Hey gang - I've been lurking between here and stovebolt for the past 4 months and trying to absorb as much info as possible and I've gotten to the point where I could use some clarifications. First: here's the car as it sits today. It's pretty much straight stock but I've found that the bumpers are off of a '34, the engine is a replacement 194 (835501) and it's been repainted approximately 3 times. Goals: we want to turn this into a solid driver that can manage highway speeds but we don't want to 'hot rod' it. Ideas include upsizing the engine, transmission swap, rear end swap, modernizing the suspension and brakes, and finally adding in some Coker wheels and tires to maintain original aesthetic. My questions; Engine swap; I've read conflicting accounts on whether or not a 235 will bolt into the original engine mounts. Can anyone clarify this? I really want to stick with an inline 6 because they've got that 'cool' factor for me and it'd keep with the theme of the car. Transmission; If the 235 can work, it seems like a T5 is really a good way to go. There's a lot of good tech out there for the 235/T5 combo and it seems like a good fit. We'd want to keep it manual. Rear End; Need help here. What would you guys recommend considering the above info? Thanks all!
If you want to stick to using a six, consider using a later 7 main bearing one. These too are getting old but would be easier finding parts for.
I get exactly what you're thinking. I did this already for a customer some 25 years ago. It was a very well-kept Sedan so minimal visual changes but built for the road and reliability. It went V-8 and 200-4-R with a Geni Swan shifter and Air Conditioning. Same basic challenge. Not really a challenge, just a job. As for just a close bolt in even staying a 6 cyl I don't see that happening. Not if you want something that will roll solid in today's Traffic and be safe. Safe and Reliable being the key component. You can stay Beam Axle if you want but everything related past that should get the common upgrades. Just close your eyes and do it, just don't make it a Visible thing. Total rewire, Total brake upgrade, and if were mine just because I want to stay 6-cyl I would go Ford 300 6-cyl just for the fact you can get it with factory F.I. and a 5 speed. No aftermarket Street Rod kit crap to try to make an operating system work together. Plus A.C. is no problem. My formula would be a narrowed 9" on new rear springs that fit the stock spring hangers and convert the stock spindles to Disc spindles meaning NO bolt on kit (it's a fab job) you can then run your stock wheels if you find a shop that really knows what they are doing and just up-grade the Tires. That said I would advise going something New in Wire Wheels just for the safe factor. This system leads back to my Life Long way of working, K,I,S,S, and making customers very pleased with the end result.
Chevy of the 40’s has a bolt on disc brake kit, but I believe you can go to hydraulic drum brakes using a combination of later year Chevy parts ( do a search on here). No need to go with a Ford 9”, check the stock width with an S-10 rear. There are also some small truck rears that have the same 6 lug pattern that the car currently has.
Check out my friend's thread here: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/my-29-chevy-the-rajo-special.1183115/ He doesn't get on here often, and his project is on the back burner right now, but he has addressed a good bit of what you're asking about. His car was titled as a 29, but we're pretty sure based on the body tag and input from some of the VCCA old timers that it's a 30.
I took a few days away and just saw all these awesome answers! Thanks! GoldMountain - Agreed. Looking for at least a post 54 235 to stay away from the babbit bearings. Pist - There's a lot to unpack from your post. The only thing I'll say initially is that I'm going to take somewhat of a purist approach to this. Chevy car needs a Chevy motor. There's something inherently cool about the Chevy inline 6 that I'd love to keep in this car. 31A and EBS - Thanks for the info!
How can you tell it's a '31? My grandpa maintains that it's a '30, but I'm unsure what differentiates the two...
29 and 30 Chevrolets have a splash pan at the base of the radiator, between the front rails- 31's don't
While driving the coupe this summer I had it death wobble on me twice, so a full disassembly and retrofit/rebuild of the suspension system is in order. What I found: -the passenger side shock was in severe tension, the driver's side shock was blown out, no tension or compression to be found. -looks like the kingpins and bushings have been redone sometime in the past. There is absolutely no play in the spindle/axle connection. Good news there. Both the bushings in the leaf spring shackles are broken. Those need to be replaced. I'm thinking that a panhard bar needs to be installed. There is a lot of sway with these leaves. I'll be upgrading the shocks to gas-filled from SD as soon as I get the mounts and get the dimensions figured out.
Looking at it again, your Grandpa is right. Someone in the past has installed a 31 radshell and headlight bar and possibly the front fenders. The hood and body is a 1930. 1930 wheel base is 107", 109" in 31. In 1930 the headlight bar had 3 bolts per fender. 1931 fenders have 2 braces that mount to the frame, 30 has one. Check to make sure there are shims between the leaves and axle, that could be the cause of your death wobble. Hope that helps.
That wobble can be caused by to much caster.... Use to see it happen a lot on dragsters and funny cars because they run a lot of caster for high speed stability...
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