The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1952 216, your opinion please

Hello all-
Just wanted some feedback-
I have the above engine- the outside painted orange-
The engine is complete- and very clean- I begin taking off some components to evaluate the engine/prep for overhaul. I am not familiar with the service history other than it belonged to my cousin(I inherited from him when he passed away last year) and he was a perfectionist(other than the orange paint)
well as I tear into it- everything is spotless on the inside- the pushrods- the cylinders- it has good compression- so I am thinking of just putting it back together with fresh seals and assembly lube and then cleaning and repainting it the correct grey color that the 216 would be in the pickup- (pickup is a 49 btw)
Just wanted to get some feedback- this is my first restoration as well as my first chevrolet pickup of this era.
Thanks,
Sam

There are no rules, unless you are wanting to compete in the original categories at auto shows. I say paint it whatever color you want, it's your truck.

I was thinking about painting mine, an extra dark gray.

John

While you have it apart you might want to mic(micrometer measure)the cylinders and the crank rod and main journals to see if they meet the specs for a 216.As to color,paint it what you want unless you prefer original gray,which is a whole other discussion on this board. Mine by the way is flourescent green.

The critical measurement on a 216 is connecting rod clearance, adjusted with shims between the rod cap and the rod. Since the bearing material is integral with the rod, it's not a simple matter of changing bearings like on the 54-up engines. There's nothing wrong with a properly set up 216 babbit-rod engine, just don't try long stretches at high speed and/or heavy loads.

A good inside and out cleanup, including a new rear crankshaft seal, should put you back on the road for some time to come, assuming the piston rings and bearing clearances are good.
Jerry

Sometimes I think the 216 gets an unwarranted rap from us because of its oiling system and the babbit bushings. A friend of mine has a 216 in his 51 and it purrs like a kitten and is easily as fast as my rebuilt 235.
Guess it just depends on hard you want to abuse it.

You say the compression is good. If it's not making rude noises I say put her back together and ease on down the road.

I agree, there is nothing wrong with the 216. If I had it apart, I would put new seals and rings in it and of course adjust the bearings as required.

Thanks for the replies- Compression and the measurements I have made are about the middle of the specs- So I think I will button her up, I have found some nice gray paint that is high temp and pretty scratch resistant- so that is what I am going to use-
at first the babbit stuff kind of made me nervous- a friend of mind works at a refinery and they still use babbits on some of the rotating equipment because it has the best service life and they can re-pour replacements quite easy. I went down to watch them work on some stuff, mainly with the babbits and now I am not to worried.
Thanks all

so I got the engine back together with fresh dressed gaskets( also all new)
The only thing I have run into so far is the water pump impeller is bad and the housing is also not able to be split- I tried silikroil, heat, silikroil, more heat, and nothing. so I have ordered a new pump with housing, plan to reuse the fan blade-
Don't mind spending a little on such a critical part.- I am going to leave it orange for now- More of sentimental value than anything. not sure though, might end up gray before to long.

Engine is gray PPG 33750.

Just a heads up. NAPA sells the water pump for about 1/2 the price in catalogs. Part # WP58125 + core