235/ 3 speed at highway speeds?

Ok 235 guys, how is the 235's with a stock 3 speed at highway speeds? To high of RPM's, or is it ok. I have heard conflicting reports...

Thanks

 

If you could find a old power gluide rearend. They have a 3:55 gear.

 

my 47 feels and sounds comfortable at 55 ... 65 is really pushin those old leaded rods at least with the 4. 11s in the back .i got a 3. 55 im gonna get around to puttin in soon though.

 

Pretty much the same as Flop.. My 53 with stock 235 babbit, three speed, torque tube and stock gear will do 55 til you run out of gas..Fall's into a groove and just purr's along..
But when you start to push much over 60 it start's to run out of steam...it will go faster than that, but i don't think it will like it too much or for too long. To me it feel's like it's revin' just a bit too high to keep it there.

 

this answer your question?

 

damn what did ya do that iin buddy?

 

my 53,,,

 

Faulty generator bracket????????????????

 

I'm gonna remember that pic next time i try and keep up with my friend's when i'm driving mine..ouch!
Sharp looking car.

 

I have a '59 235 with the stock 3 speed and rear end in my '53 chevy. It will do 75 if I wind her all the way up but that is pushing her way over the line. She will do 60 all day long. I would never keep that setup for very long. The 3 speed and stock rear end are coming out. T-5 and Nnova rear going in!

 

yeah,,,that definitely sucked,,,,,
happened about two miles from my friends shop...
still ran!!!!!!!!!
when i got there they said "you managed to kill the unkillable"...
i said,,not really, it still runs,,,hahahah

 

Which 235, full pressure or babbit pounder?

What's it in? whats your gearing currently?

 

hahah,,yeah, thats it.,..
actually the engine was rebuilt before i bought the car,,
apparently they reused some of the old rod bolts,,,,,

 

Open drive line or closed?

 

Not sure. It is a 54 I am looking at buying....just trying to get info before. What is a good swap for it to make it more road worthy?

 

you'll be fine with a later 235 full oiler and an open driveline

mine was an early babbit pounder with closed driveline...........
p.s.......split your manifold and run straight pipes.....sounds awesome,,especially when you downshift,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

No matter what, use an overdrive and you will be OK

 

How can I tell the difference?

 

I had a 235 with a tri-carb setup, open zoomies and the stock 3-speed and rear end and it hummed up and down the road very nice at 55 or 60.

 

Geez...now we'll never see it out of the garage. We'll just have to drive by slowly and listen to it idle in the driveway.

-Bigchief

 

Daughter runs a full pressure 235 in a 37 coupe, I have followed her at 60-70 MPH on the open road, it just rolls along all day with 3:55 rear gears.( I like to follow 'cause its got a split manifold and a set of glasspaks that sound so good...)

 

When I had my '48 pickup I drove it fairly fast on the freeway. Not sure if that's what did it, but the stock rearend, 216, and 3-on-the-tree trans broke.

Thanks,
Kurt

 

I had a 54 rans a stock 235 w 2 carbies, C.I. 'glide and 3.55 rear gears.

Used to sit on 60-65 all day long. longest trip I took was from my place to Lake Gairdner for the annual speed tril. Drive it all day long on the lake too, as stupport vehicle for 2 race cars

Its still runing this combo 11 years after I sold it.

 

just gonna finish changing to 3:55 this weekend, I bought a fairly recent rebuilt torque tube for 300 bucks. Everyone I've talked to said its the cheapest fix for the freeway speeds. I'll let you know how it works.

 

I've had several of these motors which were mostly stock and i drove them to out of state shows pushing 55-60 with no problems and the car handle great except for the bias ply...Thats running both full oilers and the ever so hated 'babbit' that everyone seems to make cheap excuses for why they really dont drive there shit 30 miles around town at time....Hell, most of these cars have atleast 30-40 tho on the speedos and i'm sure its not just from little old ladies going 'to the corner' to get groceries....

A guy i work with drives his 50 Chevy pickup that has a 6cyl with 3 on the tree to work everyday and he lives approx 30 miles away....he loves driving it esp cause of the gas prices now...

BigChief--post edit..

This place cracks me up--Viva La HamB

 

If it's a '54 your lookin at, you should have a full pressure 235. If the side cover goes all the way up, so the spark plugs go through it, that should be a splash oil engine (and older than the car). The 53 Powerglide cars had full pressure oil, as did the '54 and newer models (manual and auto).

By now of course there is an excellent chance it's not the factory orriginal engine.

 

Naa, you'll see it just as you have..but you will have to wait for me when you get to wherever we're going cause i'll be a few minute's later than you..

 

ahhhh tom the fun i will have with peoples heads!!!!

well im in the process of building a 1947 235 . full side cover but i got a 54 crank jammed in there i do believe a216 head milled a ton old style push rods to make up for the head bein milled. aluminum timing gear. huge cam shaft. crank lightened .aluminum flywheel. mallory dual point. gmc high pressure oil pump i could go on for hours haha. so its gonna look like im runnin a babbit pounder but boy will they be surprised!!!!

 

Flop, one can convert, I likely would if I had one of the splash oil engines (assuming I had it apart anyway). Sounds like a neat engine, this some kind of 'cheater'? Or do you enjoy that kind of work? Or maybe it's screwin' with people's heads you like.

Did you enlarge the oil galleys? How are you regulating the oil pressure? Are you using the Jimmy pump?

I only posted that description because when Snarl Asked SlickSteve whether it was a full pressure or babbit pounder, 'Steve said he didn't know but it was a '54 ride, then a few posts later, he (Steve) asked how to tell. I didn't see where anyone had posted anything in response. You'll notice I qualified each statement with 'should' 'cause I have seen a conversion before, but not as exotic as yours.

I forgot to mention the 'oil regulator' plate. I have looked, but I can't seem to find a picture of it online. IIRC it's on the distributor side of the engine. Having said that it's sure to be on the manifold side. I would expect if the engine had as much work done to it as yours, the seller would have told Mr. Steve, as I would certainly see that as a selling point (especially if it was converted to full flow filtration). But I would also expect to see pictures and reciepts (and see it with the pan off).

You're right though, it could be a camoflaged conversion.

 

My speedo says 60 to 65 but people tell me I'm pushing 75 at times... Tall ass bias ply's stock 54 235 torque tube 3 speed 54,ooo on the clock......