you might find that the 235 filter is a bypass type that uses 1/8" npt lines, while the remote is a full flow that uses 1/2" npt lines not quite the same thing. And a 235 will last longer than most folks would ever drive one these days, without any filter at all.
I meant using the lines from the transdapt kit with the 235 filter housing for the look. I'm thinking the housing doesn't care which lines are used, right? The beehive filter is used this way, or is it a bypass filter too?
The reason I'm asking is, my 235 I just put in is smoking like crazy. I'm putting the old motor back in for the time being. I started pricing out rebuilding the new 235 and then priced out doing v8 swap just for the heck of it. The v8 swap came out to over a thousand less, including conversion mounts and all the stuff I'd want to put on it to make it look more period correct. This question is more out of curiosity than anything since I'm not sure which way I'm going yet.
When you do an engine swap it's the little stuff that adds up. There are spin on bypass filter kits out there With a bypass when the engine is warmed up feel the filter if it's not hot it's not working.
I recently got a Corvair, it was partly taken apart when I bought it. I got it running, it used a quart of oil every 100 miles. I did some work on it, spent a couple days and $26 and got it to stop burning oil so fast. Last year, I got an Edsel, that wouldn't even run. I pulled the motor apart, and fixed it, for about $200. Went over 3000 miles on a quart when I took it on a long trip. I guess you can spend thousands of dollars...or you can figure out what it needs, and fix it.
What the 235 is doing is this...when I first start it, it doesn't smoke it all. About a minute to a minute and a half later, you can barely see it coming out of the tailpipes at idle. As soon as I start driving, it leaves a trail of smoke behind the car on acceleration only. As soon as I let off the gas it stops. If I just did a ring job on it, I would have to do all the same work as getting it re-bored, and have to buy all the same parts, minus Pistons. That's for a 50-50 shot if it's going to work or not once I put it back together. If it doesn't work, then I'm starting back from square one and buying the same exact Parts twice and doubling the time the car is off the road. That's why I just want to rebuild it while it's out, and not have to worry about it again for another 60 years or so. Of course this is my daily driver, so I'll be having a full flow oil filter conversion done on it at the time of the rebuild. That's why it adds up to so much. The cheapest kit I found for the 235 is about $600 and that doesn't include a cam lifters or a timing gears, with the assumption mine are still good since it still runs great. That's also just for the bottom end, the head is another $700 on top of that, going from what it cost to get my '54s head rebuilt. Added to all of that if something goes wrong with it at any point, say during break in or driving down the road a few years from now, I'll have to go through it all over again. If I go with a V8 swap, it will save me a ton of time and money initially, as well as being able to find another one on Craigslist or with the flip of a page in a catalog if necessary. Again, I don't know if I want to do a V8 because I love the 235, and it sound amazing while I'm driving it but being my daily driver, the time of repairs has to be taken into consideration.
Rings and gaskets are $100 at rock auto. Does it knock? how's the oil pressure? Is the compression even? etc. If you want to get it to stop smoking and drive it, spend the $100 and put some rings in it.
While I do not disagree with you, I have done as Squirrel suggests many times. Pull the head and pan, pop out the pistons, quick hone to break glaze, new rings and bearings (cheapest ones) bolt it back together. A weekends work. Did it for lots of customers in the 70,s. Not as good as a complete rebuild. Many of them got another 40k out of that engine.
It doesn't knock at all, but the oil pressure is about 30 psi when hot under load and it goes down to about 7 at idle.
that's considerably better than the Corvair.... You can check the bearings with plastigage, and see if they are too loose. The mains probably have shims, you can remove one to get back a thousandth of clearance. Rod bearings are not real expensive. I guess you could spend a lot of money on it, or spend a lot of money on a V8 conversion, if that's what you want to do. Or you could fix the problem it has (which is that it smokes), and have time to find a better engine that someone else dumped a bunch of money into. The trick is to get it before they take it out of the car, so you can drive it around, check the oil pressure, look for smoke, leaks, etc.
That's the tough part my friend. Since I got my first 235, about 5 years ago, I've yet to see one for sale still installed and running (and willing to be sold without the rest of the vehicle). Now I haven't been looking for a complete motor that entire time, but I have been looking for a valve cover and dual intake/exhaust manifolds at least once a week. While I've seen 235s for sale tons of times, they've always been the same situation as I found mine in, which is "running great when pulled". The best I can do at that point is a leak down test, which I did on mine and it read good but it doesn't tell you anything about the oil rings or rear main seal of course
I have a line on a '57 235 right now, but who's to say it's in any better shape than mine is since it's sitting on the floor. The last thing I want to do is buy another "good running motor" and find out it's a pile of junk as well. I only have so much space to store Motors LOL
oh, you can start an engine with it sitting on the ground, it's not that big a deal. I guess I see things a bit differently, I worked at a junkyard when I was a kid (around 1980). If you get this one to stop smoking, you can take your time overhauling another one, right?
That's what I meant I wanted to do with this 235 (rebuild it) when I put my old motor back in, since it still ran pretty well. But again that's where the cost of rebuilding a 235 versus swapping and an easy ready to find V8 comes into play. A buddy of mine is selling an '80 something Monte Carlo 305 for $300 that he pulled out and dropped a bigger motor in. It's a nice, weak V8 so won't destroy my T5 that I just put in. The flip side of that is that I just got my dual exhaust done on the 235 and not only does it sound amazing but it looks great when you pop the hood and everybody else has a V8 yet you have the crowd around your car looking at the straight six
As much as I want to keep the 235, I'm thinking in terms of a worst case scenario. Say I'm driving out to Vegas for the car show and my motor craps out on me. The odds of finding a ready-to-run 235 are way more slim then being able to get a replacement V8 the same day or next and be back on the road...know what I mean. If I do use the V8 however I don't want it to look like a new V8 but rather a V8 from 55 where it had the remote oil filter but it was the same canister that the 235 uses. Of course mine would be on the fender well rather than bolted to the intake manifold but it would still look better than having a spin-on filter
Since you have been on this forum for a while you should know that when Squirrel gives you advice, it is almost always the best and cheapest solution to your problem.
Is that something that can be drilled larger or is a beehive filter, and another $200 spent, in my future if I decide on the 305?
The beehive filters are also bypass filters, not full flow, eh? If you want a full flow oil filter system, either get a 261 or a V8 and keep the filter it came with....??? I guess I don't get the thing about adding accessories like that, for looks.
Just use the filter on the engine and run fake lines to the filter if you want the look of the 55 V8. I don't know what you're using for oil. To slow down the smoke and improve oil pressure in the summer, try Valvoline racing oil in a straight 40 or 50. A case of 6 is under $36 on Amazon. Adding a PCV system to keep crankcase pressure low can help too.
You could do what we always used to do, cut the ring groove out of the cylinders, get a bottle brush hone and go after them, clean the block, put new rings in it, put it back together. Of course when you take it apart, you might see something (like a groove in a cyl wall..ect) that will change your mind. Odd, I am always a V8 guy, spent about 3500 in machine work and parts to build a SBC for my '59 PU, but damn that 235 ran so well, I just couldn't pull the engine out of it.
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