The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop engine.? rear end? trans? what would u do?!

hi to all! well, after reading your forums for help,...alot! and 6 months of grafting, ive had my truck on the road since. 8th july, its great!! 1953 3100 panel truck, standard 3 speed colum change, and rear end, with a 1956 235ci engine.

now, i like the ride height, ect, and enjoy that its not a v8. as so many are over here,(u.k)

i would like to travel on motorways at around 70-75mph?...would the engine be happy with that? would the geabox let it happen if i installed the rear end kit from.patricksantiquecars.com??

if the three speed box didnt let it happen could i then change the gearbox for a 4speed? or any other tricks to help?

ive managed to get hold of two 250 engine and some clifford speed parts...im happy with the 235 tho, i purchased the engine's as since owning the truck in the uk, ive only seen two or three 235 engines come up for sale, its like hense teeth over here! and at least with two 250 lumps up my sleeve..i feel a little happier!knowing if my engine blows up..somehow i can put something back in it...anything but a v8!

cheers..all help pointers!..im planning the works for this winter. B-)

A full pressure 235 will run those speeds (and faster) just fine with the right gearing. However, the stock neither the stock trans nor a 4 speed will help that. The best fixes will be either a rear gear change (like the Patricks 3.55 gearset) or a transmission with an overdrive final gear, which would require swapping to an open driveline. Larger diameter tires will hep in that area as well.
A few things you do want to make sure of if you're going to run those speeds, Brakes must be in good shape, steering and suspension components (including tires) must also be in top condition.

What is the loaded diameter of the tires you would be using?

Change the transmission from an original 3-speed to an original 4-speed will have no impact on speed-rpm. Both are 1:1 in top gear.

I can cruise easily at 65 with Patrick's 3.55 rear-gears and 31.5" radial tires. 2450 rpm at 65 and 2850 rpm at 75. I feel safe cruising at 65 or less.

thanks guys, all running gear is new.but stock, we have a few qualifications when trying to registure a vehicle in the uk from the usa, the truck was unused for 10 odd years...(who knows) so i build/rebuilt it as stock, apart from the leaf springs,(just lubed them up)
i need to double check the tyre size,load rate and report back.

im struggling a little to know how may rpm im doing at the moment, as have no one around with a truck or engines/ notes with or experiance.! whats 2850 rpm sound like!!

im running around at around 45mph hoping im not making to much damage,
whats top limit on rpm for the 235ci?

thanks again

Ok, your 53 should have 4.11 gears. If you measure the diameter of your tires to the closest inch, you can take this info to an on line rpm calculator. I like the calculators over at 4lo.com.

I believe, but might be incorrect in this belief, the 235 can be run all day long at 3400 rpm. If possible, I would try to gear the vehicle to be around 2200-2400 at cruising speeds.

I would like to bring to your attention that the bellhousing on your 235, won't bolt up to your 250 six bangers.

Brian

I have 3.08 gears under my '55 1st GMC Suburban behind an SM420 4-speed and a basically stock GMC 270.

The rear came from a '73 Chevelle wagon and has the drum brakes from that car and disk in front using '73 Chevelle wagon when I ordered pieces.

It will run 75 but at that speed the steering and suspension don't inspire confidence. I need to rebuild the suspension if I want to run any faster than 70.

My motor is a little bigger and in some ways better than the 235 but I believe a similar combination would work for you.

thanks Brian, "I would like to bring to your attention that the bellhousing on your 235, won't bolt up to your 250 six bangers."

already in hand,the motors are there as a last resort,(as 6 bangers are hard to come by in the u.k) should the 235ci blow up beyond repair, im trying not to jump the gun with replacing front and rear axils, as once changed its hard to return to original. its made it all these years happy!, im not sure if she's ready for cutting and welding.