well let me start by saying that i'm a newbie and this is my first project and for all practical purposes i don't know my *** from a hole in the ground. fortunately i have a buddy thats a good mechanic helping me out and teaching me things along the way. anyway i have a 1941 chevy 1/2 ton with the original 216 but am looking at my options for another engine. i wanna keep it cl***ic and i like 6's so i am leaning towards a later (53-63) 235. from what i understand these are much better engines that will fit in my truck with no problems. i'm wondering if anyone has done anything similar and can offer any advice and if this will truly be as easy as it sounds, as far as mounting it in there will i have any problems or should it line up just fine. also the truck has a camaro rear end put in by the previous owner and the driveshaft is screwed and u-joint cracked. my buddy said he'd have no problems building a driveshaft just trying to think how to make all this work with a later 235 w/ its original trans. any suggestions and help is greatly appreciated. sorry if i'm not so clear as you may sense i'm not very mechanically savvy. here are the sites that i've gotten most of my info from. thanks again!! also i've got a bunch of misc. parts if anyones interested. http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/engine_swap_216.htm
I don't know my *** from a hole in the ground, either. I don't let that stop me, and neither should you. Yes the 216 to early 235 swap is that easy. I would take advantage of a later model transmission, though. Putting in a T5 can make a huge difference in drive-ability in our present day and age. We's got freeways now.
Well, if you already have an open drive rear end, you must also have an open drive transmission. Whatever is bolted to your 216 will bolt to a 235 as for as bellhousing, transmission etc. The '52 thru '54 p***enger cars used side mounts on the engine. '55 thru '57 front mounts and 58 thru '62 side mounts. Your original truck 216 has front mounts, under the crank pulley, attached to the timing cover backing plate. You therefore have a choice to make regarding engine mounts. Either drill the newer engines front plate for original style mounts or fabricate some frame mount to utilize later model side mounts. The latter would be my recommendation as the side mounts better control engine torque. Virtually everything else, wiring, exhaust etc, is stone simple. There is some change related to the water pump, for clearance, but I can't recall the details at the moment. A search on the HAMB should produce that info. Best wishes. Ray
Like Hnstray mentioned the only problem you might have with the later 235, is the mounts; and you drill the holes and they will work. If you decide to use the Camaro rear, use a T-5 transmission.
It's an easy swap. You will need the 54 235 water pump if you're using the stock radiator and mount because it's a little shorter. If you can find a 261, that's the same size as a 235 and goes in the same way. Check out the Inliners International site for ID information and lots of 6cyl knowledge. Have fun.
the 41 bellhousing will bolt up to the 235. that way you don't have to worry about clutch linkage the stock set up will work. like said before you have to drill the plate under the timing cover for the front mounts you will also need an adapter for the water pump. puts the short 216 on the 235. i would go with a 55 up 235 that way you are sure to have full oiling not that dripper system. also look in the big trucks see if you can find a 261. they are everything the 235 is only bigger.
If you are going through a full-pressure 235, you might as well go for the full flow oil filter mod too. http://www.speedprint.com/deves50/oilfilterinstall.php I have done it, so it can't really be that hard. I used a a modern Hildebrandt filter on the firewall, with a spin-on unit inside, on the last two I did.
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