The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1953 chevy 6

is there anything that a guy should know when rebuilding a old 6cyl or what not to do

Welcome to the Stovebolt the-parts-guy
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Main thing is to study all the books you can to get a good idea how it comes apart and goes together. Ask a lot of questions Make sure you mark everything or keep it separate and in order so it can all go back together properly. Take notes and pictures if you can. Make sure all the pieces are really clean when it goes back together.
You might try to locate a junk engine to tear apart so you can get familiar with how things are put together.
Look at everything as you are taking it apart as it will tell a big story of how the engine was running. Sort of engine forensics

Look for any post made by Chiphead! He has some horror stories. For example, don't start with a block that was a coffee table, build it and run it with HEI and have the oil pump fail.

The main dilemna I had was finding a machine shop that was at least somewhat familiar with them.Not that there's anything complicated about them,I just wanted to find a place that I felt comfotable with. Do a lot of checking around if you don't already have a shop in mind. With a lot of shops, they look at you kinda puzzled if it's not a small block Chevy.

Is this the original 216 or 235 or a later block?

yes this is a 235 engine from a 1953 chevy truck

and i am rebuilding the engine myself

*poof*
OK, I guess this is when I make my appearance....

Between 1953-55, chevy did a lot of changes to the 235. Before 53, all chevy engines were "babbit pounders" with splash oiling to the rod bearings, similar to a lawnmower engine. In 53 Chevy started to produce a redesigned 235 that had full presssure oiling to the rod, main and cam bearings. It was a much more durable engine, and is a good candidate to use instead of a babbit pounder. In '55 chevy redesigned the engine again, with a better water pump, better oil pump, better main bearings, and improving oiling passages. They produced this 235 through model year 1962.

Sedans had FP 235s in '53 with powerglide. The stick cars got the babbit beater. Not sure how they did the trucks in '53.

It is fairly easy to install a 53-55 1st series or a 55-62 2nd series 235 in place of a 53 or earlier babbit pounder 216 or 235. More about the swap in another thread if yer interested...

First, decipher which engine you have. Run the casting numbers on the passanger side of the block, in front of road draft vent. If you want a numbers-matching truck, stick with the babbit pounder if thats what you got. If you want a driver, swap in a full-pressure motor, or rebuild yours if it happens to be a FP 235.

There is a evil gremlin in the bottom end of the 53-55 1st series FP 235s, in the form of main bearing shims. Fairly difficult to set main bearing clearance consistantly W/O burning up a main bearing. Ask me how I know....

If you live in a large city, there is at least one machine shop that knows 235s. Find them. The other shops will butcher your motor, cuz they don't know the year to year differences.

Got any more questions, or wanna hear horror stories, just ask....

best regards,

chip

*poof*

we know it is a 1953 235 truck engine with a full oil system with bearing shels i have the bottom end alltogether have set the main bearings pistons are all in and does anyone know a trick to get the gear off the cam so we can put it on our new one

The gear is another famous topic! I would guess that your gear is aluminum, not fiber. If the gear has a steel hub in the center, they are press off and press on. If the replacement gear has an aluminum hub, it get heated and then placed on. When it comes off, the pressure is exerted in a press against a backing plate and sometimes, I have been told, they can crack. Mine was brass and it didn't crack. Going back on though, the clearance had to be monitored and the pressing was stopped when the clearance was a few thou. Now mine is a 216 but I would guess that it is fairly similar.

yes the one we want to use is a fiber gear we allready broke the aluminum gear

Ralphy,
what do you mean they weren't splash oiled after 1934 ? They still had rod dippers and no crankshaft rod pressure, up until the changeover in the 53/Powerglide or 54 regular. What they did have was rod sprayers that sprayed into the dippers. However, at low RMP, it was definitely splash oiling for the rods.

Ralphy,
I guess it is all in the name "splash oil". I know the motor, I just finished rebuilding my 216.