Need some opinions on what to do with my 235. I am building my 52 Belair into a mild custom and I have bought a running 1956 full pressure 235. I have a triple offenhauser for it and a fenton split header. I have to remove the cam so I can swap out the front plate and this is my delima. I have heard that I really need a hotter cam to run the triple carbs so while I have the cam out should I stick in a new cam and lifters? I do not want to do a complete overhaul and replace the cam bearings so should I just stick the original cam back in and go with a progressive linkeage on the triple? This car is for cruising and occasional highway use. I already ahve the intake and carbs and love the look so I want to use it. I have the money for the cam and lifters just would rather use it on other things for the car. Thanks for you input
Speed equipment and Hot Rodding it is cool, but leaving the cam and using a progressive linkage set up for the driving style you want should be fine. Like you mentioned, you will have money left over to buy more cool stuff!
The cam is your call. Do you want to mess with a 'rumpty' on a cruiser? If it were me, I have access to a local cam-grinder, and I would have the stocker 'freshened-up' with something very mild. As for cam bearings, I would check them for looseness (wiggle the cam in the front bushing when you have the cam out), and go ahead and run them as-is. As for triple carbs, your call again. If triple is too much, and I think it might be, one carb could be a 'dummy', not necessarily operable. Just an opinion (and you know what that's worth)
Question here. Color me dumb if you like. Is the offy a common plenum intake or seperate plenums for each carb. If the carbs are on separate plenums you can't run progressive. As for the cam, if it were mine I may want one that is slightly healthier, maybe not a balls to the walls racing cam but on that is not old worn and weak.
If it is going to have the stock compression and a stock cam its going to be over carbed even with progressive linkage.
I have heard, that you can cap the two end carbs and just run the center one, using the end carbs for just looks. I don`t know if this is true or not. I would kinda like to know?
Well like porkandbeaner said, it all depends on the design of the plenum. If all three carbs share the same plenum, then you can use a progressive linkage or even cap one or two of them off. But if each carb has its own seperate plenum to fed each pair of cylinders, then you can't.
Thanks guys. I will have to check the manifold about the plenems. I think I will check the cam for looseness as suggested and stick with original if it is ok. Someday I am going to get around to posting a build thread on it.
offy intake,headers and a mild lopy cam from howards,maybe new lifters and push rods.sound sweet on the street!
Offenhauser makes it for the three carb intakes for the later Chevy 23-/250/292, and I don't imagine that it would be difficult to adapt it to the earlier intakes.
Send your cam to Delta for a regrind. Also have the lifters resurfaced. $100 should cover it all, and net you change. Turnaround time is just 2 weeks. They grind cams for some well known Chevy specialty houses. Their 254 grind would be a good choice.
The catalog I looked in didn't list a separate part number for the linkage; it just gave one number for the 250 intake with linkage.
Heathen First off thanks for the clarification on the intake plenum. As for progressive a lot depends on the carb orientation, if they are running forward like the statdard setup for a V-8 for instance it is a piece of cake, but if they run sideways then it is difficult, still it can be done just not as easily. I have seen caebs on 235s run both ways.
Yes, it can be done and would work like stock. ...just make sure you don't introduce any vacuum leaks. ~ Carl
The Jalopy Journal
