I hate to be always asking questions, but here's my situation: I have an OT project car for sale/trade, and I mentioned post '53 Chevy/GMC sixes as trade bait. I have a guy interested who has a carb to pan 6 and 3 speed tranny he's willing to part with. Supposedly, it's low mileage (aren't they all?) He sent a good enough picture to get a casting number off of the head, which ID's it as a '56 235. He says it is a truck engine, and it is painted red (looks old enough to be original paint) if that makes a difference. If I decide I want it, I'd like to know what a fair price for it would be in figuring the trade value of it. I've only recently become smart enough to think that anything with less than 8 cylinders can be cool, so I'm still learning. Thanks for any help!
The original color for a 1956 truck 235 was grey. It should be worth at least $250.00 if it is all there and runs.
zero until i heard it run and did a compression test and checked oil psi. as well. go by scrap prices until then, $0.10 a lb.
Interesting that people ask the value of an item. Most people say stuff like 50.00 250.00, scrap metal price for an original engine that is 55 years old. The opinion of a person who wants to buy one says 100.00 The opinion of a person who wants to sell one says 2500.00 fbama73 wrote If I decide I want it, I'd like to know what a fair price for it would be in figuring the trade value of it. For this engine alone, Complete and If I needed one and it ran good. I think it is worth 1000.00 For this engine alone, If I dont need it I would not buy it.
It's worth it's weight in scrap iron, I have a '56 235 in my '50 Chevy with the block cracked and I've offered to part it out or sell it whole, cheap, since it does run and has a good head, intake, carb, starter, etc. all on it and had zero interest at any price. Taking it off his hands you're just about doing him a favor. I tend to agree with the $250 price, if it runs and is complete. Because it's so easy to crack one (you have to pull a plug on the block to drain them dry) I'd want to be able to run it and get it hot and then come back in a week and drain the oil, see what it looks like.
That would be dumb enough. If it runs good doesn't burn any oil and the tranny is solid its worth about 150 around here. Maybe if it didn't have a rattle can overhaul and is really complete all the way down to the genny and carb cover it would be worth more to a restorer.
Here's something else to throw into the equation--a '56 235 doesn't have mounting bosses in the same place as the '52-'54 or '58-'62 blocks, so if an interested party is looking to put it in any of the abovementioned cars, it isn't worth much. '55-'57 cars/trucks or pre-'52 vehicles, not so bad.
Those motors are sometimes hard to give away. Unless it has some interesting hot rod parts I'd agree that $250 is probably fair for a recently rebuilt that really does run well. If you visit some of the old truck forums and read old ads you will probably find someone who put one up for sale a year or two ago who will be happy if you come and get it.
Condition unkown, I wouldnt pay anything. A good complete core, $250ish. Solid, reliable motor (complete cleaner to pan) that you can clean and stab, $400-$600. There's obviously no right answer here, this is just what I would pay if I was in the market
I appreciate the useful info, folks! Rustynewyorker, I didn't know that they crack easy. The pictures that I got show that there's been some mix and match going on other than the paint. For example, it has an alternator on it- of course, that doesn't really mean a thing, my '51 216 has an alternator on it, too. The one thing that really caught my eye is that the starter has a lever bendix. I was under the impression that Chevy did away with that on cars after '48 (I know for fact that it was gone by '51) but maybe they kept it in trucks longer, or maybe someone just used something they had on hand. I'm leaning away from it, as I would rather have one of the larger sixes. Then again, my buddy's '59 235 runs like a top, and other than oil changes, tune ups, and a carb kit/float, it's all original.
Last year I bought a recently built (15K miles?) '57 235. .030 over, mild cam, offy intake w/ dual rochesters (plumbed and linkage installed), 12V alternator and starter. It came with everything that came out of the car when the new owner installed a V8 / auto. 3 spd saginaw, exhaust, radiator, pedals, etc.... I happily paid $900 for everything. I have a stock '56 235 that sounds to be in about the condition that you described as well. I would sell you that for $250. That is about the range for me, I guess.
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