The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop V8 swap from a 58 to a 55 2nd series with a 235

Will the bellhousing and shift linkage swap straight into a '55 2nd series with a straight 6 from a '58 with a V8? I found a parts truck, but before I buy it I want to make sure everything will fit. I want to keep everything looking original with the V8 in it.

yes, easy swap, but the early linkage setup that pivots off the bellhouse has a slightly different trans, you need the later trans levers to go with the later linkage ... and of course you need the frame pads on the front crossmember for the front V8 mounts

Bill

Thank you!

The V8 in the 57 was mounted back against the firewall and has the radiator mounted back about 6 inches with it. If you are swapping a V8 into a 55 then your radiator will be way up front away from the V8 fan. That is why some sites sell a Fan housing for just that case (plastic). The housing I found out will not work on an original V8 only on the V8 into a 6 install where there is space for the housing. I still have mine it is useless to me will not fit a original V8 truck.

So be prepared to install a fan housing/enclosure or have a really long fan extension like 9 inches long? or go with electric fan. The V8 will overheat otherwise. Mine overheats anytime I am stopped for 5 mintes it gets up to the M or MP in "T E M P" on the guage. When it gets to M or past M it is cooking. Normal cruse temp it is on E of the TEMP guage. As long as I am going 20 or so it never overheats. stop for a light and it starts to warm. Stop for 10 minutes and your cooking. And that is with the FAN blade 3/4 -1 inch from the radiator. Yours will be 6 inches away or more as your 6 cylinder is longer and the radiator is mounted closer to the bumper.

The original V8 installs have a deck spacer and the radiator is mounted 6 inches or so further back than a stock 6 cylinder.

Here are some pistures from when I tried to install a fan enclouser. It would not fit since I would have to cut 3 to 4 or more inches out of it and then the round hole would become square since the housing is shaped that way.

fan enclosure work

See how the radiator is mounted 6 inches back from a 6 cylinder one in this picture. on a 6 there is no flat deck extension in front. deck extension pushes radiator back

wilber [and malibu] - the rad setup for the 5-7 V8 is shown in the assembly manual, along with the forward baffle extensions, RPO408 - factory clearance is about 1/2" ... not sure why you thought you needed to do both, the original setup [no extension] should put the correct fan on the correct water pump 1/2"-3/4" from the rad - if that doesn't cool well for you [it should!], a "period" fan shroud works fine, 60's 70's cars have just a circular metal shroud .... what I used on my 58 cuz in 58 & 9 they had shrouds, didn't move the rad

I installed one of those plastic shrouds on a friends 56, works great - note the fan should be just at the opening, NOT deeper inside - that one will work for malibu's application, maybe he'll PM you

Bill

red58,

I was just trying to get it to not overheat so the fan shroud sounded like it would do the trick and it was sold as a V8 shroud but it is just for V8 in a 6 truck and not for original V8.

I still have a overheating issue. Have tried replacing thermostat and collant but it did not help. Is fine when moving you just can not idle longer than 4 minutes and not have the temp go up to where you would want to shut it off.

I believe I am at 3/4" or a hair more maybe from the radiator and I put a newer 6 bladed fan blade that pulls more than the old stock 4 blade fan but that did not help much either.

original rad? flushed it? flushed the block properly? got a good water pump? if yer in a hot area of Cal you might consider a heavy duty rad, like a desert cooler

before the shroud mine heated up sitting at a light in the summer, but the fan is about 6" back!

Bill

Right did all that replaced fluid, new water pump and hoses and have the desert cooler rad too since 15 years ago. (5000 miles ago or so)

desert cooler "Brand new 4 core radiator, complete and ready to install, at a price that's cheaper than recoring your old one. Available in two different models: Standard Capacity for normal applications or our Desert Cooler for maximum cooling power. The Desert Cooler is recommended for V-8 applications or towing. "

Have always had a overheat problem with it as I did with the old regular radiator. In TEXAS it was somewhat expected as temps got to 95-110 in the summer. But out here in california it is 60-90. It heats up in both of those conditions if let set idling for 5-10 minutes. ANd will overheat at 10 or so. Have not let it do that in a while. But if you shut it off it will push water out the release. Have a catch can there now.

I have not force power flushed it recently. It has all been drained as I put a different intake on it a year or so ago.

I'm suprised, even before the shroud mine never really overheated, just got right up there [mind ya it never gets to 100 here ] .... you're not overfilling the rad are you? needs to be down maybe an inch below the neck - also with the good new rad you can run a 12-14# cap, higher pressure allows higher temps .... can't help thinkin there's some simple solution, 283's "like" being hot

Bill

Maybe it is just my guage?
I tried to measure the temp once with the cap off and a meet thermometer. I got some readings to corespond to the temp guage so I knew what the degree temp was for the TEMP marks but that is the water temp in the radiator not the water in the motor.

I also am using a temp sender in the side of my motor. I got one for the top intake area but it read wrong, like way hot all the time. So I think it was calibrated for a differnet temp guage.

I have not let it overheat and boil out in a long long time. The temp guage stys at E in TEMP most of the time. When I stop it goes to M and if it "overheats" it was going over P and I would shut it off and it would drain out the hose and make a puddle and I would let it cool for 30 minutes or more before starting again.

I have it full to the top but have a catch can that recycles (I assume) or at least it catches it now. Have not let it get that hot with the catch can yet.

I definately likes to get hot. Not sure it likes being hot. I always have starting issues when it gets Warm to hot. Maybe not now since I have the new Pertronix in it. But I am afraid to let it get over P and stay there without shutting her down.

RED58, Where does your meter needle go when you idle to 10 minutes or so?


ABMALIBU - I think I hijacked your post....Sorry 'bout that.

yeah, sorry for the hijack too, but at least it's quite relevent to a 283 in a TF

and we're getting somewhere .... the temp sender really should be in the intake where it was designed to be, if you got a "wrong one" then you need to find the right one - if it wasn't the wrong sender, then you have a bad temp gauge or some other problem .... NAPA should have the right one, any for a 283 .... I couldn't tell ya without checking, but my gauge is about straight up when it's at running temp, no idea what happens after I shut it off, but it doesn't blow out water - remember these gauges aren't precision devices but very crude, the sender is just a variable resistance that allows more current flow as it heat up, and the gauge is 50 years old

once the engine is up to temperature, the water in the top of the rad will be very close to the temp thru the engine, find a known good thermometer [don't let yer wife see] and check the rad again .... and don't fill the rad to the top it needs to have at least an inch for expansion, once you find the level that doesn't push any water out when you shut it off, that's where you leave it, my original works fine down 2" or more - if the puddle when you shut it off is the problem, you're not overheating, that would be when the water is actually boiling and keeps blowing out [and steam besides] until there's no water in the rad

when I say they like to run hot I mean they do, you should have at least a 180 thermostat, many use a 195, the engine warms up fast and it runs best when it's up at 200 or more, and running a higher pressure cap can cure the minor overflows - the original was a 7# and that's about all you should use with the original rad, but with a desert cooler you should be able to use up to 14#, which allows higher temps without boiling

and "starting issues" when hot is most likely the starter, they get too hot and then crank slow - you need a heavy duty starter [what I got when mine developed hard start issues] and/or a heat shield around the exhaust where it runs nearly touching the starter [what many folks do] .... I don't think you're "overheating" at all, just need to learn the quirks of the beast

Bill

I guess you did, it's still interesting to read it all. I actually nabbed the fan shroud from the '58 that I took everything else from.

Will the shifting mechanism on my steering column work with the swap or do I need to grab that too? If I do, can I put that onto my existing column?

Now I just need to find a 283 or something!

you'll need your original shift setup down to the box on the lower column, the 55/6 column is a bit longer than the 57-9 so the upper rod is longer, but from the shift box on, the 58 parts will work in the 55 with a V8 and the different trans cover levers

a 283 would be best IMO, but any small block will work about the same, just some might need aftermarket side mounts used ... good move scooping the shroud, they're hens teeth

Bill

Do I HAVE to change anything though? It sounds like you're saying I could change it from the shift box down, but do I need to? I would rather just leave my column alone if I can. I did grab the shift levers and everything from the '58 already.

I just found a complete 283 for $150. I might have to grab that now too. I think they said it was from a '65. Any issues there?

the shift box under the hood is the same any year, just the column itself is different, longer inside, so those rods inside [down to the shift box] need to stay with your column, the shift box can too - the rods off the 58 [shift box to trans] will be needed with the 58 trans - if you keep the 55 trans you'll need to fab up part of the linkage from the shift box because of the pivot on the 55 bellhousing [or find a 55 V8 bellhousing, your 6 cyl bellhouse won't fit the 283]

I've never passed up buying a 283, even if they're just cores, have 6 right now a 65 is fine

Bill

if yer still lookin wilbur, I paid attention for ya today - instead of watchin paint dry I went out for some things - started cold and the gauge jumped into view [lately it sometimes doesn't, I have to give it a rap on the head, ain't broke so I can't fix it ] - after the usual 30 sec warmup, no choke, headed out to a hardware maybe 5 miles of stop and go, it was barely past the T [was about 85*F here today] ... was in there about 10 minutes, started again and it was about on the T - back about 3 miles, more stopping than going, and went to the grocery store, also about 10 minutes, it was on the E when I got there and just below it when I restarted .... made one more stop of only 2 minutes, when restarted it was between the E and M, stayed there til I got home [about normal], left it running while I took stuff inside and put it away, checked the clock, it idled for nearly 5 minutes [hate idleing, waste of gas, I usually even shut it off waiting in line] and the temp hadn't changed - shut it off, waited a minute or so and clicked the key to see the temp, had moved up about a needle width I haven't checked the rad temp since I put the engine in [15 years?], but I'd expect it to be 185-190, I think I've got a 180 stat in it, really should have a 195 as it's a bit slow on the warm up, might change it before winter

Bill

THanks. That seems to run cooler than mine. but you have the cowling around the fan. Mine gets to between MP when parked 5 minutes at dump to write a check and wait in line with it idling. Cools down after turning off and unloading 10 minutes with hood up. THen at E. Then after getting home about 15 minutes it is fine still at E. But you hear the heat on metal clicking and if I look in my overflow it has bubbles comming up in it from preasure from the radiator. All normal I guess. But it will go hotter if I let it idle longer. I need a pusher fan or something for those long stops to keep it cooler.

I'd avoid 2 fans, they just fight .... I bet if you lower the water level in the rad to about half depth of the top tank [just always make sure the tops of the fins are covered an inch] your overflowing will stop - quite possibly the ticking too, although that's more likely normal exhaust component cooling, head pipes or such .... and if the rad is painted with a regular gloss black, strip it off and replace with a flat black rad paint .... for the long stops, shut it off!

Bill