The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Going back to the basics in my 37

I must be loosing my mind since I have decided to go back to a foot stomp starter and a generator in my 37,I found someone parting a blown up 58 235 from a truck and grabbed the generator and starter. I kind of miss using a foot to start the truck so sometimes soon I will be able to do it again,since I have made the 57 235 look like a 216 the alternator and car starter just dont look right and need to go. I am going to wait on the generator until I pull the motor to check out the sources for the noises it has since things might change if the motor is not worth repairing.

I agree everywhere I go in my 55 the stomp starter is a conversation piece. I had a local glass company replace a broken vent window and the younger technician said "we will just let you drive it into the shop".

Larry

What all did you change/modify on the 235 to make it look like a 216? There are many differences in these engines. Side pan,valve cover, water pump, intake/exhaust manifold, engine mounts, dip stick location, head casting, oil distributor, distributor, to name a few.

216 valve cover and a 216 side cover modified to go over the existing cover,used a adapter to get the water pump higher and I used a 216 road draft tube. Still need to get a original looking set of plug wires and the pros will know its not a 216 but the know it alls at the shows might have trouble telling it apart,when I pull the motor over a winter I will be painting it the original 37 color since I was not thinking and painted it orange.

Sounds pretty neat. Can you post some pics of the transformation?

Half the people at a car show would probaly ask if it was a V-8!

I still have not figured out how to post pics on here.

Jeff,
I'm glad I'm not the first person to just grab some chevy engine paint off the shelf and then realize/remember that orange is wrong.

I found a 12v generator when I converted the wiring in my '37. There's only been one time when it stranded me - I think it was the regulator that stuck so it was running but not charging the battery.

Other than that it works great and looks correct.

I was too lazy to look for any color that was close.

Jeff -

Hope I haven't committed a fox paw by linking to a post on another forum ... Is this your handy work?
< CLICK > 235 in 216 clothing

Yes it is.

I have another project going on right now,I am going to see if I can hide a modern coil in the case of a original to make it look like it still has the original coil and ignition switch. I still have the original parts but I dont want to cut them up so I am hitting the junkyard to get a coil and ignition switch I can cut up,I am going to cut the cable off the switch so it sticks through the hole in the firewall.

Jeff,

Nice lookin' job.

To make the job even more "invisible", you could also replace your fuel pump with the 216 truck version. The one you have is for the 235 car engine with the side motor mounts. The truck fuel pump has the inlet and outlets parallel to the block.

Kurt

I will look into a 216 fuel pump,I do want to go with a dual diaphram pump to help the the wipers and vacumn fan I have on the steering column.

Jeff,

This may be what you want. I put one of these on the '53 powerglide engine I have in my burb. Looks good too. Finally, I have wipers when I step on it.

Double acting fuel pump.

Kurt

Kurt,

Do you have photos showing how you routed the tubing?

What rear end do you use with the Powerglide?

Thanks,

So the 216 fuel pump wtll fit the 235.?

I just looked on Autozones website and they list a dual diaphram pump for 68 dollars which is about half of what Chevs of the 40s wants,I hope they dont want a core as I dont know where any are.

Jeff,

Basically the pump for the 216 and the 235 are the same. There are differences in how the inlet and outlets are aligned depending upon things like where the motor mounts were located. Anyway, the bottom line is that a pump for a 216 will fit and work on your 235 motor. The same pump is sold for the 235 truck engines that have the inlet and outlet parallel to the block.

The Autozone model probably does not have the glass bowl, in case that is important to you.

Kurt

Tim,

here are a few photos of how I ran the lines:

Engine right side.
Connections at pump.
Engine left side.

Oh, and I have a Powerglide Engine, but not the Poweglide tranny. So just a stock TT rear end.

Kurt

The autozone pump does not have the glass bowl but I have a old single diaphram pump with one and wondering if I can make it work on the autozone pump.

No guarantee that it will work on your pump. I replaced the top of the all metal single action pump on my '54 with the top of a glass bowl pump. Simple switch. Works great.
> Photobucket album

It's a gamble. If the glass bowl top doesn't work on the Autozone pump, you'll be out the cost of the Autozone pump plus the cost of the glass bowl double action pump at Chevs of the 40s that you will have to buy.

You did a great job on disgusing your 235.

Good luck.

Kurt,

Thanks for the photos of the dual action pump plumbing. Years ago (10), I put a "new" JC dual-action pump on my Suburban. I did not know how to route the plumbing and all I had was the Factory Assembly Manual. It does not have a good illustration for a 3100, so I tried one of the larger truck routing. The tube bending was too complex for my limited bending skills/experience - it looked awful. I soon took that pump off because it was defective.

I have a new Chevs of the 40s pump and will mount it on the 54 3104 that I am restoring, and I will use you much more logical routing. Your routing is like what Denny Graham used.

Thanks, again,

Tim,

You're welcome sir.

Kurt

Its tempting to go with the autozone pump at half the cost but might wait on getting one when I can afford the pump from chevs of the 40s.

Jeff -

I'm enjoying following your project.

Tell me more about a '37 coil and ignition. What's the difference between '37 and "modern?" Was the '37 coil mounted with high tension wire pointing down, like on AD trucks? If so, how could you drill the cover of a '37 coil for cooling so that it won't show?

I believe that you have 12v power. As others have noted, 12v coils are available with an internal resistor. I have a Bosch coil with internal resistor on my truck.

If you have 12v, you can continue the disguise by attaching 1937 6v tags to the gen and starter. I put 6v tags on the 12v gen and starter in my '54. A trophy shop engraved the correct part numbers on the tags. I used my wife's birthday + 1954 as the build date on the starter and an approx build date on the starter. Actually, I guess the starter is still six volts, but the tag was missing.
< CLICK > '37 tags at Chevs of the 40s

Final question - did you fabricate the 216 side plate on your 235; modify a plate; or buy it off the shelf? Cool.

Thanks,

Jeff -

I apologize for continuing to butt into your project ...

You might post a separate question about using a pre-'52 pump on your '57 235 to confirm that it will work.

As Kurt noted, the fuel pump on your engine has in/out ports angled to the engine. That style started in 1952 on cars and trucks. Even though trucks still had a single front motor mount.

The garage that does work on my truck that I'm unable to do installed a pre-'52 style glass bowl pump with the in/out parallel to the block on my '54. It didn't work. Don't know if the pre-'52 pump or cam is different to '52+, or it it was defective, or if the mechanic screwed up. I used the top to that glass bowl pump onto the bottom of the all metal pump as I posted earlier. Note: Even though the in/out ports were parallel to the block on the glass bowl pump. They were angled at 20-deg when I attached the glass top to the metal bottom, which is the correct configuration for my '54. So at least the screw holes on the bottom half of the pump were different to pre-'52 pumps. Maybe more differences (?)

The 37 coil attaches to a conduit from the ignition switch on the top and the coil and the wire that goes to the distributor attach on the bottom,I could drill holes on the back side of the original coil toward the block for cooling if needed. I modified a 216 side cover and should look into making them.

If it helps any, I just switched the tops on my fuel pump as well, it was a bolt off-bolt on affair.

For what it's worth, I installed the early parallel in/out type pump on my '53 235 powerglide engine. Works fine. I have a pump from a 216 truck engine, and the part that contacts the cam and the mounting holes looked the same, although I didn't measure it.

Since I still have the original pump from the '53 engine also, I'll take a closer look when I have the chance.

Kurt

LonnieC & brokenhead,

You have pushed me into trying a conversion to "glass top" on one of my dual-action pumps (it will save me $$, if I can get it done, and I lose very little trying).
Did you have a new gasket (from where), or did you make a new gasket, or did you use the old gasket?

Thanks,

Tim -

Rather than tie up Jeff's thread with another of my long winded posts, I sent the info to you in a PM.

Thanks, Lonnie

The quick answer is that a new gasket is available - Chevs of the 40s is one source (and, they have a full rebuild kit, besides selling new glass top dual-action fuel pumps).

I found a dual diaphram pump at the junkyard today and was thinking about grabbing it but since it sat out in the open with no hood I wondered if it was rebuldable.

I got the coil gutted and a modern coil will slip right it,today I got the foot stomp starter cleaned up but thinking about having it freshened up before installing.

I am starting the conversion back to the foot stomp starter,got the starter rebuilt and painted and now trying to figure out what linkage I will need to use. This truck is a mixed bag of parts with a 48 to 53 bellhousing and a 58 starter,I did have some linkage welded up to make it look like it still had it but I cut it up too much to work so I grabbed a 41-6 linkage I had in stock and I think it will work the best. I will have to drill another hole in the toe board but it will move the pedal about one inch over which will be better since the original was close to the gas pedal.

Starter is in and all I need to do is cut another hole in the toe board and paint the linkage.

Swap is complete and now thinking about going back to a generator or something that looks like one.