Can some person tell me what is the rear end gear ratio is in my 1953 Chevy Bel Air with 3 speed column shift ? Also how do I tell the outward difference from a 216 cu.in and a 235 cu. inch. in same car ..? thanks
The 216 has the side plate on the right all the way to the top of the head. 235 covers the side of the block.
with 3.70, and 235x75rx15 radials, will I be able to cruise on highway at 65-75 mph ? what will be my RPM ?
ooooooo engine won't last long ?????? I have a open driveshaft conversion, and a S-10 rear end, should I go with that? Opinions invited ?
The rearend from a car with Powerglide has a lower numerical gear ratio in it and is a popular swap if you want to get a bit more high end speed out of your car with the original engine and trans. I thought the stick cars had 4.11 and the Powerglides had 3.55 but I could be totally wrong about that, all I know is the ratio is different in a Powerglide car.
I am by no means a 216 expert but I wouldn't have an issue running a 216 at 2800-3000 for long periods.
I agree with this. I personally would also change out the oil for water then drain the cooling system of all liquids. Brick on the gas pedal for a long (or not so long) period and presto ... you now have a very valid reason to swap in a V8
53 with a stick originally had a 235 , 18 bolt head with the low pressure oil system. Some say the engine can't handle a 3000 rpm cruising speed, some say it can...If the bearings are newer ,correct clearances ,in good shape ,it will be ok...I base this on driving a driving a Dump truck with a low pressure engine many years ago....And driving as fast as it would go loaded with 4 tons of stone a few hundred miles a week and the engine lasted 6 months between bearing jobs, lol..
I looked up the rear end ratio in Chevy literature. But it's an old car...who knows what's in it now.... Drive it for a while, see how you like it. Maybe you like driving old cars as they were intended to be. Maybe not.
I agree the ratio should be 3.70 in a non-OD 3 speed car. PG had 3.55, and the OD equipped were 4.11. On your question about the rearend swap and open drive, you will also need to swap your trans to be an open drive style. The S-10 T5 is the common and desired swap since you pick up OD and a nice shifting trans (assuming good shape). The easy way to do the T5 swap is use an adapter plate that keeps your stock bellhousing. Or you can use a 235 truck bellhousing that has the modern GM type trans mounting pattern to fit. I recently did the T5 swap on my 52 Chevy Ute with a 235, using the adapter plate from Hot Rod Works. Nice quality part and complete with all the required hardware. You use the stock 216/235 flywheel and pressure plate, and clutch throwout bearing and clutch linkage; just swap out the clutch disc itself for an S-10 disc to match the T5 splines. It is really an easy way to do the T5 conversion.
Because of the engines today running at low rpm many think it’s ok for our early cars. No matter what path you choose you need to understand you have a 3500# car with a 95 hp engine if your lucky built to drive on 1953 roads where the speed limit was a max of 55. Depending on your state check what we call a vin # to see if it’s the body or engine. Many states used the engine back them. If it matches you for sure have a 235 splash engine that has 15 psi oil pressure that’s original to the car. A 5 speed conversion with a different a rear axle of no higher than 3.70 would be good but remember in 5th OD on the highway into a 15-20 mph headwind you will be back in 4th due to the lack of power. I feel a 3.55 would be almost useless in 5th in your without more power. If you were able to find and rebuild a 261” Chevrolet truck engine that would be a different story. The Chevrolet 6’s of that era made good torque for what they were and it was all done in the low rpm range. I drove a pickup of that era for years with 4.11’s and 60 cruising on the freeway was the max for me because I needed it to last. Good luck and have fun with it.
I recently purchased an open drive live conversion, uses stock transmission, two piece driveshaft. front ahead of carrier bearing goes to stock transmission, from carrier bearing back is regular open driveshaft. I do need to make cross member for carrier bearing.
I would unless the conversion is quite close to the original trans. I take it the stock mount on the trans is remaining. Is the “ball” cover and attaching plate still remain? I’m not familiar with the kit. What does the manufacture say.
This isn't exactly like a shop or service manual, but you should still find a lot of good information and specifications here. Courtesy of the GM Heritage website. https://www.gmheritagecenter.com/do...information-kits/Chevrolet/1953-Chevrolet.pdf
<<Well, I call BS on this speed limit thing. Your own state, prior to Jan 1, 1960, had NO SPEED LIMIT. Jan 1, 1960 , speed limit was set at 65. Several states were lower, several higher. I lived in CA in the late 50s, and sure as hell did not drive 55 on the open highway. Ben>> Wow! Day before yesterday someone got chastised for advocating 'violence' on a car thief! Now we have open admittance to having sped, exceeding lawful speed limits! Okay, I have to admit the same. I sped like crazy, but NEVER in a Chevy six!
I would put gas in it, make sure the fluids were up and hit the road. These days people are obsessed with going 75MPH at idle speed. Typical of the period, the Chevy is a low RPM engine that operates at the higher end of it's RPM band. Can it do 70MPH plus sure but it really loves 50-55 mph. Now the Chevy is not a Ford V8 and it can't hang all day at 80 but it can do short bursts. These broke 100 MPH in the period but those were hopped up with close attention paid to the oiling system. There's a lot of fun to be had as is...just getting to know the car and what it likes. If it indeed is a 27K car....really a 27K car. I would drive it. Personally I think the open drive 5 speed conversion is nonsense. If I was going to do all that, I would put a SBC in it. Looking at this...nonsense may not be the best tern....counterintuitive with the 216 may be a better term. it's just too much work for too little gain. While you doing all that, you could be driving it or putting a big motor in it. I would run the 216 as is.
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First of ALL yes everything is there, the Ball connection etc... I bot it used for $50.00 so I will Use it, got S-10 rear end for free. I will have to fabricate a carrier bearing cross member. Will play with six "for a while" Using "FIREFOX"
I think what you have is not an “open drive conversion kit” (as in aftermarket) but a factory GM pickup rube goldberg setup. Years ago I worked the ‘grease rack’ at a Chevy dealership and one old pickup used to come in that had that setup. It was a 3/4 ton pickup with a column shift 3 speed, with a torque tube coupling, short TT and carrier bearing to open driveshaft instead of the far more common SM420 granny 4 spd. Using that these days makes no sense to me. I would use a suitable bell housing and open drive transmission and be done with it. Ray
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Both the 3 and 4 speed 3/4 ton trucks of that era used that setup, so the engine and trans would be the same in a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton.
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