Hot Rods 1952 Chevrolet Pickup

Will the bell housing on an original 1952 Chev Pickup with a 216 3 speed ****** accept a 1976 250 straight six?

 

No
Ya need a 55-7? Iron bell for a v8 or a 63-7? straight 6 iron bell.
194/230/250/292 share the Chevy v8 trans bolt pattern.

 

One of these

 

There are at least 2 different center hub diameters.

 

It would be much easier to replace the 216 with a 235 or better yet a 261. You can you stock G.M. parts and it will bolt up to your stock running gear if that's the way you want to go.

 

Should be able to bolt to the stock trans.
Mine has a mid 60s trans bolted to the stock 235 bell.
The trans bolt pattern and input should be the same.
The 250 will require side motor mounts. Not hard to do
The only other issue would be length.
the worst part is losing that cool foot pedal starter.

 

Great information from all of you contributors. I can't thank you enough for the quick replies and photos. I will keep you posted.

 

@Bordona any relation to the store in Oakdale?

 

Is the 261 a full pressure lubricated engine? Where would I look for one?

 

The experts can tell ya more but the later versions are full pressure.
They have larger oil fittings than the byp*** oiling blocks.
58 or 59 up
I have one if ya need pics
School busses and 1.5 ton and larger trucks

 

Yes, they are my cousins.

 

Sorry, I was having brain fade. I thinking the trucks had the same transmission as the car in that era.

 

I’m no expert. My 49 has a 59 235 and mid 60s impala trans. Saginaw.
It’s retains its 6volt foot pedal starter, flywheel and original bell.
I’m foreign to the car 216/235 trans
The pic I posted with the bell housings was from a forum wher a guy said he used the later bell to bolt up to the stock trans to a 194. Retained the closed driveline.

 

Good deal, nice folks. Quick story for you. My folks always bought from them. I recall when I was 5/6 years old? Two guys came over on a Friday evening to pick up the B&W TV we had. My only thought was Saturday morning cartoons. The pickup/delivery guy said “Its going to be all right, we’ll have the new one here before he gets up”.
Bugs Bunny, Roadrunner, etc, never looked so good that Saturday!

 

I will share that cl***is story with Robert and Ron.
What kind of car or truck are you working on at this time?

 

Ron may remember my mom and dad, I’ll pm you.

 

So if I am to understand I can switch the 216,235 and 292 with the original 3 on the tree transmission using the same bell housing [1952 3100 1/2 ton],correct?

 

No on the 292.
Yes for a 261

216/235/261 share a bell housing bolt pattern
194/230/250/292/SBC/BBC share a bell housing bolt pattern

 

So for the 292 I would have to get a different bell housing but still be able to use the 3 speed ******?

 

Here's my dilemna I have a 1952 Chevy 3100 series 1/2 ton with a 3 on the tree. The original motor is a but. Want to keep a straight 6 and the column shift. I have access to a 70's 250 and a late 50' early 60' 292. What pieces of the puzzle fit with which?

 

Yes.
An iron truck v8 or later 6 bell housing.

 

This is the smaller center hub bell housing
The clutch fork is on the drivers side.
There is one with a hydraulic clutch with the fork on the p***enger side. Hard to find. I’d like to have one

 

250 and 292 have the same trans bolt pattern.
The 292 is taller and the p***enger side engine mount is in a different spot than the 250
292 showed up around 63
62 should be the last year for a 235/261

 

So it sounds like to me that its better or more econimcal to find a 235 and swap out the 216/261 existing motor and forget the 250/ 292 swap. If i switch to the 250/292 with different bell housing that mates to the existing ****** I will have a clutch for issue sounds like. Due to the location and the pedals in the floor as opposed to a hanging/swinging pedal system. I see why most people park a Powerglide behind the motor and not deal with the other stuff. I was trying to keep closer to original 6 and 3 speed setup using the existing pedals and the column shift. I really appreciate the responses and feedback.
I will keep you posted.

 

The clutch might not be a big issue.
The fork is in a similar location for both bellhousings
Should be able to keep the stock floor pedals.
The foot pedal starter will be gone requiring a different key switch.
Side engine mounts is the bulk of the fab work.

If switching from a 216-235, the only hurdle is the water pump.
Not a big issue

 

ALL 261s are full pressure. SOME 261s have a full flow filtration system. You'll find them in 1954-62 Chevrolet medium duty trucks and late '50s/early '60s Canadian Pontiacs.

 

So what I am hearing you say is the length of the 250/292 is longer than the agore mentioned 235, correct? And the likelyhood of making thr original pedal set up can be mitigated. Great, I figured on ditching the foot starter option as most people today can't shift and you add the foot start and they are way too confused. I will fi d a place to put a finger/thumb start ****on somewhere. Again I really appreciate all the feedback and insight from everyone participating in this thread.

 

A pic from a 1961 235 bell housing (note the p***enger side hydraulic clutch location)

note the mounting ears are similar to the later v8/63 up 6y iron bell.
Next pic is from my 49 GMC. The bell housing mounts are different

here is a shot of the 49 clutch fork set up

 

Looks like the mounting ears for the bell housings changed
Older bells (54 down) had straight mounts that bolt in and the later bells got the cast in angled mounts.
Still not a big issue but something to consider.
Maybe someone else can clarify.