Hey everyone, I've got a 194 in my Chevy ii and I was thinking about turbos and superchargers. I know I have the smallest six but would it possible to either turbo or supercharge it? Or would I have to upgrade to a 250 or 252. Also I was looking at a supercharger from a 94 Buick would it be possible to have some type of setup with it? Thanks
Kudos to you for wanting to keep that 4 banger and not "jumping off the bridge" like everyone else, and swapping in a LS engine. My hat's off to you
194 is a 6. I had one in a 66 El Cam. Wouldn't pull a sick woman off the pot. Weakest engine I ever owned. And it was fresh. As for turbo/super charging, anything is possible, but I see it as a waste of effort and money. A fast 194 is still slow. If you're hot for a Chevy 6, the 292 is the big dog, the 194 head will fit a 250 and up the compression. If it were me, Id build a hot little 250 with the 194 head. 250s are cheap. And it should fit your Chevy II with no modification, whereas a 292 will take some fabrication-it's longer. Plus, it will look like a 194.
Check out 12bolt.com, the "inline 6 articles". In the Hot Rod Magazine article from 1968 , Turbo Tornado, they built a 250 six with a turbocharger from a Corvair Spyder. 13 second ET's. I built a 250 six with a modified 194 head (the one with the 60 cc chambers, casting number 3864883) in 1976; Clifford intake and headers, .509 lift mechanical cam from J.C. Whitney (remember them?). Very different and fast, but it was a lot of work. Read some of the articles on 12bolt.com. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
In answer to the question yes turbos are possible or a MCCullack (sp) style super charger is also a possibility. I am afraid that while it is also possible a roots style blower would take too much torque to be feasible. I personally think that a turbo for a small motor would be your best bet. The little 6 isn't going to produce much exhaust volume so to get it to spool you will want a smaller turbo.
My mistake because I know those early Chevy II's had 4 cylinders. I jumped the gun. Oh well, still better than a LS swap. There should be a law against installing LS engine in any vehicle made prior to 1972.
I think that the banger cars are pretty rare. in the '70s they actually had a stock class just for them, it was like G or F stock. They commonly ran 16s or slower.
SPA has a T3 turbo exhaust for Chevy 6, but $300+. Cheap turbos seem to be a crapshoot but theirs is $400, wastegate $130 and a carb hat is $100 to fit a Holley so $350 carb and adapter plus hose and pipes. The Buick supercharger would require you to make an intake so not a good option. So a bigger six would be the way to go. A complete 292 is on Ebay now for $500. You would have to move frame bracket or use an electric fuel pump and buy or make a mount re-locator http://12bolts.com/250292_products/inline_engine_accessories and notch the oil pan for it to fit. Your pan and reworked pump pickup might clear crank. No info on web. http://63chevyii.com/the_build/2010/january.htm
I had a '62 Chevy II with the 153 4 cyl. I rebuilt the engine and the car scooted pretty well. My dad's friend had a Tempest with the OHC 6. He wanted a different engine after having the upper end of the OHC rebuilt three times. A friend had a 194/PG from a ChevyII for cheap. The friend's son and I swapped engines and trans. The Tempest was dependable as it could be but the owner said it would not get out of it's own way! I would use a 250 if I had the original poster's Chevy II.
I had a '63 Nova SS powerglide 194 ran it at Sacramento Raceway turned 21 second 1/4 mile 72 MPH Since I worked at M&M Speed I just had to fix that swapped in a stout 302 SBC with lots of fun stuff,didn't miss the six.
My 48 came with a 194 when I bought it in 1973. We drove it to Tulsa from McGregor TX and back for the NSRA street rod nationals and while it putted along hour after hour after we got a couple of things sorted out it sure didn't spend any time in the fast lane. I might put one in a little track roadster or modified If I had a good one sitting there but I wouldn't put a lot of money in one trying to hop it up. As the others said the head is the most desirable part of it as it works well on the bigger engines.
I got a special place in my heart for straight sixes. I love the V8 but a 200 six was in my first car. I remember how much room I had and how easy it was to service. I say turbocharge the 194 much like Porknbeaner said. A smaller turbo system would be the way to go. A supercharger is out of the question because it robs HP. Turbo power is "free". A draw through system is easy and fairly cheap for example. You aren't going to rip off 11 second passes but it will make the 194 more spirited. Experiment with boost pressures and find how much you can get without detonation. Different: At a show I'd be much more inclined to stop and examine a 194 turbo 6 than another SBC in a Nova /Chevy II. If you are going to do a swap though, just put a v8 in it and get it over with. JMHO.
Okay, I'm just going to give my opinion here. Trust me, that and 35 cents won't even get you financing on a cup of coffee. It is possible to turbo or supercharge any engine. Now, would it be worth it? is the real question. If you have never turbo-ed an engine before, realize you run a realistic chance of turning that motor into shredded beef. The supercharger off of the 94 Buick isn't a bad idea. I've seen pictures here & elsewhere that show its doable. But, I wouldn't do it with the 194. I would do that with the 230 L6 cause its closer to the same cubic inch as the buick 231 that I assume you are referring to? The closer you match components the better they should perform. So, if you have ideas of doing that later i'd go get a 230 chevy 6. Go buy Leo Santucci's book & follow his recipe. Put the 194 head on it, with lump ports, 1.96 intake valves and 1.60 exhaust, clean up the bowls, & polish the chambers. That and some aluminum roller rockers. Then use the 194 motor on a stand to fabricate your supercharger set up & swap later. Be careful with cam profiles the one that works best naturally aspirated may not work as well in a supercharged motor. Thanks.
i saw a turbo book from the '70s that may still be available, but one setup on a chevy had the turbo blowing straight into the carb mount on the intake. carb used was a sidedraft carter (like 6 cylinder vettes), a truck exhaust manifold (2-1/2" outlet). not a lot of exhaust fab needed that way.
by the way, the 4 cylinder was the "iron duke" 153. great car for a blue-haired lady to drive to church!
Yes or delivering mail or milk. Dependable but not that fast. I would run a six, 230/250/292 depending on what is close to you. And a turbo would help a lot, and if you behave it makes the car faster, and make better fuel economy. And a old low compression ratio six shooter is just gagging to be put under pressure. So you are a Roadkill fan, the turbo is right up your alley.
Just curious. What do you have against ls? I'm all for period correct, original and nostalgia builds. But sometimes an ls or any modern fuel injected engine is the right fit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There is nothing wrong with an LS motor!! Never have one engine free up so many HAMB friendly Chevy V8 fit us to use! But it's not HAMB friendly. EDIT; This is a better place to start for a turbo build ; https://stlouis.craigslist.org/pts/5761338312.html https://stlouis.craigslist.org/pts/5708462994.html
They don't belong in any car that's older than 1972 and that's it. If you don't "get it", you don't "get it!"
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