The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 1938 chevy truck 292 engine swap -- how hard

I have an 3/4 ton 1938 chevy truck with the original 216, manual trans, org. drivshaft and rear axle. the truck drives fine, but the rear axle is geared soooo low that the thing tops out at 45mph. I bought the truck to have fun with... you know, cruise but not abuse.

so I am going to swap the rear axle to one with more freeway friendly gears, which will mean the driveshaft will need to be replaced, so if Im going to do all this, I am thinking about replacing my engine/trans as well.

Now, my main goal with my swap is to not permanatly alter anything on the truck so if I want to replace the org. drivetrain later on I can do so. I want to go with the 292 because it is an I-6 like the org. and it will be unique (not a 350). I was thinking about going with a T-5 standard trans out of an S-10. I will put some "hop-up" parts on the motor, intake, exauhst, cam... that is another reason why I want to swap... If I blow this stuff up I won't nearly be as mad if I blew the org.


Will this engine trans combo fit? How hard is this swap? I am not a professional mechanic, but I am "above average". I have never done anything like this before - but I'm not scared. I know I will have to change the electric on the dash etc. but what I am really concerned with is the actual fitting of the drivetrain. Will I have to use an electric fan? how will I hook up the pedals, especially the clutch? I hope I will not have to modify the firewall. etc, etc, etc.

any insight will be greatly appreciated!
thanks!
shawn

Shawn; this is a 7 on a 1-10 difficulty scale. What makes it a little more difficult is wanting to preserve the integrity of the 38. The 292 is a sidemount engine and has no easy way to front mount like the 216. You could bolt the frame mount brackets in instead of welding them. The accelerater setup is way differant and really no way to use your 216 pedal and rod. The fan won't be centered in the radiator but an electric one could be mounted without drastic alteration. Just a few of the glitches in this job. Of course you need to pull the front clip but before you do measure everything--twice. Be sure to get good measurement on the firewall to radiator distance and write it with grease pencil on the firewall along with any others. This will let you make a cardboard "radiator" to have in place while you do your trial fitting. Very important: make a lift bracket for the hoist to hook onto so the engine is balanced front to back and side to side. When an engine is hanging from a single chain it can be tilted, rolled, or angled with very little effort. Any setup, including the ones with adjuster screws, is not as good if the chain is attached at two points. One last thing, be careful how much stress you put on a T5 trans. They are great for giving the desired final drive ratio but have limitations for performance use.

You're going to have to build your own engine mounts, and bolt them in, if you want to easily remove them in the future.

I think clutch linkage will be challenging. I don't recall what the '38 clutch looks like, but you'll need to figure something out that works with the bellhousing that fits the 292 (not the same as for the 216).

It may be difficult to fit the correct bellhousing in without cutting or removing the rear-engine mount crossmember.

You'll need the version of the T-5 that places the shifter forward, otherwise you'll be cutting into the the seat. I think you'll be cutting a new hole in the floor.

Measure twice cut once...

why worry about what anyone else thinks.. there are only about 3 people in the whole world that could even tell the difference between a 216 and a 292.

just change out the whole drive train.

I guess if you don't notice the acorn nuts in the center of a WIDE valve cover, a really wide fanbelt in wide pulleys, a foot operated starter, big road draft tube hanging off the side of the engine, round rochester one barrell carb, side cover that covers the whole side of the engine including spark plugs and a few other items they do look alike. I think Stevie Wonder could tell the differance at 50 paces on a moonless night.

Rusty Rod meet the Inliners club, there are thousands of us and we all know and love all inline engines, and can easily identify one from the other. Mac38 the 292 is a couple inches longer than the 216, but a little skillful surgery on the water pump shaft will get it in place O.K. I have a 1932 Chev. pickup that had the older 207 engine and the 292 fits fine, no firewall modifications needed, the '38 has a tiny bit more room underhood so it will be fine. Good luck with the swap, you will be happy with it, the minor mods planned for the 292 will make it about the equal of a 350 v-thing and yet will still be a 6 cyl. I'd be glad to e-mail you off this post if you need any help.

I put a 292 in my 59 and had to cut and modify the motor mounts to make it work, but am very pleased with the result. If I were to go back to the original 235 I could easily cut off those mounts, and scuff off the welds with the grinder such that you would never know the difference. I used an electric fan for a while too. No big.

I must be one of those 3 people...a 216 and a 292 look NOTHING alike...except that they share the I6 configuration.

thanks for all of yours guys imput! looks like Im gonna have to get my "new" drivetrain and look at it real good before I actually do something with it ... but you guys did answer my main question of "can it be done"

chevman 32 I'll definitly be emailing you when I get around to doing this.. with winter here and being a single father its hard to find time!!!

A 261, would be a MUCH easier swap, as it's bolt in. Your front mount will work. An early 235 will work as well, a later 235 is much easier to find, will only need a water pump modification. Either would be a big improvment

what year(s) 235 should I look for? how much more powerful are the later 235's than my current 216?

and how durable is the orginal trans? Like I said I am definitly replacing the rear axle, so I will need to have a new driveshaft made.. to have one made to fit the org trans may cost me a small fortune? would I be better off going with a later 235 and a different trans?


my goal is threefold;
1. maintain original intergerity
2. find the easiest swap, that lets me have....
3. a strong running, fun to drive truck. Now, Im not looking to race this, but when I step on the gas I want to feel some balls!

by the way... I did find the article detailing how to swap in a later 235/261... but I'm thinking I will have a hard time finding one for a reasonable price. Are the rebuild kits any more expensive for these engines?

Im in pittsburgh Pa., if anyone happens to know where one is.

Look for an old 54 to 62 truck of any size for a 235 or bigger. Should be so somewhere. Can't swing a dead cat without hittin' one around here. I even know of a 64 HD truck with it's original truck 327 that I'm keeping an eye on. Good luck,
Scott

The V8 guys are pulling out 235's right and left. I think the going price for one to rebuild is $1oo-$150 and they are cheap to rebuild. By 1962 the horsepower was up to around 110 or 115. Use a 58 or newer engine if possible since 57's still had shims with the main bearing caps and in 58 they went to a machine fit like all modern engines. This would definitely be easier and would keep your 38 stuff pretty much unmolested. The 235/261 are tough old engines and if you could go the 3.55 rear (Patricks) or 3.38 (Chevy Duty) you coud cruise with freeway traffic.

Alright guys, same truck new question.

How about a GMC 302? will it fit? bolt up to my Tranny? is my org. radiator big enough? If I find one, I will do some minor hop up engine work to it, intake, cam, headers, port the heads.

I am doing the same but on a 51 - 3100. Coilover is correct it's at least a #7 or 8 /10. I changed the in-cab tank, wiring and fuse panel, visor, wheel, king-pins, front disc, master power cyl, rear end, 292, T5, driveline, and then some.... Now comes the frame redo, paint, body, and more.
This IS a LOT of work to do.
http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=010192#000003
do a search and you should find lots of info on this subject.
I had a T5 made w/ camaro guts in an S10 housing.
contact buffalo steve for engine mounts:
http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=22;t=002438#000002

good luck my friend.

Excellent choice!

The 302 is longer and will require moving the radiator and front engine mount forward. The GMC motors are a little better than the Chevy motors, they all have pressure oil and are made of better steel.

If you can't find a 302 look for a 270. Externally looks the same, but not quite as big. 32 cubes will make a difference, but if you are looking for appearance and sound, not max power, the 270 could be easier to find and cheaper to buy.

Be warned hop up parts for these are hard to find and often expensive.

I have a 270 in a '55 1st GMC Suburban. With 3.08 gears it isn't strong enough to pull a loaded trailer the way I'd like, but otherwise it has always seemed to have plenty of power. It will easily exceed the speedlimit everywhere I drive and does not have any trouble keeping up with traffic.

For comparison when I pull a trailer I typically use a 454 powered truck. The 270 just doesn't compare very well.

how far will i have to move the rad?

I once owned a '39 Chevy pickup but never a '38. I don't know where your radiator is located, but I would expect it would be several inches.