The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Much To My Surprise!

I had to share this...
Several months ago I bought a '58 truck from a work buddy for $300. It had the L6, 4 sp tranny and all the components in the engine compartment except the battery.
He was going to send it to the scrapper and I might could glean some parts for my '59 and sell/give away excess parts, then scrap the carcass. Though the body was toast, it still had a lot of useable parts and even the carcass would still bring me $300 afterwards. I even have the Texas title and data plates. To me, it was certainly worth $300.
For my '59 I had a choice of building a 261 or 235 as both of these were in the bed of my truck when I bought it. With much deliberation and opinion requests on here, I chose and built the 261.
Yesterday evening I walked past the '58 and glanced at the dirty engine and noticed something that I hadn't noticed before. CAPTAINS BARS! I thought its engine was a 235... it's a 261!
Jerry

The 1953 poweglide 235 engine has captains bars.....

Kurt

Hmmmm... Didn't know that.
I'll get a casting number off of it and verify.
Hey, I'm keeping my hopes up anyways.
Jerry

Jerry,

Good luck. Probably a lot more 261 engines around than '53 235 powerglide engines. You might check and see if the bosses on the side of the engine are drilled and tapped for the side engine mounts used in the '53 Chevy car. If not drilled and tapped then chances are good that it is a 261.

I'm not an expert on this like pre68dave and others here, but I do have a '53 powerglide engine which is how I know about it.

Kurt

Post the code that is pressed into the block just to the rear of where the distributor enters the block.

Thanks Curt,
Are you referring to the 3 bosses on a triangular pattern?
I went back to some pictures of that engine in the '58 and I saw white dirt dobber holes meaning to me, they are tapped.
I was curious about the tapped bosses though and went back to view the pictures of my 261 build for my '59. Those bosses are also tapped.
I went to a website and printed off a sheet of casting numbers for Chevys to take with me when I visit that '58 again this evening.
I'll come back and report the results... fingers crossed!
Jerry

Tim,
If I can... I wire brushed that spot before, and put my camera up close since my eyesight isn't so great...(age) No luck.
So next, I put a piece of paper over it with pencil in hand to try to get an image but no luck still. I'll try again, if I have to stand on my head in the engine compartment. That wouldn't be a prettry picture!
I'm hoping the casting number will do it for me.
Jerry

Good luck, Jerry

If you stand on your head in the engine compartment, please do have someone take a photo and post it.

Casting numbers should tell you if it is a 235 or a 261 but might not tell you the year. Still, knowing you have a 261 is a good start.

Good luck.

Quick check: if its got the 4 bolt rocker cover, its not the 53 Powerglide. (I've got one!)

Still find the codes and post them. A newer head can be bolted to the 1953 235 block. You might as well confirm exactly what you have. Most likely it is a 261 block/head.

Drydock,

Right you are, but then he might have a newer year head and valve cover!

I have a later 848 head on my '53 powerglide engine but I kept the '53 rocker arm studs so I could use the '53 two stud valve cover, which in my opinion looks totally cool.

Where did you get your 235?

Kurt

OK guys, it's been a very long day.
I drove back to the truck to extract some parts for a buddy and try to verify what I had.

The block casting number is 3769925

Hey Tim, I still couldn't see the stamping on the pad but I sure TRIED

I'm thinking 261, 58-62

Jerry

As I said, its a quick and dirty check. They don't turn up a lot any more. Dumb luck when I picked mine out of the Kansas CIty Craigs list. Guy put a SBC in his 53, and his wife wanted that greasy old thing out of the garage . . .

Its in my shop now, stripped to a bare block, waiting for the trip to the machine shop, then into my boys 45 1.5 ton.

Looks like you found a great 261 engine. That is the same engine I put in my '55 1st series with a T5 from a '85 S10.

I'm pretty excited about it.
After rebuilding, painting and assembling the 261 for my '59, I was just happy that I had a correct 235 from that '58 scrapper for my truck as a backup.
Now, I'm anxious to yank it out and tear it down to see what story it has to tell.
I do wish I had removed the valve cover yesterday to get a casting number off the head.
It'll have to wait till next week (The truck's not at my home).
Jerry

Jerry,

Thanks for the photo of trying to find the engine serial number.

That block casting code is 59-63.

You most likely have the 1/2" NPT holes for the full-flow oil filter?

Nice.

Yes sir. There's a hose running from one of the holes to the other.
Jerry