I'm trying to plan a budget for my 53 Chevy 210 build and I wanted to get some advice. The build is to become a daily driver and I want to spend the least amount of money possible for the greatest return of course. I have most everything worked out with what I want to do except for the most important part...The Power Plant. I'm not going to be on a quarter mile track anytime soon nor do I care for that type of power I just want something reliable but with decent power for daily freeway use. I've got some ideas obviously but I wanted some of your opinions on specs for an engine and a good rear end to use/look for and the best places to look for these on a budget and know I'm getting decent stuff. I appreciate your help in advance.
could not agree more, Go with the 250 with a auto. Go with a 55,56,or 57 rear it gives you the open drive line and there are a lot of gear choices, with it comes the ease of changing them.
the cheapest way to build a car is to get a wreck with a good motor and trans and swap it out and hopefully sell some of whats left to get back some or all of your money.
I have a s-10 rear in my 52 sedan. Fits good, actually a little narrower than stock. Obviously you have to relocate the spring perches, but you could get an s-10 rear end for next to nothing. If im not mistaken they only came with 3:42 gears, but i could be wrong. That is what mine has and it drives like a dream. Hope that helps.
don't let one leg stop ya! a buddy of mine came across a prosthetic leg in the road, up a few hundred feet was a guy on a MOTORCYCLE waving frantically. he was riding when his leg fell off and was kind of stuck. my buddy grabbed the leg and gave it back to him. I thought that was a nice thing to do
if your 53 has a 235 pressure engine, stick with it!!! check with PATRICKS they are in arizonia, they have a lot of speed parts and tricks for your chevy stovebolt!!!
Thanks for the reply's. Right now it has the 216 with 3 on the tree and the cost of getting it rebuilt is redonkulous and not worth the return of the investment. I've thought about the later model six's but don't know much about them. Does anyone know if the cost of a rebuild for those is comparable to the 216 or 235's? And, do the 250/292's require an adapter for a 350/400 trans? I've also thought about getting a salvage but its hard to know the condition of the power train. That's Funny.
watch for a good running caprice. the motor ,trans, and rear end will work in your 53. a nova ,camaro and caprice rear is the same width as a 53 within a inch. you can even use the wiring harness,brakes. saves alot of money and there is still alot of them around. hope that helps.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the 230/250 TH-350 setup. Thanks guys. Its something I've thought about before so I'm glad I got some positive feedback on that Idea considering the 250's tend to be pretty inexpensive in good condition compared to 350's. 3 more quick questions while I have this thread about my project. 1.)Does anyone know what kind of hp/tq gains I could expect from a 250 with headers and 4bbl Holly setup? 2.)Can somebody tell me the widest wheels I can put on the back with drop blocks, a stock width rear end and leaf placement? 3.)I don't know much about rear end gear ratio. What would be a good ratio for good performance on a daily basis? Or maybe give me a good resource for doing research on what I would want.
i ran a 255/60/15 on a chevy ralley wheel with the stock read with a a 2.5 drop.. i had to do just a little bit of trimming it was well worth it...but any lower u will need a narrow tire....good luck
Stock rear width is 60". A box caprice rear is 60.8", and an S10 4x4 is 59.5". I had a 235/70R15 on mine with plenty of room - and a pretty heavy channel. I would second finding a box caprice for a parts car. Get a good runner and strip it. Rims, tires, 305/Th700R4, rear axle, seats, electrical, and more can all be used in your car.
I did a 305 out of a runing caprice and a 4x4 s-10 rear end!!! ordered motor mounts and made my own trans mount not that hard!!! ohhh with a th350 also....
If you are trying to go low buck and reliable you need a DONOR CAR! Buy a good-running Chevy with a V-8 in it. Strip out everything you possibly need for your car. Sell of everything decent that's left on the donor. (eBay is your friend on this - you would be amazed at what people will buy!). Then sell the remains to a scrapper. I have a friend who bought a rusty but good-running 1980s Caprice for $100. 305, overdrive auto trans, etc. for ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS! And no chasing parts: everything you need is right there. Brackets, pulleys, etc. all right there. Trust me on this. I had my '53 Chevy on the road for almost no money at all, just because I used donor cars and actually MADE money off of them by selling parts.
You can buy excellent running 6's for nothing. Everyone wants to pull them to put in 350's. The 250 is a great choice. Very reliable, powerful enough to stay with traffic and gets good gas mileage. You also don't have to do a bunch of fabricating.
hey razorback....i have the master plan- and it dirt cheap. steal somebodys new chevy. jack it up and drop ur body on. that would even fit your budget!!!!HAAAAAAAAAA just call me pop.
I second the non babit pounding in line 6. I got a sweet mill out of a minty 56 someone was " street rodding" for 100 bucks.. that and a saginaw 4 with a patricks adapter and you can run the torque tube.. the kit comes with a tall truck shifter .. which I thought was pretty cool.. my car was a power glide car so it had the right gears.. it pulled through them all real nice.. I think in total my driveline upgrade was 600 bucks..
i have a 53 belair im putting a 292 6cyl in it they are the same pricewise as a 250 but a lot more motor and later if you want the hop up you can get crazy tourqe and horsepower over the 250
One of the first things you may want to consider is upgrading to a dual master cylinder and adding some seat belts. Todd
Id go with the bigger straight six if you insist on one. No replacement for displacement. Add dual carbs and headers. Looks pretty cool that way. Personally for cost savings you cant beat the price of a chevy small block.
One way to go if you have 'em is Pick a Part on half price weekend. Engines and rears are cheap, the best part is you can hear an engine run before they pull it for you. Trannys are cheap as well and if the car was wrecked, hopefully not too bad then you know it was moving when hit and more than likely working. Plus you won't have to discard all the leftover stuff. If you time it right and get lucky you can get V8/Auto/Driveline/Rear combo for under $400.00. Buy some seat belts, dual cylinder adapter and rebuild the Suspension you'll be in it well under 1k. If you are going to all the trouble to put a later six in it you might as well put an 8 in there as the motor mounts are the same spot. Good luck, Tim
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