The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1935 Chev 207 Ressurection

Thanks to all the people who posted responses recently regarding my question to swap a newer 235 in place of the 207 now in my 1935 Chev. 1 ½ ton truck. I’ve really gotten an education regarding the differences between these engines and am now convinced that I’d like to try and re-build the original 207 motor. I’d like to keep the truck as mechanically, electrically, and aesthetically original as possible and believe that the many changes needed to put a 235 in it wouldn’t be in my best interest.

Any suggestions regarding others’ experiences with these motors or basics I should be concerned about in making this engine run are much appreciated.

So here’s what I’m dealing with:

· The motor doesn’t turn over.
· When it was parked (sometime in the 1950s) it had 48,000 miles on it (I believe this to be an accurate figure – keeping in mind, of course, that those are wheat-field miles).
· The truck has been parked in a very dry climate all of it’s life (eastern Washington). An aftermarket, external oil-filter system was in place on this engine.
· No water was left in the block so I’m assuming (hoping) that it’s not cracked.
· The oil in the pan was near the full mark on the dip stick and looked golden (like new!).
· I pulled the pan and all the bearing caps (rod and main) to remove the crank shaft (since the motor doesn’t turn, I did this first to get the flywheel out of the way of the bolts that secure the bell housing to the block). The bearings visually look smooth but I’m not really sure about what to look for regarding obvious signs of wear you can detect visually.

Thanks, John Larson
Hoquiam, Wash.

jblarson, Sounds to me like you may be able to make that engine run as is. Just because it has set so long that it is seized up doesn't mean anything is wrong with it- really.Pour some diesel in through the spark plug holes a let it set a bit. Just a little bit of diesel.Put your crank and pan back on and turn it over by hand or put a crank on it to turn it over. Making sure you put new "non-detergent oil" in it. Sounds like that engine would run without any work done to it. There shouldn't be anything wrong with the babbit bearings either. Must have been a real pain getting the crank out that way. Put some tape over the rod bolts when you put the crank back in so you don't score it or nick it. That "IS" a good engine for that truck. I'll keep an eye out for how you are doing.

Oly, thanks for the input. I had wondered too that the motor may work without a lot of major surgery. One thing I am wondering about, however, is that I didn't do a good job of keeping track of where all the little brass shims go when I removed the bearing caps. Is this critical? I still have the shims but am not sure exactly where they went.

The motor is still over in eastern Wash. and I won't have a chance to bring it back to my shop until June. I'll try your suggestions before I go to any extreme measures in tearing things apart. I had in mind to first pull the head to get the pistons free by lubing them directly. The spark plug hole method seems like a good first step though.

Looks like you've got a heck of a vehicle collection going there. Any personal connection to the "Oly" beer up here in Wash? The brewery is slated to close for good this summer so I'm savoring what stubbies are still available in stores.

John Larson

P.S. looks like I misspelled "resurrection" -- oh well, at least this forum isn't a spelling bee.

Thank goodness this place isn't a spelling bee-we'd all be offenders at some time or another! Sounds like you've got yourself a nice old fella to tinker with-best of luck on the resurrection. We're all rootin' for ya to have him purring again soon!

Regards,
Wannabe

Yes it is a darn shame you messed with the shims. They are to adjust the bearings as they wear to keep the proper clearances. To put your engine back together you will now have to reshim. Follow the instructions in your shop manual.

Since everything looks good so far I would pull the head and clean everything up. Make sure the valves are working and the springs haven't gone bad sitting still. Then put it all back together and run it.

If your engine is as clean up top as it is in the bottom it should be no problem unsticking the rings.

My engine wasn't stuck, but it is what I did and now have an excellent running engine that is far from needing a rebuild.

At this stage of the game, I really don't know which way is best for you to go. But, YES "save those shims"!!!You may be able to find a shim pack but I'm not certain. You can change the main bearings, which are babbit, for inserts at this time, but you will need some work done on the rods to change those bearings to inserts. It's a darn shame that you removed the crank. You could possibly put her back together but it would be easier to pull the engine and remove the head. If you do that you may as well rebuild her and upgrade at that time. If you decide to rebuild or just try to put the crank back in, I can walk you through each step at that time. Quite a simple engine to work on. Keep me posted as to what you want to do. Also, if you have a picture, post it or send it to me and I'll see if I can post it for "wannabe" to see (LOL).

Yep, figured I ought to have kept a better eye on where those shims went. Of course, at that time I really didn't expect I'd want to use this engine (hindsight is always 20/20 you know). I did manage to keep the main bearing shims in place and only have two of the rod bearing shims that I can’t say exactly where they came from (there were only two rods that had any shims).

I should explain that I never actually pulled the crank completely out. Being in the hurry I was in (needed to get back home after spending few days across the mountains – the chassis and motor are still over on my uncle’s wheat farm and I live 5 hours away), I realized once I got all this apart that I didn’t have the puller to get the pully off the front of the motor. Anyway, I stuffed the crank back in, screwed the pan back on and set the motor on blocks. So, aside from where those stray shims go, setting the crank back into place should be as simple as bolting all the bearing caps back in place. I suppose I’ll try that this summer and try the diesel-down-the-hole method of trying to free it up.

By the way, I’ll scan some photos of my rig and post them in the gallery asap.

Put the diesel in now and at every opportunity. Maybe it will be free by summer.

I'll be over across the mountains very briefly at the end of the month so I'll give it a first injection of diesel juice then. Thanks for the advice.