The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Babbit conrods

I started dismantling my Chevy 216 engine for inspection.
This engine is the second of 3 engines that had been installed in a 48 Fleetmaster.
The Fleetmaster was converted to a truck that was used dayly untill 1967.
The engine number shows it was made in 1950.
It was rebored to 60”oversize so it should be its second or third rebore so I estimate it was rebored at the late 50s.
Dismantling a conrod I was suprised to find it was converted to accomodate insert bearings instead of been a babbited one.
http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab317/Jianis/Conrod%20inserts/
My question is :Was it already standard practice in the 50s converting babbited conrods to take inserts?

Jianis

Jianis,

Yes, it was possible to convert a 216 to use precision insert bearings in the early 1950s. Here is a page from the Wayne catalog from 1954. It was also fairly common to convert the low-pressure, splash oiling of the connecting rod bearings to full-pressure lubrication, as also shown in Page 15 of the Wayne catalog.

Does your engine still have the splash system? I thought that a rod dipper is visible in your linked photo,

Hoyt

Hoyt

You gave me exactly the right information.
The engine is a 1950 216 the conrods are converted but they are still splash lubricated.
I knew people converted later 235 crankshafts to use in the 216 engines so they should get the full pressure benefits.
I never expected that there was a kit with everything for the conversion.
I guess my next search will be finding a…. Wayne crankshaft!!
You don’t happen to have information to where I can find one of them do you?
Thank you

Jianis

Boy, don't cha wish you could buy six rods or six alum pistons for thirty five bucks today!

Cool catalog Hoyt, wish you would scan it and send it to Keith Hardy at TOCNP so he could add it to the world wide archive.

Thanks,
Denny G

Thanks Hoyt. It's always a treat to see stuff that like that.

Wow, they actually sold a kit with the crankshaft drilled for rod pressure. I don't think that there would be too many of those kicking around but it would be great if there were.

There are probably lots of competent auto machine shops that can drill your crank for oil pressure to the rods. Beck's still offers their "full flow" service for 216 and early 235

I was hoping Hotrod Lincoln would comment on this subject, the last time it came up. I would like to know how difficult a job that would be and also if there is something about the crankshaft that would make it risky to midify. I don't want to change mine, I am just curious.

crower cams will drill the crankshaft for $180 using a cnc/cad program so they will not miss. Mine should be back soon. All the machine shops I could find in the seattle area at least say it can't be done. I had given up until I ran across genes' website it all went from there. I will make further posts after it returns, I have seen one they did it was very nice...

Well that is great news. Will you do anything special with the oil pump?

ues a 1954 235 oil pump I got one at napa for $70ish, also on the trip to san diego, they are drilling the snout for a 7/16"X20 bolt, and grinding the rod throws, all told it was $350. I would have had them grind the mains, but I not sure about the shim thing,I,am not going to use shims, so I need to grind the crank to fit the bearings. (I think...)

as far as oiling is concerned, I forgot about the "modification" I am going to plug the original inlet hole in the block, thread the hole where the little spigot goes into the oil nozzles, this will now become the inlet to the engine/outlet of the oil pump. thread the appropriate holes on the other side of the block and go through the FULL FLOW OIL FILTER then back into the block/main oil gallery. of course you will have to tee off for rocker arm lube, and fabricate the line from the oil pump to the block. personally I am going to run the line for the rockers outside the block, and use a bulkhead fitting through the valve cover, with some form of valve inline to cut down on oil flow. It will be a pain to get to the rockers to adust valves, but I work on large european equipment I'm getting used to goofy things like that. But you can go through the block as original if you like, I just don't like. If you have questions please ask, I can take pictures, and post them. I plan to make a whole procedure and post for any one interested. Once you get to this point of modification, there will be a fair amount of custom fabrication, and you will have to use common sense. OH AND ONE MORE THING...you will need a 54 oil pickup for that pump

Brokenhead

Thank you for all the information.I hope everything turns fine with your modification.
It should be great if you make an article with all kinds of info and pictures for us all to read in the Tech Tips.

Jianis

I live in central California and belong to a Inliners engine group. One of our members has completely converted a '41 235 and installed a 12 port head on it too. It is for sale and he has been getting hounded by offers that aren't even reasonable. My advice? If you want to do it go ahead. You'll never be sorry if you do it all right. Those engines are just an earlier version of the later 235 and 261. If you have a good shop in mind talk to them about this engine full oil pressure kit. It would sure be the way to go and it is more reasonabe than sending the engine to a machine shop.
Normbc9
Normbc9

brokenhead,
the later short cover 235s and Canadian 216s tapped the rocker feed off the rear cam bearing. The change required a central groove in the bearing and a tapped hole in the block. There is a diagram of it in the shop manual. That might be something you could do.

By the way, thanks for the update on your progress. There are quite a few members who would like to do the same, I am sure.

Jianis,
Go to www.chevysoftheforties.com and you'll find full kits similar to the old Wayne kit. The only difference is you'd send your existing crank to a CNC Machine Shop for the modifications and those instructions are included. I just purchased one and am doing that right now on a new in the crate '47 216.
Normbc9

gene told me he uses a post 54 235 crank and rods, to use them you need to have the thrust bearing in the block machined on both sides to fit the narrower thrust bearing on these cranks, the rod journals are narrower as well. Also you need to use a 235 cam as there is relieved areas where the rods would hit otherwise, even then you have to use earlier rods, as the later ones had an extra boss that would hit the cam anyway. Howard cams will grind you a cam with special lobes that will fit through the smaller holes in the block, as you will need to have the journals ground to fit in the smaller journals of the 216 block. (at least thats what they said they were going to do, mine didn't quite make it, I had to have it reground on a smaller lobe center, you have to give them specific dimensions of what you want them to do.) Also if you have someone drill the 216, crankshaft be sure to give them the exact placement of the holes in the main journals, if you don't they will drill them to the center of the journal, which isn't where the oil groove is. As far as oil pumps, gene said to use a 54 oil pump and pickup