Hey guys, I have been lookin everywhere, and wondered if you might know where to find a flexplate for a chevy 230. My truck has a chevy 341 trans in it right now, and id like to change for a little while to a 200 4r i found, but for the life of me, ive had no luck anywhere getting the right flexplate. Thanks for the help.
I got one last year though NAPA to put on a chevy inline 292 , then somebody told me they had a different balance. I had to drill the holes out to fit the 292. If they were not drilled out I would sell it to you. You should be able to get one there ,. I don't know what the part no. is , but I may be able to find out tomorrow, I will try but not sure. I was going to put a 200/4r on it . JIM
Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah theyve gotta be balanced for that engine, or else itll shake the engine to death. I havent tried NAPA, ill give em a call.
Hold on !! The 230/250 uses a zero balance flexplate or flywheel.. Same as a 283,327,350 etc.. The 292 is also zero balance BUT uses 1/2" crankshaft bolts instead of the common 7/16" bolts. You should have no trouble finding a flexplate... Check the tooth count on your current flywheel (153 or 168 ) and use the same size flexplate...that way your starter will still work ! Dave
X2 I'm using the flywheel (153 tooth) off the 230 that was originally in my car on the 292 that is now in my car...works great! Only issue, as above, was having to drill the flywheel for 1/2" bolts...but that's just cheap insurance IMO.
Zero balance? That would be cool, but not in my experience with other engines. But heck if youre sure enough, ill go ahead and give it a try, if it rattles ill just shut it off quick (this 230 has been thru worse prolly). I just know the damage an off balance engine can cause, and i like this motor. So a 292 would be the best bet? Oh yeah, one other thing, why would they not list a "zero balance" flexplate as a fit for the 230? Just because of boltsize? Again i appreciate the help.
Well ret it sure seems you ain't been working on Chevys. None of them were externally balanced untill the 400 SBC came out in the early 70s. The normal flexplate for a 250 will also fit 265-283-302-307-327-350 v-8s and 153 4cyl and 194-230-250 6s as long as they are 2 piece rear crank seals.
Ok well thats good news. No this isnt my first chevy, but im a big manual fan. And that second part about them not being externally balanced till the 70's may be the reason. A friends 75 nova was the first time ive seen an engine shake itself to pieces because of wrong parts. Alright, I like it. Before I order a new flexplate, could a 305 flexplate work? It was in a 88 brougham, but was a swap, so I'm not sure about the engine age.
305 plate would probably work, as long is it isn't from the 88! Those would have a one piece rear seal, and thus a different flange.
RET, what engine was in the 75 nova ? Cuz if it was a v/6 it sure would need the correct flexplate ! The 229, 231 v/6 are a buick design,, and have a bunch of different flexplates (even fire, odd fire , etc. ) Dave And Algoma is correct...88 is 1 pc rear main ( wrong bolt pattern, and external weight ) Dave
Well thats all good news to me about the balance. I remember now it was a 250 ,not 230 flexplate i bought. Then I was told the balance was wrong. I did drill the holes to fit the crank and install the starter, but never started it. I may go ahead with that project. Been working on fords to long I think , thats where you have to watch it on small blocks.
-dave, Im not sure, but i believe it was a very small v8. 265 comes to mind, but that cant be true because of its age, right? Couple years later that guy's wife was coming down the hill to his house (he was a close neighbor), and the floor pan fell out. It scared her a bit, and she parked it in our yard, wouldnt go near the thing till her husband got home. That car had a hard life, think he may have sold it after that. But after that engine mishap, he put in a 350. You know, i looked up the term zero balance and the info is sorta sketchy. was there another term they might have used to describe one of these? I just dont know why with the amount of powerglides, 235's, and 230's out there, someone wouldnt just say those flexplates were compatible. Youve all been a big help, appreciate it a ton. And jim, I havent gotten around to calling napa, but I plan to, just getting bogged down with other projects.
ret, I have a 230 in my 67 Chevy G-10 Van. Last week the bearings went on my Saginaw 3 speed. Now I have the choice of rebuilding the Saginaw, or installing my spare 700-R4. In my research I learned the 700-R4, as well as your 200-4R will bolt-up to the 230 straight 6. As this thread states, you have to install a correct flexplate. You'll also have to fab a crossmember, get the throttle pressure just right for the TV cable (very important), and shorten the driveshaft. An easy and relatively inexpensive fix to get the throttle pressure correct, is to install a 2 barrel-to-4 barrel adapter ($20). This way you can install a "small" cfm 4 barrel carb of your choice ($250). A 500cfm should do it granted its going on a 6cyl not 8. This will allow you to attach a readily available throttle/tv bracket to the carb to properly secure the throttle and TV cable for correct adjustments. It's very important the throttle pressure is correct so you won't burn up your 200-4R trany. If you go this route, you'll also have to modify, or get a new throttle cable. And, a floor shifter of some type will have to be installed, if your not going to tweek your column shifter. I elected to rebuild my Saginaw for now. I guess it's that whole nostalgia thing. Good luck!
loppy, I know exactly what you mean. I LOVE the 341 in my truck because,well, look at it! A simple, ancient bulletproof 3 speed in a simple ancient truck. This 200 is NOT staying in. But MPG is calling, and seeing as the 3rd gear is so close it tops out at around 65 w/ a cruising speed of 50, Im gonna need an overdrive. As for the TV cable, im going to mount it still on the single barrel carburetor(again, im not moving that carb because it just goes with the truck) Ive installed detent cables on carbs w/o mounts for them(like a q-jet down to a stromberg), the important part is getting the right radius between the throttle plate rod and the link. Im sure you know this. But I like the way you think about nostalgia. Believe me, that 3 on the tree will always have a home!
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