Hello, First post, thanks in advance working on a ‘52 4 door deluxe that my dad bought when he was 18. He is now recently retired and wants to get it back on the road. Been garage stored but will not spin in the last few years. Tried Marvel and PB in the plug holes and an extra quart over the rockers but with a splash system, may be useless. Has an odd (…or so I’m told) “spiral” hand-crank-looking nut on the crank. A 3 foot pry-bar on the spiral and no budge. Should we pull the motor, pop the head off and free it, clean and gaskets and run it or find a 235 or 350? Father wants a 350 but is it worth swapping to an open driveline for a 4-door?
What to do, depends on a lot of things...what do you and he want to do with the car, when it's working again? Do you have a good understanding of what it's like driving a car that old, in the modern world? How much money do you have to spend on it? How much time? How soon do you want to drive it? Do you expect to get your money back when you're done fixing it up? Do you care if you don't? Pulling the head might be a good first step to seeing what's wrong with it, if you can't tell from looking in the spark plug holes. Usually they lock up because of a rusty cylinder or two, that got water in it somehow. We don't have any pictures of the car or history about it other than he's had it a long time, so all our guess will be wildly inaccurate... (also, the crank thing on the front of the engine is normal)
Too me it would be worth it if your going to do a lot or most of it yourself. There is quite a bit of work involved; exhaust are tight around the stock steering and it would need a 12 volt system. A floor shift is way easier than making your column work unless it’s now an automatic. It it were me I would do it the best I could make it look like it came there. No chrome on the engine and a stock 60’s black air cleaner to cover the 2 or 4 barrel. I did a 53 like that in 63. All orange 58 283 with a Rochester 4barrel and 60 flat snorkle air cleaner. I used a Hurst front mount and 56 265 exhaust because they fit. I had to use an electric fuel pump because of the mount but it was all I could without welding in side mounts. One other minor item. The fuel line from the tank is 1/4” and will not feed enough fuel accept for cruising.
Had a 216 one time wouldn't turn over , drove it home and parked it , sat all winter ,spring it wouldn't turn over ,turns out mice had built a nest between the flywheel and block .Could not budge the engine , getting ready to remove the engine ,spied the nest , removed and starter turned the motor over . Who would have thought!!!!
the 28 chevy I got had the same problem...I forgot about that! Locked it up solid. After removing the bellhousing, the engine spun freely
Easiest route would be a 235 or 261 they are pretty much a drop in. Or find a 216 235’s and 261 in original running condition are not worth a huge bunch and a 216 even less. droping a 350 under the hood opens all kinds of worm cans involving modified fire wall, radiator issues some times, steering and suspension , eliminating the closed drive etc etc etc etc . show us some pics of the car. a 235 or 261 with duel carbs and split exhaust are fun engines
I agree with VANDPLAS. A 235 inline 6 mated to your transmission will be your quickest, easiest and most economical option. If you don't find a mouse nest.
Why is there 216 in a 54 Chevrolet? The 216s were last used in 1953 and only in the manual transmission cars. The first full pressure 235s were introduced in the 1953 Power Guide cars
Post a photo of the sideplate side of the motor. If it happens to have a 235, happy days, just get your hands on a good one, swap it out, and start driving! The 216 had a tall sideplate which screwed to the Head AND the block. The 235 had a sideplate only on the block.
While there are a lot of good points isn’t the fact that dad wants a 350 the key in the original post. The real question is are you capable of doing the work or paying someone to do the work necessary to convert it to a 350.
Thanks for all of the information/replies. I'll get some motor pics soon. Only found the one picture of the car. The '51 truck is a recent completion with a 235 swap, Saginaw 3 speed on the tree and a Colorado axle. We were hoping not to do as much to the car since its not as desirable. I never would have guessed the problem with the mouse nest, have to check that out!! I agree a 235 would be the most economical and timely. Will it bolt to the bellhousing? Remove and replace style
Pretty much bolt in. Gotta have correct motor mount provisions. Side mounts on the engine, tail shaft mount on the trans... or front mount on the engine, side mounts on the bellhousing. I forget the particular years.
The '49 P/U i bought in the 90's has been in the family for decades, second owner drove it too high school. He told me he sold it because he was always has trouble with the tranny. If your car has the 3 speed on the tree it won't live long at todays highway speeds anyway, anything over 50 m.p.h and your living on borrowed time, Having said that. Sense a neatly dressed 6 cyl. would look different i would find a 235 or 261 with a powergilde from '53. or you could always go with a more modern 250 or 230. with a P/G.
Not desirable? Lol. 235 a direct bolt in? Water pump location between a 2335 and 216 is a little different. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/235-swap.1194809/ amd there’s a couple different front mounts. The plate behind the timing gears.
I could answer your question by telling you I found a 261 for mine. Best and most powerful engine that will bolt up to the old drive train, without killing it. A small V8 can be fitted to the stock trans but takes some finageling. A 283 or 305 should be ok if you baby it. If you want a 350 best go for a whole new drive train. Check a little closer, you may have a full pressure 235 and it may be possible to get it running without spending a fortune. You can have a lot of fun with a six especially if you install some "hiway friendly" gears in the rear axle. It all depends what you want, and how much money and time you want to spend.
On rereading your original post I have another thought. I have revived old cars that were out of commission for 30 years, maybe more. I have never seen one that was stored in a garage with the air cleaner on and the spark plugs in that seized up. I would be checking out the mouse nest theory, then if that was not the problem drop the oil pan and if necessary take off the head before I gave up on the motor that is in there.
Did you let the gunk you sprayed into the chambers soak in? I have had "stuck" motors become "unstuck", by soaking with something down the bores (WD40, etc), and a long bar on the crank, 1 or 2 degrees today, rock it back and forth, another spray and soak overnight, try again, you may get a little more, and getting always closer to freeing it up. I did just this to a supposed "locked up " 216, got it running and used it for a few years.
Good advice! A good 235, or better a 261 is a quick, inexpensive way to get it driving. My first good car (replaced a ratty 46 Chevy) was identical to that green 4dr. It had a 216 with loose rods that had failed on a cross-country trip. Dad bought it from dealer that took it in trade and we installed a 53 Powerglide engine from a salvage. And the small v8 advice is spot on too. Back in the day a lot of 265s, 283s and even327s found a home in 49-54s by using a transmission case from a pickup. They have the same front case bolt pattern as the 55-up and bolt to the torque tube. With skinny tires to limit traction and cautious use of the go pedal/clutch, they'll live.
You've gotten noting but good advice. Just pick your solution. Another (unasked for) option is a 230/250, th350 and an open driveshaft. A bit more work than a 235, but a lot of drivetrain for the $. And don't let the value of the car lead you to "cheap it out". There's a lot of memories waiting to be made in the build and the drive. Best of luck.
Another vote for going with a 235. The swap has been done thousands of times over the past 60+ years and makes for a nice reliable car that is still "original" to the eye as long as you paint the engine the right color and don't paint it ugly Chevy orange. There are a couple of minor changes you have to deal with the hardest being the front motor mount but it is not a time eating swap. Plus you don't have to change to 12 volts unless you want to change to 12 volts. The less difficult the swap, the faster dad gets to drive and enjoy the car.
I have no idea what the car is currently worth. I do a lot myself or with help from my son. I could probably install a 350/350/some rear for under $5000 shopping Craig’s list, swap meets, friends, and have a very dependable car. The front brakes are Bendix and good. We currently run a single stock single MC on a 40’s GM car and don’t think about it. To me the hardest thing in this conversion to a V8 is the emergency brake. Adding $5k to what it’s worth now will be doable and maybe make it more sellable. The next owner could upgrade brakes, AC and stuff like that. I don’t propose a race car just a dependable car that can drive at reasonable speeds on the highway.
Here are some inspirational photos. I drive this car around town. Pull the spark plugs and pour in the Marvel Mystery Oil. There’s nothing wrong with a 216 as long as you understand it’s limitations, such as no interstate, no drag racing, etc. In other words, tool around town and drive it like your grandmother. If it’s a manual transmission vehicle, you could install the rear end from an automatic transmission car and that will allow you to drive interstate, just beware of stopping on steep hills, they’d play hell with your clutch. They are good engines as long as you respect them for what they are. If you go the route of the 235, you will probably have to install a pusher fan in front of the radiator as there will most likely be clearance issues with the fan blades on the water pump. I ran into this problem with my ‘46 coupe. Also, that harmonic balancer is made for a hand crank, but you can’t access it because of the radiator.
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