It all depends on condition and completeness....and a motivated buyer or seller. For instance, I have a '53 235 Powerglide engine....full pressure lube system, same as '54 except for the valve cover. Was rebuilt a few years ago and it runs well, is complete and I will sell it for $600. A 'core' engine (condition uncertain) assuming it needs overhaul......$50 to perhaps $200. A fresh rebuilt engine with receipts documenting parts and labor.........$1500 or more.....in my opinion. Ray
Condition is everything on 235 six cylinders from 54 though 62. A rusty one that has been sitting out in the open in a car or truck is worth the short side of that maybe 60 bucks that Ray mentioned. On the other end of the spectrum a fully documented rebuild with all the right pieces with no or very little miles on it (meaning well under 20K) can be worth quite a bit to the right person. Anything with over 50K on it is a rebuilder to me and worth not a lot more than core price. On these engines If you ever got 100K without a rebuild you probably got your picture with your 54 in the local weekly paper and the good chair at the local spit and whittle club until someone came along to top it. The reason you find a lot of barn find Chevys with 235's with 70K on them is that they were flat worn out at 70K. That is just about any old engine with a bypass oil filter on it though.
Had a "running" 54' 235 with manual trans given to me by a friend a year or so back. But I'm with the other guys here that condition and your "needs" determin the dollar sign.
54 are different than 55-62. I believe their mains are shimmed to fit. They tend to leak out the crank seal more than the newer ones from my experience.
Yep, 53' and up had some desirable features like full pressure oil, aluminum pistons, etc., but up to 54' they still had shimmed mains, old style water pump, and 6v electrical. The gentleman who rebuilt my 53's block said getting the crankshaft just right was the biggest pain out of the build, but to his credit it's never given me any issue.
I’ve got 235 and 261’s for free complete with 3 speed trannys I sold my complete built 261 long block for $4000 grand An old “running when pulled “ no more then $250 Worth about $75 bucks in scrap
Up here, not much. I've had 3 '54 - '55 engines given to me in the last year or so. They have a reputation (at least the Flint production) for having really soft blocks - usually have .015 or more taper in the walls when you tear them down. If I had to buy one - no more than $100 complete unless proof of reputable rebuild. All Chev 6 engines have shimmed main caps until the 7 main block 194 - 292.
No they don’t 54and on have insert bearings And they are a stout engine Pricy to rebuild But great engines
My buddy has a rebuilt 216 with 150 miles and purrs like a kitten and he is asking $500.00 . I need another engine taking up room like a hole in the head. So, like said above depends on the needs of the buyer and seller.
Ha! about 20 years ago, after building a car with my son, we could not give a '54 with 3 speed away. Motor was complete (air filter to drain plug) and had 50K miles on it, ran good. We even went to a Chevy show and asked each of the guys with a '53-'54 if they wanted it. We had it in the back of the truck at the show and offered to take it to their hose. No takers...... went to scrap yard.
Your reply is partially correct in that ‘54 up have insert bearings (and full pressure lube), but those features were introduced with the ‘53 Powerglide 235. The stick shift (passenger car) models in ‘53 were fitted with the 235 babbited/ dipper system in place of the 216 that manual shift models had prior to ‘53. The babbited 235 had been the PG engine from ‘50 thru ‘52. ‘53 models retained the rounded top valve cover with the two hold down nuts (longer bolts on rocker studs) and looked the same as they always had. ‘54 models got the squared off shape rocker cover and 4 screws on the perimeter of the base of the rocker cover. Next time you have trouble falling asleep, re-read this post or PM me for further obsolete information ................ Ray
I know I got tired of tripping over my 1954 Ford inline six and transmission and gave it away to get it out of my shop. HRP
The 53PG/54 engine with the higher water pump fits better in a car/truck that had a 216/235 babbit engine...But there are adapters to move the pump on later blocks..Many 235's have cracked heads..Interesting that the two center main caps have no dowels or machined slots to loate the caps.
Back then they used the Chevy AD 4000 series trucks in the hop yards around here to tow the hop trailers though the fields at harvest they used up just about every 235 head within 100 miles. You couldn't give the whole engine away but the head was worth 100 bucks if it wasn't cracked and there was a ready market. They have moved up a few generations in trucks that they use now though.
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