The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Stovebolt Identification Problem. HELP!

I am thinking about buying a 1955 Chevy 6400 Task Force 2nd series truck. My question is this: How do I determine it is a stovebolt? A fellow stovebolt member told me I had a 261, but he did not tell me if it is a stovebolt. I know they were called stovebolts because many of the bolts holding most of the body and motor together were simialer to the bolts that held together wood stoves of the day, but I don't know how tell them apart. How can I determine if it is a stovebolt?

All that told me was that it was called a stovebolt because it looked like the bolts on wood stoves of the time period. Are the heads different? Does it have different threads? It did not help.

"stovebolt" here refers to any GM 6 cylinder, 235, 261, 216, even 230's and 250's, although the name originated in the 20's or 30's .... "stovebolt" also refers to all the pre-72 trucks of interest here .... a 55 truck would be referred to as a "stovebolt" even if it had the 265 V8 .... so a 55 Chevy truck of any flavor is a stovebolt, and saying it's a '2nd series' and a 'Task Force' is redundant

Bill

The "Stove Bolt Six" - The "Cast Iron Wonder"

On this website the word stovebolt is generously applied to a variety of years of Chevrolet trucks (and cars, maybe?).

The stovebolt six engine was any of the 1929-1963 Chevrolet straight six engines (most of them used in both cars and trucks). These ranged in cubic inches from 181, 194, 207, 216, 235, 261.

While there were many changes in these engines during their years of production, the 235 stove bolt engine came in two distinctive "generations", one with a lower pressure oil lubrication system and one with a higher pressure oil lubrication system.

Here are some characteristics of these engines.

A little history.

Thanks for the links, tclederman! Very helpful! I was wondering how many horses that 261 was, and that link helped me figure out it was a staggering 140hp. (I already knew it was somewhere between 100 and 170 hp, but did not have an exact number. Thanks for clearing that up!)

Hey,1955-Chevy-6400! I hope you get as much enjoyment out of your truck,as I get from working on (and improving) mine! I have a 1955 Chevy 2nd-Series 6500 box and hoist,although it started its life as a small-town fire-truck. Through Patrick's Antique Auto Parts,in Casa Grande,AZ.,I was able to find out that my engine is actually a 261,with a 235 head! You can find your serial #'s stamped on the passenger-side of the block,above and behind the distributor,and above the starter. contact Patrick's at P.O. Box 10648 Casa Grande,Az.85230. I have a fax #-(520) 836-1117, but,unfortunately, no phone#. Patrick will send you a catalog full of n.o.s. parts especially for our trucks,as well as a cross-reference guide to figure out exactly what powerplant your truck has. They also stock high-performance parts for our trucks,as well as Langdon Stovebolt, which I'm sure that you're aware of. I hope that this information is helpful. Happy Bolting! Sincerely:[email protected] "It takes a big dog to weigh a ton)

Do you have pics to share of your '55 6500, wetwilly5757? That sounds like an awesome truck! I am 13 and have not gotten the truck from my grandpas field yet, but I hope to get it start working on it by next year and finish it by the time I'm 16, but I figure it would be worth it to study up. Thank you all for the responses, info, and encouragement! I tell more about my plans and the story behind the truck. The thread is called "Fixing the family truck". It is in the "The engine shop" section on the forums and it should be on the 2nd or 3rd page. You can also find this thread by looking at my posts on my profile. This post tells you a lot of my plans including putting in a 2WD, manual tranny, 1990's dodge 12 Valve Cummins Diesel. Go check it out and tell me what you think! I will try to provide a link later, but can't right now. Thanks Stovebolt Members! Happy Trucking!

Hey,19556400! No, I don't have any pics on the "web,YET, but I'm working on it. I just don't have a digital camera,yet-I always find something on the 6500 to invest in. I like your idea on the Dodge-Cummins,and with that engine, I would definitely go with a Manual transmission. I used to haul auto glass and body-parts with a 1993 Dodge D-300,pulling a tandem-axle trailer. The guy I drove for had three of those rigs, all equipped with the "Dodge automatics. In the two years I worked for him, two of those trannys went-out. He had to send to GERMANY for brand-new units, since they were hermetically sealed, and couldn't be rebuilt. It cost a lot of money and down-time, so he changed to a different power source, not to mention 6t months waiting for the transmission to cross the Atlantic! Nice to see someone so young interested in Stovebolts-Especially the Big Bolts! I waited until I was 50 before I purchased mine,although I've been a truck nut since I can remember. I'll keep you posted on my progress as well. HappyBolting! Sincerely: Bill Hickey [email protected]

I am going with the manual transmission for durability and power, but also so I don't have to adapt that Dodge steering column shift automatic tranny into that Chevy steering column. I also do not want to swap out that chevy steering column for the one out of the dodge bacause it does not have that classic look. Did you read that thread called "Fixing the Family Truck"?