Hey all. long time no talk. my aunt has tasked me with possibly rebuilding the 216 in my uncles 34 (I think) chevy truck. I have a great line on a 283 and ****** for the truck. would the 283 fit into the truck? vague question I know, just need some info to send back to her. I've messed with several 235's but never a 216.
ok, nevermind the above. I've talked her out of "hacking on the truck" to get the 283 in there. Didn't the 36 come with something like a 191 or something like that? Anyways, I know that it has the inline 6 in it and I wonder if it will bolt in if I replace with a 235?
Well, being that it came with an inline six, the engine compartment will be more than long enough for a sbc. If it's all stock now, you won't be replacing just the engine---you'll need to upgrade the transmission and rear end at the same time. Also, if it's a '34, it's not a 216, it's its predecessor, a 206.
Heathen is correct. No hacking involved when putting a small block in one. If you go with a 235 or a later 250 or 292 you will need to update from the rear axle to the fan anyways. The later inline 6 is not a bolt in any more than a small block is a bolt in. I put a 292 in my '41 because I had it and it was a good engine, I needed to build mothor mounts, I replaced the ****** at the same time as well as the rear. It made a good driver but if I had had a loose 283 or 327 at the time I would have gone that route. It wouldn not have been any more difficult. Unless I was doing a restoration I would not even think about the old original six. The oiling system is not up to par for one that is going to get driven at highway speed.
hey ******, how the heck have you been? she can get the 283 and ****** for little of nothing. the problem is that she is trying to surprise him with all of this. i have seriously tried to tell her not to surprise hime without talking to him and seeing what he wants. he may want it to look restored to original. the truck is in excellent condition. it was his brothers and it has sentimental value and attachment...i told her she's stepping into something there (haha)
I would def. get him involved! Messing with another man's cl***ic with out his permission is terms of an *** whoopin! As far as if it will fit like said before, there is plenty of room. You will need a new ******, drive line, and change the rearend. Pretty simple swap though. I had a 37 that I did this to.
I am doing well. You have given her good advice. I suppose that if I went for a trip and came home to my Willys with modern jeep underpinnings I wouldnt get plum livid but I would have wanted to be consulted prior top the change. Cars and trucks are just a sort of a personal thing. The approach could be along the lines of wouldn't that old chebby be cool with a small block in it? if the answer comes back no it wouldn't than one would guess that another option would be advised. No one would have to say anything about it actually happening and it could still be a surprise. I had a club brother back in the '70s that had a 45" harley, one time when we were together someone mentioned that it would be cool with a Sporster top, he said yea it would but he just didn't see it ever happening. he took off back east to spend a week with his folks, when he came home it had a sporster top. He was jazzed to the max. If he said no it wouldn't we would have left it alone. Do ya catch my drift here?
i do get your drift. the other issue is I'm completely projectless at this time and i don't even have anything in the garage to look at. had to get rid of everything when for financing reasons, now everything is on the track back up, but ol wifey poo still says, "lets talk about it the beginning of next year"...then it's a constant battle with her. so, in saying all that...i could have the engine in my garage on the stand and cleaning, building and customizing it and still have something to do. by the way, she's ok with it being in the garage and taking up space if it's for her aunt's husband, but oh no...not her own husbands.
Lots of fellas struggle with that. I can't say that I have ever had that problem so it is hard to me to grasp but it is common. Don't sweat it. After the holidays is something that I do totally understand. Money has been a little tight here and we are in a position to catch up around the first of the year, a lot of what I have is on hold. Things always get better at least that has been my experience and I have not other thing to base my life on but past experience.
and then there is the brakes, which are mechanical in '34, and the electrical which is 6 volt instead of 12 volt, and...... Possible option of least effort: If the truck is complete and in working order other than the engine, if the transmission bolt pattern and center hole size of the stock trans is the same as the '37-54 car or '37-47 truck 3spd trans, then you could look into swapping in a '54-62 vintage full pressure 235 engine along with it's bellhousing, etc... and then you would have a full pressure engine and it will hook up to everything else ok. Only other caveat I see is if the pedal setup is attached to the bellhousing, in which case you would need to rig something up to solve that. I have seen guys weld that section of the old bell onto the later bell, but you need to be good at welding cast iron. Best to talk her out of it if she isn't willing to let him in on the plan....
The later 216 and 235 engines were larger than the 206 and 207 engines and while it will go in the engine bay it will require modification to the firewall. I am planning on running a 261 engine in mine with a t5 and have been told the firewall will need to be modified to fit the later six cylinder engines. I would not make any changes to the truck without getting the owner involved.
sometime around 35-36? to change the motor to the later model engine you need to change the bell housing which means losing the pedal brackets. also, and i'm sorry this is vague, but the clutches need to be swopped also. the guy who knows is Bob Adler in Saugherties NY. he specializes in chevy trucks.
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