Let's Build a 265 Chevy V8!!!!!

Oh no offense taken. I am new to building engines so I always like to know when I am over doing things. It's advise like yours that will keep me from getting stuck on one particular thing. I appreciate it!

 

I'd go for the smaller cc when working with only 265 cubes. Some mighty impressive 265s were built using heads with 1.72/1.50 valves, and if you want to make any torque with it, you can't afford to lose what compression you've got.

 

The 265s were notorius for having cracked pistons around the wristpin area,also bore it sparingly.I have taken them out .125 to make a 283 and regreted it.Ran good but hot.

 

i have a ?to ask the viewers this thread
this photo is the oil pan i used on my A when built
i seem to remember it being a truck pan ?
has great oil control baffles stock
someone please tell me what it came on....thanks

 

I am rebuilding a ’56 265 and here are a few thing I have discovered.
<O</O

You can&#8217;t bolt a starter to a 55-56 265 block. There are no holes for the starter bolts, and not enough metal in the area to drill holes. You have to use a starter that bolts to the bellhousing or use an aftermarket adapter plate that sandwiches between the block and the transmission.<O</O



When I got my 265 back from the machine shop the camshaft would not go all the way in. The machine shop installed a common 2 inch freeze plug instead of the correct 2 1/64&#8221; shallow rear cam plug. The back of the camshaft was hitting the freeze plug! The thrust surface on the cam sprocket is supposed to ride against the machined surface at the front of the block to correctly position the camshaft. I knocked out the incorrect freeze plug and test fit the camshaft with the sprocket installed. It&#8217;s a good thing I checked because I found that they had also installed the cam bearing almost ¼ inch too far back. The back oil hole in the cam bearing was completely blocked of by the camshaft. If I had installed the engine as the machine shop had built it there would have been zero oil supply to the lifters.

Just lining up the rear cam bearing holes to the block is not good enough on a 265. The bearing must also line up with the rear journal of the camshaft to ensure that both holes line up with the machined slot in the camshaft. The best way to check the position of the rear cam bearing is to test fit the bearing on the camshaft before you install it in the block. After you install the cam bearings, bolt the cam sprocket on the camshaft and test fit the camshaft into the block. The back edge of the camshaft should be flush with the back edge of the rear cam bearing. The point here is don&#8217;t trust the machine shop to correctly install the rear cam bearing in your 265. Have the machine shop leave the cam plug out so you can check the rear cam bearing position yourself.








<O</O
After you are sure the rear cam bearing is installed correctly it&#8217;s time to install the rear cam plug. Do not use a 2 inch freeze plug! The 265 uses a rear cam plug which is slightly smaller in diameter than the cam plug used in a 1958 and up engines. 265 V8&#8217;s use a 2 1/64 inch shallow cam plug, while 1958 and up engines use a 2 3/32 inch cam plug. There is a machined step in the newer engines that prevent driving the plug to deep. There is no step machined into the block on a 55-57 engine, so care must be taken not to drive the plug to deep. The 1956 Shop Manual says the cam plug should be &#8220;installed flush to 1/32&#8221; deep to maintain a level surface on the rear of the cylinder block&#8221;. Here is my original cam plug and the correct replacement.


<O</O

 

All small block Chevy engines were produced with an annular groove under the rear cam bearing regardless of what year they are. This groove supplies oil to the two lifter galleries. The difference in the 55-56 engines is in how the oil is supplied to the groove. On 1955 and 1956 265’s full oil pressure from the main oil galley passed through a drilled passage to feed a small hole in the rear cam bearing. As the camshaft rotated the machined slot in the rear cam journal would uncover the hole allowing oil to flow (via the machined slot) out a second hole in the cam bearing that was located over the annular groove. This setup supplied "pulsed" oil to the annular groove which supplies reduced pressure to the lifter galleries.

Starting in 1957 the drilled passage from the main oil gallery was redesigned to connect directly to the annular groove. With this change the annular groove and the lifter galleries have full oil pressure. The rear cam bearing on 57 and up engines only needs one oil hole to lubricate the rear cam journal from high pressure oil in the annular groove, and there is no longer a need for the machined slot on the rear cam journal.

A popular modification on 55-56 265 blocks is to grind an oil passage in the block connecting the drilled oil feed passage to the annular groove. This way the 265’s will oil just like the other SBC’s, and there is no longer a need to use a camshaft with a machined slot.

Here is a 265 and a newer 327 with the rear cam bearings removed. Note the different location of the drilled oil supply passage from the main oil gallery on these two engines.

 

I kinda did the same thing, i actually drilled the oil galley hole instead of grooving it(so it looked like the 327 in the pic below) then i put a stock 58 and up cam bearing in it, it covered the old oil galley hole.

 

Wow!!! Some great stuff there for sure 6-Volt. I am going to check with my machinist asap!!!

 

If you convert the 265 to full pressure oiling you may have problems with your 55-56 distributor filling with oil. The lower bushing on these early distributors was fed low pressure "pulsed" oil from the RH lifter gallery. After the oil lubricates the lower distributor bushing it drains out via a hole above the bushing and then spills down the flat on the side of the distributor housing. That is what the "flat" on a 55-56 distributor is for, to let the oil from the distributor drain out. If you convert to full pressure oiling you could overcome the capacity of the drain hole, sending oil up the shaft, past the upper bushing, into the top of the distributor where it will cause all kinds of problems. A worn lower distributor bushing, combined with a high pressure-high volume oil pump, will make the problem worse. In 1957 Chevrolet redesigned the distributor to splash oiling from the drive gear so oil pressure in the lifter galley won’t have any affect on the distributor.
<O</O

1957 and up distributors will work just fine in any 265. Even an HEI distributor will work in both stock and modified 265’s. If you are going to use the early 265 distributor you should not modify the block for full pressure oiling.<O</O

 

Awsome this was some info ive been trying to figure out, i was told we could only use the 265 dist, but i looked and the block and looked at both distributors and came to the conclusion that a new style distributor could be used, which is what the customer wanted to do in the first place, also good to know for future if im going to use a 265 dist on anything.

 

Thank you 6-Volt. That is a great explanation of the mysteries of the 265 oiling system.

 

Pat, excellent point...most if not all will never notice if the engine is a true 265. the unfortunate part of it is, these engines are loosely labeled: Small Block Chevy's.

By the way, this is a great thread!!!! let sof great information.

 

This thread has some great info, I aquired a 283 + 090 today for our Dragster build with a 10 10 steel crank! I've got to reread the thread again.

 

I need to reread the thread also. My engine is coming back form the machine shop this week so I need to refresh my limited knowledge.

Found out my block was punched out .40 over. We're going .125 over stock so wish me luck!!!

 

Excellent thread! I just fired my 283 this weekend and posted a vid. Search Woo hoo if you care to see it.

 

Motor Sounds Good Cactus1. Man that must have been a good feeling huh? A little tuning and that thing will be ready for battle.

 

Tossed an L-79 cam(350hp 327 cam) in my daily 283 over the weekend because it's been down with trans problems, kinda excited to see how it reacts compared to the comp 260 that was in it, also added a 2400 stall. The 305 heads on it should mimic punched over power pacs pretty nice too

 

Anyone hear or run a 3130 Cam in a 327? My neighbor was saying something about that being a really cool cam in his corvette.

Shaggy, L-79 cam huh? I would love to hear it!!!

 

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I take it you mean a "30-30" cam, so nicknamed for its .030 lash settings on both intake and exhaust. This cam had little low end in a 302; in a 265, it should give you a 0-30 time comparable to a diesel Chevette.

 

Oh good, I love diesels!!!

He said it was a 3130 I am pretty sure. It was a hydralic cam that I don't think they ran back in the day but is an option now. Not sure though. Either way, I am ordering a 097 stick for my 265.

 

You said it! I'm ready to boil the tire on this mutherscratcher!

 

I have nothing constructive to add, but am subscribing so I don't have to keep searching for this thread!

JK

 

Ok it been taking a while and I'm not taking the blame for this one. The machine shop is finally done with my 265 and should be back to Scott's this week. So I am ordered to buy the 097 Cam and I was wondering if you guys had a place to order that you like.

There is a guy on ebay that is selling a kit with the appropriate 097 solid lifter cam that meets the original specs from what I can research. Here's the link...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SMAL...arQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_816wt_941

Think that's a good idea? Should I find somewhere else? What about the timing gear? I know some cam kits comes with the gear like when ordered from Comp Cams but I cannot find a 097 from them.

Also had a little snaffu where someone used a stud that was 1/32" too long which cracked the cast on the block and went into the oil filter. Scott is welding that all up so that's not a big deal but something that I thought I should share.

Lastly I got a Weiand 4 pot intake for the motor instead of the corvette intake that I was going to use. I am super stoked about that thing and now I feel like this is becoming my dream engine!!!!

 

You'll be adjusting those solids abunch.I prefer the Hydraulic,,the 3030 and L-79 are totally different cams.

 

See I've heard different from other people with solid lifter cams. They all said that it's not all that often and really not a big deal. Heard bad things about the 3030 cam and some really great things about L-79 cam. The L-79 is my second choice if it'll work in a itty bitty 265 (283 now).

 

The l-79 cam needs compression to work good. It would be a little to much in a street driven 265 with under 11 to 1 compression. Compression is your freind in the small cube engines if you want a cam to work. Make the deck clearance as tight as you can, and an angle mill on the heads wouldn't hurt. You want 10 to 1 to keep your bottom end torque.

 

Go SOLIDS! You will get all kinds of armchair experts telling you why your engine is making funny noises.

 

I am not sure where I am going to fall as far as compression goes. I am all new to this as this is my first engine I am having built. I laid out some wants and needs and trusted my friend Scott will meet them. Might not be the best way but....

I have heard nothing but good things about the 097 Duntov and my friend Uncle Vic (Krusty40) has one in his 283 and he loves it! So that's why I am trying to go that route.