If your looking for a GMC "Jimmy" the 270's and 302's are the ones to find. They will bolt straight to the original bellhousing but they are a few inches longer than the 235. There's nothing wrong with the 235. I still run my original 235 in my 54 chevy. Don't feed into all the hype about a 350. Cheaper is running what you got and making it better. I've run along with plenty of 350's and yeah they can make it to 80 on the freeway but I make it to 60 before they do. My 235 also fires right up and it seems that their shiny 350s are always broke. I have a three on the tree and straight pipes and its a blast to drive. California bills speed manual is a decent book for info its also has a few pages about blowers. These engines have torque and with lower gears you have no problems pulling away from traffic. Getting the timing set right and some good carburation will take you far. After you go to a few shows and learn some more you will have much more respect for the older vintage engines and the guys that keep them running. It gets boring seeing the same 350 in every car. I wont steer you away from adding a blower but get all the other ducks in a row first and drive it!
I tend to agree with the posts telling you what you can do with an inline 6 rather than those saying not. I am building a '53 R130 (International ) with the original 220 CID 6 cyl. and may actually be adding a charger to it myself. However I'll be running it stock for a bit prior to modifying just to shake it down and see its weak points ( 3600 RPM is one ) However you decide to go remember to HAVE FUN first and foremost and should you learn from it all the better.
do it youngman!! put a huffer on it and have a blast with it, thats what fixing up an old car/truck is supposed to be about. stick a 5spd behind it! good luck and have fun man! whitey
The pickups could have a 228, a 248 or in mid-late '50's, a 270. Only the bigger trucks got 302's. Good thing about GMC 6's....the beginning numbers stamped Into a pad by the distributor is the displacement, so that is the first place to look when scouting an engine. Ray
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