The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Next Project--Car or Truck? Your Opinion Counts

Kudos to the depth of knowledge out there--I'm impressed! Now YOU can say your six cylinders worth of sage advice.

I can't decide for my next project to rebuild (NOT restore) a 1960 Chevrolet Impala or a Chevy/GMC truck (probably 1955-59, or 1962). Make no mistake--the vehicle WILL have an inline six. I might even go with (horrors!) an auto trans, since my ongoing experience with the 3 speed column shift won't go away.

I've always loved the styling on the 1960 passenger car. But I can't ignore the fact that they aren't as "collectible" as those overpriced '55-'57 Chevys. And, the late '50s trucks seem to be pretty hot as well. (I don't about the '62 trucks, except that was the last year the 235 engine was made).

I'll need some help deciphering those 6 cylinder engine classifications on the trucks. I assume the Chevy only came with the 235, and the GMC had the 261, 270, and 302. I am not a horsepower freak, but would probably install Patrick's or Clifford aftermarket rebuild kits, intake/exhaust manifolds, etc. I'd prefer fuel injection vs. the multiple carb setups, based upon what I've read in these boards.

This would be a moderate budget rebuild to bring the vehicle near to stock. Any suggestions are welcome, along with availability of finding a rebuildable engine blocks. I suspect that the project truck or car may be out there in the weeds somewhere just as "rolling stock." Thanks!

The Chevy and GMC sixes were differant over the years, but merged when Chevy came out with the seven bearing 194/230/250/292 series in 1963.

GMC had the 228,248,270, and 302 in pickup trucks, and there were bigger GMC sixes for larger chassis.

Chevy's 216 came out in the late 1930's, and there was a 235 based on the same engine. This engine had dipper lubrication to the rods.

The 1950's saw the development of the full pressure 235 in 1953 and the larger cousin, the 261, which shares much of the same internals (crankshaft, water and oil pump, manifolds) as the 235.

The GMC engines are generally better than the Chevy engines of the same period but don't bolt directly in. They are also more expensive to rebuild since parts are more scarce. If you have a car/truck with a 235 a 261 will bolt right in its place. 261's can be found in 2 ton and up Chevy trucks and busses from 1955 to 1962. They can also be found in Canadian Pontiac cars, but without the full flow oil filtration that only the US 261's have from '57-'62. They can be told apart by the presence of large 1/2" NPT oil lines going to a big cannister filter on the intake manifold.
Visit www.inliners.org for more information and lists of casting numbers. Welcome to the Stovebolt board!

My next project will be a mid 50's Bel Air for my teenage daughter.

NoVeesPleez; I like your handle. We 6 guys have to stick together. As for what to pursue next I 'd have to go with the 60' Impala. Occasionally I see an inline Impala 2dr HT or droptop in Hemmings at a good price. That would sure be a different car to have at Goodguys or at a SuperChevy Show. There are always lots of trucks and I love them too but a 60 Impala HT has a soft spot in my heart, used to race one back in the day. Go for it.

Hello!!!,,If you can't decide on a car or truck,,,Why don't you get an El-camino,,,then you'll have a car and a truck,,,my 2 cents worth,,,Dave :p :p :p :p

Thanks to 50, Pit and 4 (particularly) for his sage advice. 50, believe it or not, I've never seen a 1960 El Camino. Seen plenty of '59s, it seems. Pit, I'll admit that the '60 bug bit me years ago, and I saw a flawless one at the Straits auto show in St. Ignace back in 1998, so I am definitely leaning in the direction of the passenger car.
4, it appears that I'm going to have a better shot from what you said, with a Chevy truck in terms of engine parts. I'd like to run down a 261 and use that instead of a 235 in a truck, if I can get lucky enough to find one. Have you ever had any success with an aftermarket fuel inject setup vs. a multi-carburetor for these engines? Would be curious to know. Thanks

Well, I'm still running a stock setup on mine until I get it rebuilt (it smokes a little), but I have been drooling over Holley's new closed-loop throttle body fuel injection (Commander TBI). Unlike their old system, this has a real computer that you can program the fuel maps with a laptop, and it runs a manifold pressure sensor, a ignition sensor, and a O2 and knock sensor. It can be tuned really well and uses GM parts for the fuel injectors. It can be fit to any engine from a 4 cylinder up to a big block, just by selecting the injector/tbi size, and it costs about $1500. It can even be set up to use a turbo or supercharger. The only thing is that no one has developed any 235 or 261 fuel maps for it so you will need to take a lot of time to get it well tuned.

I was going to do a sixpack kind of system with Holley 94's, but I think I might go directly to fuel injection. It's going to be a while, though, since I need to get the truck painted and the 261 rebuild. I have a 235 in the garage as a spare though.

If you're going to have to do a custom fuel map anyway, there is no point spending that kind of money for the Holley system - just build your own out of stock GM parts. Lots of good information at this site: GM-ECM site

I am working on a system like this for my 250, and I have a link saved somewhere from someone much further along than myself. If I can find that link, I'll post it.

Thanks for the FI information. I had toyed with the idea of doing this on my 250 after seeing Clifford Performance website, but decided to keep the Clifford/Holley intake and 4 bbl setup.

They say that getting there is half the fun. So, I've ruled out GMC trucks/engines and have decided to go with a '55-'59 Chevy instead, with a 261. The '60 passenger car will have to wait. The good news on that at least is that there seem to be a fair supply of 235 engine blocks out there when I get around to doing that. I don't expect to find an Impala with a six in it.

Well: Projects -- Projects -- Projects!
There is a 1950 Chev woody wagon in the auto trader in my area for $1500 bucks in running condition! It's been in there about 3 weeks and i just can't believe no one has bought it. If I didn't already have a truck and a motorcycle scattered all over my shop, it would be in my driveway!

Anyone who is interested just drop me an email.
rwarburton@ados.com
Bob

Fleetside, where the heck are you? A 1950 Woody that hasn't moved? Must be totally rotted or something.