Projects 1949 GMC 1 Ton engine swap or rebuild

I bought a 1949 GMC 1 ton at a very reasonable price. The idea was that I would get it running, driving, stopping then decide if I would restore it. Well, it now runs , drives and stops well. But the engine is smoking too much to ignore. I checked into rebuild kits and it's a Lot of $$. So I either have to sell the truck or find an alternative to rebuilding the 228. Maybe an engine swap? Any suggestions?

 

that engine is hard to beat
not very cheap to build but if its running good now but just smokes, it may be cheaper in the long run to fix what you have.
What is the oil pressure and have ya dome a compression check, that will tell ya a lot about it as well as a vacuum gauge.
Whats the plans for the truck?

 

The oil pressure is about 45 and the compression was 90-95psi on all 6. I don't know what that tells me, but those are the numbers.
If I keep the truck, I'll disassemble it to the frame, clean, repair and paint everything as necessary. I did this to a 1950 Dodge power wagon a couple years ago, so I know what's involved.

 

Agreed on the compression check.
If the numbers look good, it may just be a worn seal or sloppy valve guide.
If the engine runs smooth with no bad noises, it could just be sticking rings/carbon fouled. Dump in some Sea Foam and see if that reduces the smoking.
Complete engine gasket kit is only about ~$70.

Had an Olds that smoked pretty bad, valve seals were shot. That cut down on the majority of the smoke, fumigated the neighborhood with an ATF drip down the carb seemed to cure the rest of the smoke.

 

dont sound too bad
sounds like the perfect engine for an old school overhaul. The oil pressure is great, the compression is on the bottom end of the spectrum of good. All 6 being that close is great. Worn guides, bad valve stem seals or tired oil rings could be the smoke problem.

 

Bet a set of rings will improve it a lot and last several thousand miles.

Ben

 

We used to re ring those right in the truck. Cram rags down the bore and give it a quick and dirty hone job. Send the head out while we did all that.

Providing the bores measure up and the pistons can be used again.

 

You're giving me hope. I may end up keeping this after all. I've found gasket sets, but where is the best place to buy rings?

 

It's kind of a morphodite truck. If you want to keep it for a dead on restoration it would be OK. But its sort of half ton, sort of 3/4 ton and sort of one ton. Not really a lot of anything. be careful before sinking a lot of money in it.

 

What if he likes it?

 

Absolutely then go for it. I like all sorts of weird crap. Whatever float your boat, just sayin its not a "normal" pick up

 

If you end up keeping the 6, find a 270 straight bolt in using your tin. At some time you could upgrade the rear end to a higher ratio or go to an overdrive and the 4” stroke of a 270 will do that way easier than the 228.

 

Might not be the cheapest, but as my Dad always says, “at least they are available “.


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HUH??

Ben

 

I have owned a '54 Chevy 1/2 ton truck for over 25yrs, which was my daily driver for 10 straight years. Your compression readings are good, so you can assume that your rings are good. I would start by checking out the valve stem seals, then the valve guides. Very easy to pull the head and send it out to be rebuilt. I have had my head re-done and put in new rings and rod bearings twice now, without pulling the motor. On these old guys, you can still sit or lay on the fenders to work on it. On thing, if it burns oil when you are decelerating only, it definitely means that the valve guides are worn or stem seals need replacing. Also, if the stem seals are shot, you can replace those without pulling the head.

 

I think it's really cool! You don't see many of those, which to me, makes it more interesting. I would swap out those "wagon wheels" for some more conventional 16" steel wheels...

 

Are you happy with the performance now? In that case an overhaul would be in order. Decent oil pressure and compression suggests the bearings, crankshaft, cylinders and pistons are ok. If you take it apart and the cylinders are not worn beyond spec then a set of rings, valve job and gaskets and maybe a timing chain will bring it back to life for another 30,000 miles or more.

If the engine is too far gone, or you want more power a Chev 350 will fit without too much trouble, if you can find the appropriate bellhousing, flywheel, and clutch and rig up some motor mounts.

 

huh??

 

Those darn 228 timing chains are made of unobtanium.......

 

I really appreciate the feedback.
I know it's NOT a 1/2 ton short bed with a 350. But I tend to be drawn to the jalopy that is less common. I also recognize that this would not have the resale value of a 1/2 ton sb.
Rusty, Jimmy : The performance is ok, but, if I could increase the 45mph top end somehow, I would be happier.
Bob: What is the rough cost of rebuilding the head for that engine? That cost going to affect my decisions going forward. It seems to burn more oil as it warms up. I'll have to look for smoke during deceleration. I've only driven it a couple of miles.
rustydusty: I have the original split rims. See the picture. I got those wagon wheels off craigslist for a $100 just to get it rolling. If I "restore" this, I would clean the old rims up and find some good looking 17" tires to go with them. I've also got the original hub caps.

 

Only 2 ways to increase the speed.
A rear gear change or an OD trans.
Don’t know what gears are available for the larger trucks.
is it torque tube or a regular driveshaft?
I plan on keeping the 6 in mine. Someone long ago added an open drive with 355 gears. 55-60 was no problem.
Your truck shares a trans bolt pattern with all GMs. So there is a possibility of adding an od trans.

 

Bed sides look straight , running boards look good , can't see any major cancer , Jimmy 6 ......I would drive the snot out of that!

 

Nice truck to have some fun with. Your stock trans bellhousing pattern is only same as 216/235 Chevy sixes and the other GMC sizes (248,256, 370, 302). Any V8 swap will need an adapter. I would consider at that time to go with modern trans and open drive with better rear gearing. Is your truck open or closed drive now? I can't remember on the bigger 1 ton.
Low budget overhauling with rings, bearings and head freshen up will make it run better. Since engine seems basically good shape, just tired.

Sent from dumb operator on a smart phone

 

those are hard to come by
would be a shame to turn that into a cookie cutter swb

 

No kidding!....That truck says "get outta my way I got work to do!"
A 270 or 302 with dual carbs and split exhaust , a clean resto and that truck would get all the attention at a cruise night!

 

Wasn't sure if it had chain or gears, I did say "maybe".

 

I think the way you have worded the initial paragraphs may be a little misleading. It is true that the bell housing to block bolt pattern is limited to 216/235/261 Chevy and the other GMC sixes you enumerate. However, your inclusion of the words trans bell housing pattern is were it can be misinterpreted. The bell housing to transmission bolt pattern on, I believe, '47 up Chevy and GMC pickups is the same as '55 up passenger car bolt pattern. The trucks did use a front bearing retainer that is a different diameter than passenger cars, but that is easily remedied.

The point being, if the OP did choose to swap in a V8 or later model six (250/292), it would require, not an adapter per se, but merely use a V8 or '63 up six cylinder truck bell housing to mate his trans with the newer engine.

I believe the OP's truck rear axle should be an open drive line. As I recall from my lube rack days many decades ago, the 3/4 ton pickups had a very short enclosed drive line from the trans to a cross member, then a bearing and u-joint with open drive shaft from there to rear axle.

Ray

 

I was just giving you a hard time. I love your posts. This series 6 is the only thing I understand.

 

I wouldn't change that 228 for any reason, unless the block was broken. When we moved 20 years ago, I had 90 + cars and trucks to move. The job of moving them around to load was done with a '53 3/4 ton 228 GMC, loaded with 3 Korean war 302s and a couple 270s in the bed. In compound, we towed a '56 Cad Fleetwood with 3 frozen drums sideways for half a block without slipping a tire on the pickup ...

 

@302GMC I agree. they are good little engines. Way better than 235's, I have always wondered why we dont see more of them modified, but it has to be the cost. At least for me it is. I would rather dump the $$ into a 270 or 302. But thats just me. Of course a 256 would be kind of cool