Find an Astro/Safari van in the local pick a part. Most had 3.42/3.73 or 4.11 with some being limited slip. Here are some 261 casting numbers. http://www.inliners.org/becks/BCN2.html
godspeedbear, I'll take that 261 here's the deal with 261's, actually big bird 007 and I just talked about this the other day, anyways, 261's are desireable yes, but only to a small select few people. some people seem to think they are worth a lot of money. those people can continue to sit on them and not sell them also shipping these things sucks, I would almost have to be given a stock engine before I would pay 2 or 3 bills to have it shipped... jmo though...
'41-62 flywheels (216/235/261) are 6 bolt and will interchange, but the '41-54 have a different tooth count than the '55-62 ones. They changed the tooth count when they switched from 6 to 12 volts. So you need to make sure the starter and flywheel are compatable.
Thanks a lot for that info! Very much appreciated it. A guy here in town has an extra flywheel, and I believe its the older style also which is what I want to use my current starter. Hopefully it will work. Thanks Jeff. ps. Great idea on starting this thread, lot of useful info in here!
Because Chevy changed the oil pump pickup tube configuration in '55 for both the 235s and 261s. You could probably use a '55-'62 pump in a '54 block as long as you checked for proper pickup screen to pan clearance.
Since the pans are the same (or are they?), what does "...as long as you checked for proper pickup screen to pan clearance." mean? A '54 pump and it's pick-up must sit prouder or shorter, therefore a '54 pump wouldn't work with a '55+ pick-up and visa versa? Heathen, thank you for the help.
No, all 235 oil pans are NOT the same. In fact, Chevrolet even changed the bolt pattern on one side of the pan in '55. Pre-'53 pans had oil troughs for the rod scoops, and '53 PG engines and all '54s had a different pan than '55 and later engines. The '55-'62 pickups thread into the oil pump body, and can therefore be adjusted up or down to achieve the proper clearance.
so guys I think its time we get some info on this thread about running a blower/supercharger/turbo on a 261 any one done it? got pics?
alright godspeedbear, lets see some pics!!! have any of you guys ever ran one of these? would I have to make a sheet metal intake for it?
If you want to make a late 12 volt flywheel work with a 6 volt starter you can do it- just pull the ring gear off the 12V flywheel, get a 6V ring gear, and have a machine shop turn down the ring gear land on a lathe to fit the 6V ring gear. I did this when I installed a '62 261 into a '50 pickup and kept it 6 volts. I wanted the big clutch that came on the 261 flywheel but wanted to keep the same starter and bellhousing- it cost me $50 to have the flywheel machined for the ring gear.
Count me in. I still have two '61's here at my shop. I have another in a '55 210 two door post with a Clifford setup and a Powerglide transmission and it runs like a V-8. Normbc9
A dedicated 261 thread sounds good to me. Over time, we've played with 216's, ole 235's, 54 up 235's, 270's. Have had good luck with all. A while ago, we kind of fell onto a 1954 261, an old high school friend had sitting. We had it done over. Hoping to maybe install it in our 37 Chev 2 door. The 57 235 is so great, we've let the 261 sit on its stand, caressing it daily. Guess the folks that can't find one, are the ones that don't want one! Jay Y.
Back up to the top with another question. So replacing my old 1938 216 with a 1961 261, and I have came across a few forums onlines about using the old distributor with the 261. Was wondering if it's ok to run the old 38 distributor in the newer motor? I have read something about chevy changed the material used in the later new engines compared to the older ones so people have said that the wear is not good on the motor. Is this true?
'37-'53 and '54 standard shift engines used steel camshafts, and '54 PG and '55-'62 engines used cast camshafts, with corresponding distributor gears. It's not a good idea to run a gear intended for use with a steel cam with a cast cam.
Thats pretty much exactly what I have read, just wanted to verify. So heres a question, could you put one of these gears on a 216 distrubutor and will it work? http://www.centuryperformance.com/mallory-distributor-gears-spg-91.html Or if it's possible, I do the 261 distributor that came in the motor thats not usable, could I just take the gear off of that dizzy and put it on the 216 dizzy?
I wouldn't run a '38 216 distributor in any 235/261 that I was trying to get some power from; the advance curve is going to be out to lunch. At least use a late '50s/early '60s stock distributor. They're everywhere-----at least, at my place, they are.
So the local machine shop said/thinks the 216 dizzy will only take about 1/10th of the horsepower away from the motor. But to still change the gear, what do you/everybody think? Im not sure how accurate that is, as im new to this. Let me know your thoughts if you could on what he thinks/knows please. Thanks.
If you want the old timey look of the early distributor change the gear and go for it. It will not perform as well but will look good. I find adapting later 250 HEI distributors work really well and almost always increases fuel economy, startability and with the advantage of being able to fine tune the advance curve, performance.
So, assuming he's correct, you wouldn't mind losing 10 percent of your 235's horsepower for no good reason? Believe me, they don't make that much that you can afford to throw some away.
Ya thats true, just was checking to see if anybody else would know much about it. Just wish my vaccum advanced worked on my 261 dizzy, thats the only thing wrong with it.
There are plenty of salvage yards across WI that have 50's vintage Chevy sixes in them... The vac advance from the '38 dizzy would probably work on the 261 dizzy. Seems to me you can get them new now anyway.... http://www.classicparts.com/1947-62-Vacuum-Advance-6-Cylinder/productinfo/83-274/
So, I want to know if any one has done much head work for one of these sixes. I have a good 848 head, and a couple 261 heads, don't remember their casting #s. I plan on starting with gascket matching, mostly all the work will be on the exhaust side, as I understand that is the biggest part of the flow problem. Then try and open and polish those ports as much as I can, particularly around the valve opening area.When I'm done with that, I'm going to have the head angle milled, I think about .120" or so, I believe the head bolts will still line up. Any one have any experience on this I would love to hear your input.
When you angle mill the head it would be to your advantage to redrill and redo the spot faces so as to have them square with the deck. Also over sizing the bolt holes so the head can be moved toward the manifold side. This puts more chamber over the cylinder and allows for a bigger knot on the piston. Just remember to check the steam hole alignment. Learned this thru experence. Good luck and happy motoring.
So I got one reply, cum on guys, there has to be more in put here, stupid idea, it will never work, use a different motor. I just want the most from my inline, I have had it for a very long time, finally spent some $ on the rebuild, just trying to go a litle more. The botom end I wont change, its 100%, over 40 psi., all the time. The cam is a 270 Cliford grind, sounds great, I think it should be better. So, here we go
Hey guys, im pressurizing my new oil pump with a drill before first start up, and got a question. Both outlets on my block are pumping oil out to the remote oil filter, is that normal with what these motors are suppose to do? Thanks, jeff.
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