The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop What type of engine do I have; have an oil pressure system?

Hey everyone. Flipped though most of the posts I could find that would have anything to do with my problem and so far I haven't been able to turn up anything. Now I suppose its time to ask the experts.
I have a 1949 Chevy 3600 which from my research so far seems to have come standard with a 216 CID straight 6. My problem is I am almost positive that the current engine is not a 216, in fact it looks to be a 235 just from a picture comparison but I can't find any numbers information to confirm that. The only numbers I can find are "B44 848 850" in between the #4&#5 spark plugs (Counting from the back) and "CON4 A29" behind the starter, GM is also stamped under the distributor.
My question is what the type of engine is and does it have pressure oil system. once I know that I should be able to get some parts for a rebuild.
Here is a link to my Flickr gallery, the image titled Numbers has their location highlighted.
Thank you in advance for your help

It's definetly not a 216. It appears to be a '55-'62 block, would need the block casting number or engine serial number to confirm.

Where might I find those numbers at? Am I just looking in the wrong places?

There is a machined pad immediately behind the distributor with a stamped, not cast number on it. You might have to scrape a little crud and/or rust off of it to read the number, and if you rub a bar of white soap like Ivory or something similar over it, then wipe the flat surface off, the numbers will really stand out. Post those numbers, and someone here can look them up. The block casting number is near the front of the engine ahead of the fuel pump, down near the oil pan rail.
Jerry

It looks like you have a 1959 engine.

The 4-screw valve cover indicates 54-63 (in 1959 the oil filler was in the middle of the valve cover, but valve covers can be swapped around).

The block date casting code indicates 1959
CON4 A29
CON4 = Conveyor(?) 4
A = January
2 = 2nd
9 = 1959

Other codes may be found in locations shown on this page.

The engine ID, which is pressed into the boss to the rear of where the distributor enters the block, does not provide any date information in 1959.

Ok so from what it sounds like I have a 1959 235. I wont be able to look for those other numbers untill tue but I will post them when I find them. Doing a little research on the engine it seems that they also put them in cars and some had hydraulic lifters. Is there any diffrence between the car and truck models and is there any way to tell if it has the hydraulic lifters without taking it apart?

The engine serial number that HRL asked for is the one that will tell you if it was originally a car or a truck engine.

All car 235s in 1959 originally had hydraulic lifters.
All truck 235s (all years) originally had mechanical lifters.

There are ways of trying to determine a hydraulic lifter without taking the block side cover off - others will advise you on this (I would take the side cover off and look at the lifters).

Ok so, an eventful weekend it was. Got the 235 cleaned up and found the block casting number (3764476) but as I was cleaning the pad behind the distributor, looking for the serial number I found that it has been ground off and is no longer there. It doesn't look like it was just rusted off as I can clearly see tooling marks from what looks to be a grinder. I have no idea why someone would do this, stolen perhaps?
But on another note I have tracked down what appears to be the original engine and was able to pick it up yesterday. Unfortunately the condition of it is deplorable. It has been sitting half buried in a hillside for who knows how long with no spark plugs, fuel pump or valve cover. I have posted pictures on my flikr of after I cleaned it up a bit to find the numbers. Engine serial number is AGCA392, Block Casting Number 3835253 ( with a 9 directly under that number) and the Block date casting code of CONV3 E99, Also there was GM cast just above the the bolck casting number with 48 in a cirlce.
So now my dilemma is, do I rebuild the 235 with no serial number or do I rebuild the original 216? What are your thoughts?

the number is commonly machined off when an engine is rebuilt, check if the bore isn't too oversized and rebuild it again, it wasn't stolen

Bill

Build up the 235, and see if anything about the old 216 is salvageable. Engines that sit out in the weather like that one often fill up with water, then freeze and thaw repeatedly and get all sorts of stress cracks in the block. Rocker arms, pushrods, connecting rods, the oil pan and valve cover, and other steel parts can rust away to the point they can't be cleaned up and re-used.

If you can rescue the block and cylinder head, do so. Somebody who needs a casting to rework will give you a few bucks for those parts, but it sounds like the 216 is probably too far gone to rebuild.
Jerry

EDit: Can't find the pics of the 216.

Jerry

Yeah that's what I was thinking, I have also discovered an ants nest in one of the cylinders. Sorry about the pics I put them in a different set. here's a Link to all the sets

Actually, I've seen engines in a lot worse shape than that get rebuilt successfully. There doesn't appear to be any rust-through of the sheet metal parts like the oil pan or side cover, so that one could clean up and be a candidate for a rebuild. The 235 is still a better choice unless you're planning a completely original restoration. If you want to deliver it to south central Tennessee, I won't charge you anything to take that 216 off your hands! LOL!
Jerry

No the side plate has one spot of rust though next to one of the spark plug holes and the oil pan has a large gash in the bottom. I think I will strip it down and check the block and head for cracks, if those are cracked then it will go to the scrap yard, if there good then I may rebuild it eventually. But for now I will focus on the 235. Which, without the serial number I will not be able to tell what year or what it's out of correct?

The block and cylinder head casting numbers can be researched to yield a basic date range, but not an exact application. Lots of parts and pieces could have been interchanged over the service life of these engines, so it's possible to do plenty of mixing and matching. That's not particularly important to anyone except the anal-retentive purists who want a factory-original restoration. For the 99.99% of the rest of us who just want a good-running old truck, it's not a concern.
Jerry

Ok so as long as I know I have a 235 from '58-'62 that will be enough for any parts I will need. The engine runs, just burns quite a bit of oil, so im hoping just some new rings and gaskets to start with. I'll see when I take it apart how the cylinder walls and bearings look. The 235s didn't have babbit bearings correct?

The 2nd-generation 235's have steel-backed insert bearings with multiple layers of metal in their construction. Some of the inserts have Babbit as the bearing surface, while others have different alloys. The inserts can be changed without going through the scrape-fitting process that was common with the 216 and early-type 235 rods with the bearing material bonded to the rod. The crankshaft journals still have to be round, and the right size.
Jerry