of the head does not make a engine a "flat head". See if the spark plugs are on the top of the head (most likely a transplanted flat head, with "valves in head"); or, see if the spark plugs are on the side of the head ("overhead valves").

Tim

I know Pontiac made some inline flat heads. Cadillac made a flat head V-8. I would not be surprised if Buick and Olds made flat head sixes too, but don't know.

I once owned a '51 GMC that had a Dodge flat head motor under the hood. This one had been a frame swap and all the running gear was Dodge. Is it possible more of the frame and running gear are not Chevy?

And I need to get my two cents into the small block side bar here. I'd accept the suggestion that I love them and I've owned many of them over the years. Today three of my five drivers have 350 Chevy motors under the hood. Great servicable motors. The one with TPI can be pretty exciting.

Someone has tried almost every small block swap possible, and when you see one at a car show, it is usually just another small block. I would not hesitate to use one in a driver but I can sure imagine something more interesting for anything where lifting the hood for an audience matters.

My current motor swap projects are all using big Cadillac or big block Chevy motors.

Buicks were all overhead, just like the Chevy. In fact, early Chevrolet advertising (after they bought out GM in '18) used the similarity by stating that the Chevrolet used the "Buick style" head. Olsmobile 6 and 8 before '47 were flatheads, as were Pontiacs up to '54. I don't beleive that Pontiac continued the 6 after they introduced the V8 in '55.
The closest things that Chevrolet ever had to a flathead was the '12-'13 Classic 6, which used a T head engine, and a prototype light reconnisance vehicle for the military in WW2, but it was powered by an Indian motorcycle engine, not a production Chevy engine.

LB you all ways come through with the most interesting info

That would be my guess

Turns out that the engine is a Green Diamond flat head 6 making it International but it still was married to a chev tranny. Found a big crack in the tranny so as I planned to change the motor and tranny in the 53 anyway I'll put them in Jed the truck and put the green diamond in my dozer works great all the way around.