The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Advice needed- 216 ring gear on a 235 flywheel

My new to me 1952 1/2 ton Chevy has been sitting for 24 years. I will be swapping in a 1958 235. The flywheel on the 235 has been surfaced and it has a new clutch disc and pressure plate. The 216 flywheel would need to be surfaced and new clutch parts if I use it. Searching, I have seen a couple of references to turning down the 235 flywheel for a 216 ring gear. Considering the new parts on the 235 would I be better off going this route or using the 216 and buying new clutch parts? For anyone who has done this, did you use an automotive machine shop or regular machine shop?
From the searching I have done it does not look like I can just use the 58 truck bell housing and all the 235 parts- too bad, that would be the best solution.
Chuck

Chuck,
As you saw from searching, I did this to a 261 flywheel, which is exactly the same as a 235 flywheel. It allows you to use a 216 starter. If you don't care about using the 216 starter and use the 12V 235 starter then you can just bolt the 235 up to the 216 bellhousing with the 235 flywheel and it all fits just fine.

I used your typical run-of-the-mill automotive machine shop, the ones that do brake machining, flywheel surfacing, and head work. I had pulled the 216 ring gear off myself and took it to the machine shop with me. The shop measured the OD of the 216 flywheel and turned the 235 flywheel to match. Its a pretty simple shoulder that has a small chamfer on it, any machinist with a brake lathe could do it. The worst that can happen is that the od of the 235 flywheel gets too small and the ring gear doesn't fit tightly enough, but I found that mine fits just fine and its held up for 6 years. The engine cranks up really nicely with the 216 starter but I have the extra holding power of an 11" HD clutch rather than the 9.25" clutch that was on my 216.

I paid the machinist $50. If yours messes up, you can always have the 216 flywheel machined and use your other clutch parts. These flywheels aren't too rare so it should be a piece of cake.

I'd never heard of anyone else who did it before I did, but the flywheels are so similar and common that there isn't much risk to it. Other than the engine mounts there isn't a whole lot of difference between a '50 and a '58 bellhousing.

Thanks for the reply. Some of my confusion comes from the advice that most people say use all 216 parts and in a couple of places they said a 235 flywheel and clutch would not fit inside the 216 bell housing. You did not encounter that with the 261 bell housing. Do you know if the inside of the 216 and 261 bell housings have the same inside clearance? If so I should have no problems.
Chuck

Well, since I stuffed a 261 flywheel with an 11" HD clutch into one, it has plenty of room. I did have to use a shorter throwout bearing to get that clutch to fit, but the 10.5" clutch should fit just fine. I'm pretty sure it has all the clearance you need to fit your 235 parts. I think there may be a little less clearance in the pre-'48 216 bellhousings that have pedal mounts on them. The AD truck bellhousings also fit GMC engines, which tend to have bigger clutches.