chevy II 153 four cylinder

The wrist pin height on a 307 is the same as a 327 pistons they share the same crank and stroke..
the compression height may vary 20 to 30 thousands on both 307 and 327 depending on who's spec you read . Not really odd ball just not what the 153 or 230 uses .

The one ad I linked showed the same piston for 153 , 230 and 283 .
So near as I can tell a 283 piston is the closest V8 piston for a 283.

The 250 six appears to use a 307 piston . The 153 is 2/3 of 230 6 not a 250.

 

I think I have this intake and exhaust coming for a 3.0 head .
It's industrial off a fork lift .

I suspect it's going to be for the newer smaller port 3.0 that's on the one piece seal cranks . Hopefully is covers the larger early intake ports .
Likely not good for horsepower but it will get the engine running and down the road.
I'll make a adapter for a Rochester likely .

Think I have the lower half coming for a two pot set up also .

This manifold would look good on a model a repower were you want a stock looking set up .

 

Thanks that was easier for me to process. Appreciate it

 

Dont take anything I say as gospel.

I caught it when I noted 6 ball was showing 307 pistons on a 183 crank and thought hmmmmm those can't be right on a shorter stroke 153 crank also.
That and ads showing 153 and 283 piston being the same .

I'm damn tempted to do the 181 crank in a 153 build my self as I have a extra 153 block that I hope is good and a cracked but like new 181 engine . If 307 piston and some milling to set deck height work then some balancing and I could have a bit bigger than 153 like about 165CI ???? for pretty cheap and it would have the forged crank and likely stronger rods .
Increasing the stroke with a flat top in the same hole would also bring up the compression ratio since it's more volume in same combustion chamber . Add a .060 over bore and it's even better.
I need to CC the 181 head I have off to come up with some compression ratios with a zero deck piston.

 

Gotcha. I’d much rather be hunting for 283 pistons than 307! Wanting to get the compression on my 153 close to 10:1

 

Here is what I think I have coming for the 3.0 head .

The bottom one is a one piece intake / exhaust all in one deal.
If I can't use the exhaust due to firewall issues I likely can simply cut the exhaust off.

I'm hoping I can move the engine slightly forward and maybe trim the end of the rear facing exhaust off a inch or so and maybe clamp a 90 to it and clear the firewall.

Looking at the intake and it's three holes I'll make a adapter for either a Rochester 2bl or pair of 97's .

Even a pair of one barrels from a early 6 would be plenty.

I'll have to see what the port spacing is and if the Rochester barrels line up at all.

 

Chevy GM 153 230 283 (235NP) – Engine Parts Centers Online Store

according to this add and others a 153 4cyl , 230" 6 cyls and a 283 8 cyl use this piston . they also use the same stroke. so my that thinking if you had a 153 crank ( same stoke as a 283 and 302 chevy then a the 153 crank should fit the 181 / 3.0L block with a 4" 302 chevy piston . I saw some off the shelf flat tops today looking around in the interweb not cheap out there now available . I may get a set for the DZ 302 crank I have been sitting on for years .

4.030" bore and a 3.25" stoke would give a 166.82 CI engine and be half of a 302 chevy as far as bore and stroke . STD 302 is 4" bore .

a .060" over bore on the 153's standard 3,875 with a 181 crank with a 3.60 rod will yield a 175.12 CI engine . Not bad
a lot of freeze cracked 3.0 mercrusiers out there with good cranks and if they have spun rods or are in rough condition you can turn them to 153 rod journal size ( I think ??? )

My question is can the domes on any of the 302 chevy pistons you can find now and then be milled off for a cheap piston . I think I know were six good ones are .

 

According to the Silvolite catalog there are the Chevy 307 '68-'72 piston will work in a 153 with a 181 cranks will the 250 L6 pistons listed.
15,230 & 283 pistons are the same sorta'. The OM interchange numbers show 3 different pistons for each. The 153 & 230 show the same 3. Fir the 283 the first one is different. I guess we could look up these GM numbers to see the difference.
153 & 230
3792534
3840148
3860407
283
3739886
3840148
3860407
None of the 250 & 307 pistons have the same OM numbers but the specs are close enough to work. There are two 250 styles one has a D shaped dish and one is a round dish. The round dish though taller is lower compression. The 307 pistons are flat tops with 4 valve cuts.

Then there are the boat motor pistons.

 

You could change the angle of the exhaust end if you need to.

Why would you de-stroke the 181? CI= HP. I didn't search the chart for 4" pistons but I'm sure something would fit. The stock ones are probably fine. I should have just found a 181 ti start with.

 

I bet your about 172" engine ( dont know the over bore ) will make with in 7 HP of a stock flat top piston 181. And you can say its a stroker motor LOL .
I think a 327 piston can be used in the 181 . If the 181 crank works with 307 pistons in a 153 then the 327 that has the same stoke as a 307 should work in a 181 on a 181. That leaves forged option I think I even have set.

Im hoping by moving the engine forward slightly and angling the end some a cast 90 could be added or some thing . Likely a lot of heat real close to the fire wall . Might be a bad idea but the manifold looks the part. it looks like I could cut a inch off and then maybe weld a two piece ring fitted in a groove ground into the manifold or maybe adapt it to take a V band or bolts sticking through from the out side . the O2 sensor hole is kind of in way . Ill just have to mock it up and see .

Im thinking this is going to go in a 27 roadster. Its a really old Speedway Kit I bought at a swap meet at least 23 years ago or more . I cant really move the body back due to the rear wheels needing to be in the correct spot . I want a clutch and the 27 has a bit more foot pedal room..
The lighter engine will let me run a a bit lighter smaller OD tube Axle I have , lighter brakes. Lighter rear end ( like the 57 chevy in it or a 8" ford . lighter duty and cheaper 5 speed, a smaller radiator in a speed way / track T nose should cool OK . I'll be able to spring the car lighter also so it should handle better and that also all makes it quicker and better on gas than if I use the same stuff with high HP v8.

Destroking I was referring to a 181 crank in a 153 block if the pistons were not quite right and I was using 153 rods .
I'd only slightly destroke it if the pistons were slightly to tall or slightly add stoke if they were to short to allow milling off enough. So Id do it as a slight adjustment.
That said I think the 3.0 rods are stronger and worth trying to keep.

If you have to have the crank turned any way and need, say .020" more stroke to get to a zero deck and your running 153 rods might as well make it fit so you don't need to mill extra . The amount im talking out loud/ spit balling about likely would not add 1 CI but would give proper quench and might add a few ponies if you can run more timing with the given gasoline if you can prevent pre detonation.

If you don't mill the head or block excessively the factory push rods should still work with factory rockers in a street engine . I have BBC rollers I can use but if the stcok stuff runs all day in a boat at 4800 RPM its going to work in what im building unless I get wild with a cam . For now Im planning on the stock marine cam with stock springs with the stick shift . ( that may change )

 

My block is 0.040" over and with the 181 crank is near 175 CI. I have a 153 head with bigger valves, lumps, shaved 0.035". It should flow well. I have two sets of roller rockers. At the time I had the cam dome I had BBC set so we worked with their 1.70 ratio. Now I have a set it 1.75 and we will see how it works out during assembly. What ever it will make as much power as a lot of the V8s I thought were fast when I was young. A honest 150 hp in a 1500 lb car is plenty for an old guy to play with. I have to get this thing together.

On that manifold, I bet you can cut an angle, flip it and weld the flange back on. Then the O2 sensor hole would be on the bottom and you could stick a wolf whistle in it. The ring fitting end from a Chevy manifold would work. In that Silvolite catalog there is a Mercruser section and the first 181 piston is a flat top that might be tall enough to get zero deck. Ross will make what ever you want and I bet they have done this before. I was trying to use as much off the shelf as I could. I let myself get bogged down with the zero deck thing. I should have put it together with the 307s with the two valve cuts. I'd be driving it now.

 

OH, I forgot these. '27 roadster 181 I believe, maybe 153.

 

That's a very cool car.

Mine will have a tube axle and hair pins, disk brakes because thats what it was built with and if I start changing everthing I'll never get it done. but I'd love to have that set on mine .

Thanks for some inspiration.

 

I understand "never get done".

 

I decided this year I'll work on it or sell it.
Model A pu cab painted ready to go over boxed rails for 22 years also .
30x50 shop I can't get in because of stuff.
And a bought a altered Roadster chassis off here two yeas ago untouched .
Not getting younger so it's going to get worked on or go down the road.

That engine of yours should make 170 HP or more I'd think
The compression bump, head work , carburation and cam should a substantial gain .
When you consider my 1978 305 camero had about 140 HP from the factory and drive pretty well one of these in a car weighing 1000 pounds less geared right should run good down the road .

I'm going to look at a 153 tonight with the aluminum valve and side cover. Susposed to run but I know the marine exhaust is cracked.
.

 

Are we the same guy? Projects dragging out for decades, shop so full it can't be worked in, several other projects waiting, old enough to see the tunnel at the end of the light.

Yeah I was thinking of the HP per inch thing but honest 150 is easy. I doubt if I ever had a flathead or GM six that did that. Honestly I'll run a Dana 44 limited slip (clutches). I have several gear choices 4.27, 3.73, 3.54, 3.08. I'll have a BW OD on a Borg Warner T-86. The 4.27s & the tranny came from my son's '54 Studebaker wagon. We made a few round trips to Texas in it. As long as the OD was working it was fine. It has a supercharged 289 (304) Stude V8 and the T-86s had a rough life. Those gears would give the little four some bottom end but maybe the 3.73 would be better road gears. With either + the OD there will be good highway speed.They will be in a '68 GMC housing with six lug axles that stay attached.

 

Found another industrial application with a Aluminum intake . It's on a fork lift type deal called a Combilift .
The manifold is ugly but I think it could be modified to take 2 carbs and the center blocked off .
The slower running LP engines seem to have some big plenuims on some of the offerings.
It had a interesting water neck and spacer also .

 

Finally found time to get my Mail Jeep 153 apart. Looks pretty darn good, but somebody has been there before. Question...the pistons are about .040 in the hole. Is decking these blocks okay? Thanks, Gene.

 

Has anyone converted a 153 or 181 to a dry sump oiling system? I'm working on a 181 for my midget. I have worked with plenty of sbc, but this is my first go around with an inline.

 

There is a reference on page one of this thread. That may be someone you could talk to. There are also at least two more threads on this site about these engines and I think I have seen something about a dry sump.

 

Those lower two exhaust manifolds look really nice, and look like they'd flow real well too.
It would be great to be able to use them.

 

Please post any ID on those last two just to store in my brain if
I ever clear my current projects.

 

I am supposed to get part numbers when I get the parts. Im also hoping to maybe get a source for new ones.

I can tell you the one exhaust manifold thats rear exit and swept back can be found on certain JLG boom lifts as can the lower intake section .
problem is form them (JLG) its about $750 for the exhaust . So that pretty much a deal breaker for most and it ends were the bellhousing starts so fire wall clearance is going to be a problem with out some mods .


Drove a hour and a half to go get a runs good no cracks 153 MerCruiser engine. Get there and It had a huge crack all the way the length of the block . Was a bit up set with the guy who I asked to double check . It had the finned aluminum valve cover but not the side cover and a Rochester carb that looks OK and I hope matches one of my others. I ended up taking the whole engine home for $60 figured with the distributer , starter, Delco marine alternator and all the pullies and stuff I could not go wrong other than Its now taking up space in my shop . The valve cover is a bit differant then my other aluminum Mercruiser one the fins are longer, and the area were the decal goes is smaller . Head and crank is likely ok but Im planning on 8 port 3.0 heads on what ever i build . Long drive there and back .

 

Jist noticed the second to last exhaust manifold has a dent in it in the front primary exactly where we notched the primary in the header we built for mine. Hits the intake other wise.

apparently I should have measured 4 times and cut once but if they are casting stuff with the dent then I don’t feel that bad about it lol

 

Pretty sure this is the same car and was for sale here .
home made intake and exhaust on a 153" progressive 2BBL's

I think the stuff I have coming will put the carbs through any hood if I use one .
I like what he did on that intake.

 

Same car for sure. What part of the country are you from. I took my pictures in Carson City ,NV in 2012 at the Inliners International Convention. I think Tom Lowe bought it after that. He is from Iowa.

 

Been near Madison WI since abut 93 but grew up in Santa rosa CA from 63 until then.
I have always wanted a 4 cylinder Track nose T . one of my welding instructor's in about 92 had a beautiful red one with a pinto engine . it was show quality and in a few magazines I wish I could find pics of it . Wanted one ever since



I saw pics of the car you posted looking for 27 T ideas . I clicked on it and was linked to a sales ad here .
SOLD - 1927 Ford Track T Roadster | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com)
I like ever thing on that car but the side exhaust and I dont hate that part .

Im not sure if I want to channel it over the speed way frame or set it on a custom frame flush with the body line made that tapers to the front to sort of mimic a 32 frame.

 

My 153 came with a .020 steel shim gasket, determine the thickness's of available composite head gaskets, subtract .020 and there is the amount you can deck the head/block for the factory spec

 

had that issue on a customer car with the front carb being too high. MQQN use to sell "Speed Bubbles" in steel. Cut the hood, and welded it in

 

So he had it for sale 3 years after I saw in in Carson City. I sorta know that guy through some posts on the Inliner International site as well as the club. The car was built well with some interesting features but several details bothered me. The exhaust was one. I think it went to Iowa, either that on or another one that was there in 2012.