chevy 300ci conversion help!?

My uncle has a 1952 chevy 1/2 ton truck that he restored a few years ago. It has the original 3500 series inline 6 motor with a 3 on the tree transmission.

He has a friend that is trying to sell him a rebuilt chevy 300ci motor and is saying he should swap motors and get a few more ponies under the hood. the friend is asking $300 for the motor.

I know we are going to need a different transmission correct? is there a trans out there that can bolt up to the 300ci and it still be 3 on the tree? i dont think hes going to want to put a hole in his floor board. and if you know where we can find a trans for sale that would be great.

and im sure we are going to have to reposition motor mounts right? are there kits out there? or will we have to fabricate our own?

your advice and help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks, Dieselratrod

 

I've never heard of a 300 inch chevy.

Are you talking about a 6 cylinder or a V8? GMC had a 302 inch 6 cylinder of similar vintage, and chevy had a 301/302 inch V8 in the late 60s.

The motor in a 52 Chevy would be a 216 or 235, I havent heard of them referred to as a "3500 series" engine.

Are you sure the engine you are looking at is a chevy? There is a ford 300 six.

 

Is it 300 inches AFTER the rebuild? Maybe it is a bored out 292 chevy 6?

 

Me too where did you come up with the 300ci?

 

if the truck is as nice as you say. why do you want to cut and weld to get a v8 in it?
if you want a little more then use a 55 or later 235 or 261. they will bolt right in and look stock. and will work with your trans. and rear.
with min. work a 270 or 302 gmc would bolt in also.

 

ha i dont know alot about chevy motors. when he told me it was a 300ci i said i had never heard of that. i asked if it was a 350 and he said no. he just told me about this idea today and i havent seen the motor or know the model of the engine in the truck. sorry to confuse you all. im just as confused as you are. as soon as i find out what exactly is in the truck and what the guy has i will let you know.

 

292 stock bore is 3.875/ stroke 4.120 equalls 291.53 c.i., at .060 over bore or 3.935/ 4.120 stock stroke equalls 300.63 c.i. BDM

 

okay after looking some things up im guessing that his motor is the 216ci and what he means by "3500 series" he means it has a 3.500” (88.90mm) bore. does that sound correct to you guys? i still have no idea what kind of motor this guy is trying to sell my uncle. ill keep you informed.

 

Is the truck a 3500 series and not the engine, perhaps?

 

A 52 half ton would be a 3500 series truck. The standard engine for that truck should be a 216 that was the standard engine or maybe a 235.

The later 235 or 261 engines would be a bolt in. The 250 or 292 engines will go in if you run a V8 truck cast iron bellhousing that has the mounts that bolt to the crossmember below the bellhousing. Front mounts need to be built and there is the issue of fan clearance with the radiator but It can be done pretty easily. That is the setup I ran in my 48 with an open drive 3 speed for the past 20 years. The closed drive trans will bolt up to the V8 bellhousing though as that was how mine was set up when I bought it in 1973 with a 194 Chevy II six.

 

If it doesn't smoke or knock, tell your Uncle to drive and enjoy his truck. NO reason to change the engine.

 

buy the damn engine so we can find out what it is.

 

52 halfton would be a 3100 series

 

thanks for the info Mr48chev. i told him to buy the motor either way. i had different views both ways. i like things restored to there original condition and sometimes i like to have a little more power. lol

 

If the '52 is genuinely stock, then the transmission bolt pattern would be the typical wide Chevy bolt pattern. This means that if this other engine is actually a 292, then it can be attatched to the stock transmission by using any '55-up V8 or '63-up L6 bellhousing with that pattern and a 4 11/16" center hole. Reuse your stock clutch fork. Try using a bellhousing that has corner mounts on it, as the stock '52 trans doesn't have a mount on it. The 292 will not mount under the timing cover either, so some side mounts will need to be either made or bought. The 292 is also longer than the 216/235, so you may need to move the radiator forward. You will also want to convert the truck to 12 volts, as there is no 6 volt stater that will work with that type of engine.

Better off changing to an open driveline anyway, as the stock rearend is a 4:11 torqur tube. 3:55 gears can be had from Patricks, but you're looking at spending alot to do it...

 

thanks for the advice i told him that he should stick with what he has cuz everything runs perfect. him and i both said to buy the motor if anything comes up in the future and he wants to put it in. i still do not know exactly what the guy has. i plan on goin in town with my uncle to this guys shop to see what it is and if its worth buyin.

 

take good pictures, post the pictures here, we'll help you figure it out.

 

i would take some pic's of the motor before you buy it and have some info off it so the hamb members can help you id the motor and let you in on what your gonna be up against if you try to install it in the truck. depending on the price it might be something you really don't need and will be stuck with.