Labor Day Putting down your wrenches or time for MORE wrenching? 
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Mod | | | Forums66 Topics128,005 Posts1,055,253 Members48,418 | | Most Online14,466 Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
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on the Internet for over 30 years! and not clogged down with Ads! Again, thanks! | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | can someone tell me if the 235 six mounts the same in both a 50 burb and a 3100 p.u. My front cross member on 50 burb has a step down where the core support mounts and has a 2x4 block to raise support up to proper level to mount inner fenders. any help will be apppreciated greatly. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | If you are referring to both trucks being 1950 3100 Chevrolets (3104 pickup and 3106/3116 Suburban), the 1950 235 mounts the same in both trucks.
What year 235 engine do you have? If the clutch housing is 1954 or newer, you will have trouble mounting it in any 3100 from 1950.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | I'm putting a 235 (55'engine) taken out of a 3100 p.u(1950 model)and putting it in a 50 burb. When you say clutch housing do you mean the bell housing or the pressure plate
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | Sorry: clutch housing (the term used in the Shop Manual) = bell housing If the engine you are using came out of a 1950 pickup and that pickup had the original engine rear motor-mount frame cross-member, the clutch-housing (and rear motor mounts) should match your truck. Can you post of photo of your clutch-housing - to let us know/see if it has motor mounts that are orientated flat or at an angle) (this change from flat to angled in 1954). If in doubt, use your 1950 clutch housing with your 1950 clutch assembly (assuming that you are using the original 6v starter that matches the 1950 flywheel). You could use the 1955 flywheel with a 1950 6v starter if it is an early 1955 engine (they were 6v in trucks). Late 1955 truck engines had 12v electrical system and the starter/flywheel had a different number of teeth compared to a 6v starter/flywheel. | | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | thanks Tim for the info. Do you know why my front crossmember that supports the radiator and the front engine mount are at two different levels? Also, the engine mount has been altered to mt. the engine about 1-1/2 towards the firewall. This puts the back of engine very close to the firewall.Also, there is a 1-3/4 step bet. core support and engine mt which was compensated by putting a 2x4 block under the core support. looks like a "rube goldberg" to me, and not something that was done at factory. any ideas??? | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | Without photos it is hard to even guess. A previous owner might have changed a frame cross-member from a later truck and placed it in an odd location (and also moved the from cross member rearward)?
Who knows - the engine might have been mounted further back so that the later engine's water pump did not interfere with the radiator.
What is the engine serial number (it is pressed into the block just to rear of where the distributor goes into the block)?
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,337 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,337 | I wonder if it is a GMC frame.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | is the 50 gmc frame different than the chevy? Also would a front cross member from a 47 chevy truck interchange with the 50 chevy frame? Do any of you have a photo of what a 50 burb front cross member looks like? that would be a big help to start me in the right direction. A big thanks to all of you!! | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | is the 50 gmc frame different than the chevy? . . . For USA and Chevrolet 1/2 ton trucks, yes. At the least, the front cross members are different. | | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,337 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,337 | The thing is that late 1947-53 Chev PU and suburban frames are the same, except for the shock mounts and the body mounts. GMC engines are 1 1/2" longer, so the front cross-member is different, to move the front engine mount and radiator forward.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | tim; what i'm thinking is I can pick up a 47-1/2 ton truck rolling chassis without engine and trans fairly cheap. My thought is to transfer the body mounts from my current burb chassis and put them on the 47 truck frame. are both the front and rear shock mounts different between the burb and truck frames? Upon taking the engine out of the burb i discovered that the rear engine mount has been moved which explains the front motor mount @ cross-member being altered and the the engine being so close to firewall. Will front clip off the burb mount on the truck the same as it did on the burb chassis so everything lines up? Or, would it be easier to just switch the front cross-member and relocate the rear engine mount to its proper location? Thanks for your help. Dave | | | | | Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,337 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 5,337 | You have to be clear when it comes to 1947 and 1955 trucks. There was a major mid year change in both, so you need to know if it is early or late 47.
See the USA in your vintage Chevrolet! My Blog | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | Dave,
If you have 1947 and 1950 Advance-Design trucks the front clips should mount on either frame.
Maybe other people will comment on other differences between 1947 and 1950 1/2 ton truck frames (pickup v panel differences) - mostly would be the body mounts and the fuel tank/neck. Front and rear 1/2 ton brakes/shocks were the same.
Some 1946 trucks were registered in 1947 as 1947 trucks, as Dave alludes to. These trucks were 1946 models but are very often called 1947-1st series (not by GM, however).
Maybe someone else will give an opinion about what would be easier - getting your frame cross members back to "original" or setting up a new frame.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | Tim, thanks for your imput. If anyone has info as to setting up the frame for a 1950 suburban body so body will mount on the frame properly, please share your info with me. I will appreciate it greatly!!! thanks
Last edited by oldburbs; 12/09/2011 7:13 PM.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | I think that GMONIZ has done this (someone has done this in the Panels & Suburbans forum). Maybe one of us will find that thread and post the link here?
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Nov 2011 Posts: 112 | I have a 1953- 235 engine and a 1956- 235 engine. I have rebuilt the 56 and am trying to install it into a 1950 suburban. My dilema is that the 53 that came in the burb,has a short waterpump with a large dia. shaft that the fan mount onto.The 56 engine has a waterpump with a longer shaft that is a smaller dia. The 53 bolts onto the eng. with 4 bolts while the 56 bolts onto the block with 5 bolts. This makes the 56 engine 1 1/2" longer and it won't fit between the radiator and firewall. The front cross member was altered by adding a plate on the rear of it to allow the engine to be moved back and the rear engine mount was moved back to compensate. Can anyone tell me how to correctly mount the 56 engine into the 50 burb without moving the mounts, which will alter how the radiator support/inner fenders goes together.thanks | | | | | Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 Bubba - Curmudgeon | | Bubba - Curmudgeon Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 29,269 | oldburbs,
Your last post is completely different topic. To keep people on-topic (replying to one topic/question), it would have been better to start a new thread.
No problem, now - just something for you to consider when you have a new topic/question in the future.
What you need to solve the water-pump problem is how to relocate an older water pump on the newer engine. A member, Pre '68 Dave, sells a relocation plate that is available on eBay and from some vendors (Jim Carter, for one).
Try a "search" on this page (upper right), searching on the following words: +pump +plate
Check out the search-results, and then, ask away.
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