The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks My 61 longbed is about to get a 216!

Hi everyone. Just thought I would throw this out there. I am about to drop a perfect running 216 from a friend into my 61 longbed Chevy. It ran great and has no leaks and used to scoot my friend's 52 around with ease. I will be adding fuel injection to maximize the efficiency along with an overdrive trans of some sort. My other friend has an old muncie 3 speed od unit in an 60 impala I might use to drop my cruising rpm to the 2200 to 2500 range. Otherwise a T5 might get slapped in. What do yall think?

If you REALLY want to know..... I think you're nuts. How's that?
Your "Pics" thread shows a 90's 350 already in the truck and and then you have some sort of small block pic thrown in for good measure. Who knows what transmission is with the truck, but it's a lock that it isn't original.
Now you want to go to a 216 with presumably splash oiling, a design 20 years older than your already old truck. The "new " engine means you'll be changing the transmission as well.

THEN you're going to add fuel injection like it's a slam dunk. You already have throttle body FI on the engine you'll be taking out. And then you'll be messing with OD on a trans that doesn't fit your engine. Will you be putting the torque tube back in as well?
You asked what we think. I think you need to go back to the drawing board and rethink your entire strategy. It sounds like you're trying for gas mileage. If that's the case, leave the 5.7 in there with the 700r4 and save a lot of time and money. And your mileage will still be better than trying to retrofit a 216 into a truck that was underpowered with a 235. My 2 Cents.

I figured that would get 10 of those type of responces. I have an aluminum glide with a 2800 stall converter in there now. The real culprit for the mileage problem. The motor is over 10 to 1 so it detonates if I don't have the timing pulled back.

I have an M20 and an old 4 bolt side cover 3 speed on the shelf. A TH400, a TH350, and another 1.76 glide as well.

I had that orange 283 in the pic in there previously with the three speed. It used to turn 12 second passes in my 55 Chevy. It has the old duntov cam in it. It's currently in my short bed 63.

When I got the truck it had the worst worn out 350 I had ever seen. Rockers were falling off the valve stems the guides were so worn. It had a 3.11 low saginaw in it at the time. I sold that one to a friend. That muncie M20 was fun in there.

Truth be told that TBI 350 isnt that much stronger running than my old 230 was in my previous 63. The heads were kill any power above 3 grand. Those cammal humps I have on the shelf are screaming to go on that motor as well.

I really would like to restore the truck back more stock. I am going with a friend of mine to check out his full pressure oil 235 tomorrow night. He says he will sell me the motor along with the overdrive 3 speed for very little money. I will help him start it up so I can hear it. My truck was a 235 truck originally.

Thanks for the responce.

"Different strokes for different folks"! The only reason I can think of to use a 216 is to go back to a bone-stock configuration on a restoration job. That pretty much limits its use to 1953 and earlier trucks. An 85-HP engine with 6:1 compression will definitely cure your detonation problems, though! I hope you're good at adjusting Babbit connecting rod bearing clearances- - - -it's a regular chore on those engines.
Jerry

Thanks Hot Rod Lincoln. I was just checking out another friend's 235 from that 60 impala he has. It looks really good from a bolt in standpoint. The motor mount brackets on those years make it bolt right to my ’64 motor mount towers I retro-fitted to my frame. The 3 speed with R10 OD unit I would get with it has a rear mount pad that would fit my fabbed up cross member as well. That motor has been sitting a very long time and most likely has a lot of miles. We will be firing it up with a brand new Rochester 2GC I happened to have on Tuesday. If it sounds good, I will buy it from him and regasket it and use it instead of the 216. I would rather have the full pressure oil motor for sure.