1950 chevy 216 to 235 swap (Bus. Coupe)

I am going to swap the 216 for a 235. I have a choice to go with a 56 block or a 62 block. Which one will be the easiest swap? Motor mount wise I am not sure which one is the easier of the two. The 62 block uses a different water pump that is recessed in the front. The 56 uses the same as the 216. Any info on this swap would be apreciated.

 

Either engine will require you to drill two holes in the front plate under the damper pulley for the engine mounts. Both will also require that either the radiator be shoved ahead, or what I used to do was remove the water pump and push the hub down on the shaft 3/4 of an inch on a press and replace the top pulley with a shallower one from a 283 or 327. Also, the throttle linkage will need a little fabricating as I remember the newer 6's pivot is in a diffferent location and will take minor tweaking to make work. The upper radiator hose is a smaller diameter also, this can be fixed with a special hose or the top radiator opening can be changed. Also seems like I remember cutting a piece of the old 216 hose and inserting it inside the 235 hose to shim it up to the proper size. Its been a long time ago, though, so this is all a little fuzzy.

 

Actually the 56 block should also have the same waterpump as the 62. If it has the old style W/P mount it would be a better bet as the later style drops the fan lower in relation to the radiator. If the "56" block has a 56 casting date I would think it was probably made as a replacement for the earlier style.

 

I swapped the 216 out of my 49 with a 235 from a 61 truck. I used the timing cover plate from the 216 cause I rebuilt the 235 so the timing cover would be off anyway but if you don't need to rebuild yours just drill it out. I got an adapter from Buffalo Enterprises to use the stock water pump. The adapter moves the water pump up on the block. For the radiator hose I used the thermostat housing from the 216. I went with a dual offy intake so I had to change out the throttle linkage so I went with a lokar pedal and cable.

 

So do you think the 56 would be an easier swap than the 62? The 62 block had a different water pump set up, it was recessed into the block. Either way I am doing a full rebuild on which ever I chose, just want to make sure I rebuilt the best of the two.

 

In 1941, a 235-cubic-inch version of the 216 engine was introduced for use in large trucks. This engine also had a "dipper system" as described above, in reference to the oiling system, as in the 216.
The 235-cubic-inch (3.9 L) version was added to cars in 1950 to complement the new Powerglide automatic transmission, and 3.55:1 rear differential. Hydraulic lifters were used in the Powerglide 235 and a fully pressurized lubrication system was introduced in 1953, but only in cars ordered with the "Powerglide" transmission. The 216-cubic-inch (3.5 L) continued to be standard powerplant for cars with the 3 speed manual transmission until 1954 when the 235-cubic-inch (3.9 L) became the standard powerplant on all its cars. Two versions were used in 1954 cars - a solid-lifter version with 123 hp (92 kW) for standard transmissions and the hydraulic-lifter 136 hp (101 kW) version (The Blueflame) for Powerglide use.
From 1954 to 1962, the high-pressure 235-cubic-inch engine with mechanical valve lifters was used in trucks. From 1956-1962, all 235-cubic-inch engines used in cars had hydraulic lifters.
It is interesting to note that the original 1953 Corvette engine was the high-pressure 235-cubic-inch engine equipped with mechanical lifters. A 150 hp 235 engine was used in the 1954 Corvette and into 1955 (until they were all sold). The Corvette 235 was equipped with the same high-lift camshaft as used in the 261 truck engine and used dual side draft, single barrel, Carter carburetors.
The Chevrolet 235-cubic-inch is known today as one the great Chevrolet engines, noted for its power and durability.

Chevrolet's third-generation inline-6 was introduced in 1962 (two years after rival Chrysler introduced its Slant Six) and produced through 1988. This generation was lighter in m*** although the dimension were similar to the previous generation Stovebolts - the difference between the Stovebolt and the third generation sixes is the cast-in Chevrolet V8 bell housing pattern (similar to Chevrolet small block, big blocks, and the W-series). With the addition of the bellhousing redesign - transmission bellhousings (for manual transmissions) and automatics between Chevrolet V8s and sixes are interchangeable - this also includes the starter motors between both engines.
There are a few differences - the harmonic balancer received cast-in pulley provisions (for air-conditioned vehicles, a stamped steel pulley was bolted up front), and the rocker arm ratio is close to the one used in the Chevrolet GEN IV big block (1.75:1 ratio).

Just found this info on wikipedia, sounds like I am better off with the 56

 

The motor your wikipedia says came out in 1962 is refering to the 194 that came out in the 1962 Nova ONLY. Everything else in 1962 still used the 235 or 261 six.

A 1956 and 1962 235 would be the same externally except the '62 should have provision for 3 bolt sidemounts, and the '56 does not. Neither has the V8 style bellhousing mounting.
Personnally, i would use a '62 235 over a '56 version, especially for '52-54 cars. But since you are doing a '50 which mounts under the front motor plate, you could use either one and drill a couple of holes in the front motor plate. reuse everything from the bellhousing back from the '50.
To get the water pump in the right position, you can get an adapter plate as mentioned, that will allow you to reuse the 216 pump.

 

Can I use the 216 pully to run the same belt?

 

If you use the 216 pulley, you also end up using the fan, and the pulley off the crank and generator. watch for clearances and mock up carefully. went that route using a stock 235 pump with the pulley held on the shaft w/ a rollpin. the fan killed its new paintjob as it wailed on the shortened crank pulley during break in. no room to move it up or it will begin to wail on the upper rad. hose. now i get to learn about mouinting and wiring electric fans....

jonp

 

other option to mounting the engine is mentioned on tom langdon's website; use the front plate off an older six, like the 216 you're replacing, and it will drop in w/ stock mounts up front.
sorry, just remembered.

jonp

 

that should work after looking at it

 

I think the 62 with the better cooling is the better option

 

You did it the wrong way. When shortening the 55-62 type pump, you need to use a pulley from a long pump SBC. This is what the kit that Patrick's sells does. Then continue to use the 55-62 damper, and put the 55-62 pulley on the generator, or convert to an altenator.

If you buy the adapter plate, you can use the '50 pump, damper and pulleys is. You will need to drill and tap two holes in the block, but that's all.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1955...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories


If you are planning on swapping out the front motor plate, be aware that it will require tearing down half the engine, including removing the camshaft, etc.. in order to do this. If you have a pencil, a piece of paper, and a scissors, you can easily make a template to help you transfer the holes from one engine to the other.

 

I did notice the 62 block has a different water pump than the 56. Is this going to cause me grief?

 

Do both the blocks have the same big hole the water pump mounts into? If the 56 block has 2 holes it is not a 55 and up block ,53 PG or 54. If only the pumps themselves are a little different use the one style that will work best.

 

56 would be better since all the stuff lines up unles you want to make modifications later on

 

The 62 has the large hole, the 56 has the 2 small holes. I need to get the numbers off these blocks to find out what they really are I guess.

 

Your "56" isn't a 56, its a '54 or older, or a '55 first series truck engine.

What does the stamped number behind the distributor say?

A '54 would fit better because you wouldn't need to make any changes to the water pump, etc... but the '62 is a better engine overall.

 

You do not have to shorten or alter the pump in any way to do this swap and make it work.

The radiator in these cars mounts originally so that the fins on the sides where the bolts are, slide down behind the flanges on the U-shaped radiator support. Just remount the radiator so the fins on the side slide down to the front of the flanges instead, and it gives you enough clearance. My '50 has a '56 motor with a bone stock '55 water pump I pulled off a junker stuck on it and it's fine. The motor itself has a cracked block, but I ran it quite a bit before concluding that issue. It's a lot more work to get the bolts in, but a smart guy could probably drill a couple holes and use different bolts to hold the thing in place. Mine came that way, probably installed in the 60s (it had a '71 inspection sticker in it).


I did finally notice recently when they moved the radiator up they also cut away a bit of the front hood inner brace, but that may not be necessary. I can't see where the hood would hit when closed.

 

It would be better to use the the adapter on the 55-62 engines as it will center the fan in the radiator, but yes, moving the radiator is another option.

Use a '54 engine, and it all becomes moot...

 

The '62 has the 848 head which flows a bit better. It would be a good idea the get both engines as the heads have a habit of being cracked, & finding any 235 that hasn't been "rebuilt" with a mixture of parts is getting hard to do. Shortening the '55 up water pump is the best way to go - doesn't look cobbled when it's done. The best money you can spend on your rebuild is balancing - don't try to save money on that part. Be aware you'll have clutch/flywheel/starter issues when you start mixing pre -'54 parts with '55 up stuff - make sure the flywheel teeth match the starter you use. The '49 9" clutch needs to go - my favorite combo is a '54 6400 series truck 11" flywheel & a Long or B&B pressure ***'y using the 6 volt starter on 12 volts so you can use the '49 bellhousing. Keep a supply of axle shafts handy if you plan on driving it hard, & find a '51 - '54 Powerglide parts car for the rear axle & front brakes. '53 - '54 steering gear & 3 speed trans is a swap many of us like to do ... and it all bolts up !

 

Well I put the deposit down on the 62 block. The enginge builder has plenty of front mounts from 216's that he can bolt on when building the block. Here goes nothing!

 

I had a donor 54/235 motor to strip parts off of. it was a babbit motor though. took the bell housing and flywheel off it along with the head which was in great shape.

 

'53 Powerglide and all '54 and newer are full pressure and insert bearing engines.

'55 and older require shims to set the proper main bearing clearances.

 

Hi everyone, just found you guys. I was google-ing an issue I am having and it directed my to this site.
I am frame off restoring a 56 chevy pickup and the 235 that was in it is dead. could have rebuilt, but I stumbled into what I thought was a 62 chevy 2 235 engine in running order, so I bought it. it appears now it might be a 194?? it looks alot like a 235 and the 62 motor is an automatic 2 speed. the question is this... can I get the whole 62 motor mounted in my 56 truck? the front mounts are different and further back on the motor, but there are holes I cna attach my existing mounts to. the issue is the back. the 62 192 auto trans has flat tabs, and the 56 cross member is on about a 30 degree angle. can the rear of the 194 and its auto be attached? or can the 235 4 speed be put on the 194 engine? any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Chevy's of the 40's sell a custom water pump, that's what I used.

 

A 194 has the same back end as a V8. If you use a V8 bellhousing from a 55-59 truck, you can bolt up the 194 to the '56 manual ****** driveline.

If you want to run the 194's automatic, you would need to make it fit, or possibly there is a "kit" out there for doing this. You would need to check with places that supply parts for your year of truck.

 

so if I find a v-8 bellhousing, I am good to go? got an example of what v-8 to look for?

 

Like I said, a 55-59 or possibly a 63-64? V8 TRUCK. You'll know it because it will have the V8 pattern, and the same style of mounts on it as your current one has.
55-59 is casting #3776887 per Hollander interchange manual. It's iron and has an open bottom, similar to your current one.

 

It's been along time since I've did one of these, but I remenber having to change the bell housing to match up with the trans when doing one.