Let's Build a 265 Chevy V8!!!!!

The only thing you left out is compression ratio. It's hard to build compression with smaller cubic inches. Then people cam it up and put highway gears in the rear. Best little 283 I built had angle milled .070 heads, a zero decked block with flattops, and a 260 cam.

 

Yup, my daily is a prime example, the 305 heads just aint got the squish....oh well, i'm in the market for a really cheap huffer now....

 

C'mon Josh, don't be a hater. It's not the size of the boat it's the motion in the ocean. Plus some of us don't need 800hp......in fact it's safe to say nobody needs 800hp. Viva La 265!!!!

Get 'em Shaggy Get 'em!!!!

 

Wait what was the question? Oh yeah now I remember....yeah....no.

 

I've got two 1956 265's. One of them I bought new, as a power-pack-equiped car, and the other I picked up along the way. So, one could say that I have almost 56 years experience with a 56 power-pack. My bottom-line comment... if you are looking for 'original' info, be careful & do your homework. I note several descrepancies posted here. If you are hot-rodding it, also pay attention to the posts - lots of good info here. Any old-time machinist knows how to fix that so-called top-end oiling issue by grooving the back of the cam journal area. Or, just take whatever cam you use, and put on the 'flat' that 56's originally had. I think finding the HotRod article on building one of these engines would be worth the trouble of finding. I'm pretty sure it was within the last couple years.
(Don't forget, original 56 265 power-packs had 9.25 cr in cars, and maybe more in vett's, so it should be easy to get in the area you want.)

 

You just sit there and look pretty. I suppose I've got some lessons to learn on my own with this being my first total build. Just fighting the brakes a bit but I'm hoping to have those done tomorrow. Pulling trans tonight so I can install a seal that's not keeping the fluids from dripping into my bellhousing. After that it's just a matter of putting the interior back in and taking it for a spin to see where I'm at. Maybe this weekend? Who knows.....

I can't wait to hear this little engine fire up again. I miss that rrrraaapp rrrraaappp!!!


Again I can't thank the HAMB enough for helping me with building this engine. I think we've done good things on this thread with the help of the engine Wizards and helped gain some respect back of these engines.

 

lets not get ahead of ourselves...

 

Whoops sorry!! Forgot this was mamby pamby land!! Viva La 265!!!!

Can't wait to see it crusing man. Good luck.

 

I hate you.

When JJ's in the room it's alway Mamby Pamby land. Don't you remember me saying my prayers in your car just as you approached the line at the drags last year? You're lucky I didn't soil myself in that beautiful car of yours.

 

Thank you for not adding any more patina/rust to my junk. I was just saying you could have your eye candy and some ooomf too. I know you've got that tranny to think about too so it's cool you saved a little small block and made it look great.

 

I'll be hated for this but I'll never forget my Dad telling me his first car, a 55 Chevy, had a 265. He kept knocking the main bearings out of it and sait the main bearings out of it. He went to a later 283 and it was all better. Power was good and it lasted as long as he had it. He rodded the shit out of both engines. Of coarse the 55 didn't have an oil filter.....

 

Not a good idea to bore the 265 to 283. Think they were thinner castings.

My 2 cents

 

An up to date pic of my 265. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/picture.php?pictureid=451120&albumid=17142&dl=1362239895&thumb=1

 

There is a 265 bored out a bit up from up here in a rail known as the Glass Slipper which is now in the NHRA Museum. It does come out once in while to humble us with much larger displacement engines. Champion Speed makes it run. The Cortopassi Brothers are the very proud (rightfully so!) owners. I have seen several 265's outrun even the 409's
Normbc9

 

I'm glad to see this got bumped up! Somehow I never saw this thread before. At any rate I hate to be one of those guys asking "what is it worth" but I have been in contact with a gentleman locally who is interested in selling a running 265. Any idea what a fair price would be for a running 265? I have been interested in getting an early chevy v8 for awhile but I don't want to get taken to the cleaners while buying one!

Thanks alot guys

 

Well, first you've gotta define "running". I've seen engines that smoke and knock, but they do still run. As far as building one up goes, a '56 block would be better due to the integral oil filter boss that the '55 doesn't have. They really don't command that much money, as the market for them is very narrow. I've turned down complete rebuildable 265s for $100 because I'm running out of room. However, a 4 bbl. intake with a '55 casting number is worth a couple hundred to a restorer.

 

I have a 265 setting in the corner was in my 32 coupe. Havent had a chance to look at it, was smoking when I pulled it..

 

Further to the earlier three-way conversation on this thread between Heathen, Cactus and myself re: piecing together a dual wcfb combo, FWIW, I just recently found out that chevy WCFB's for a single carb application have 1/4" thicker baseplates than the ones used for dual 4bbl applications. Single four are 1 1/8", dual 4 bbl chevy carbs are 7/8". And apparently, the dual 4bbl baseplate wont bolt on to a single 4 bbl body.

 

Update!!!

The Ol' Wizard is running like a champ with the exception of a charging issue. I really can't say enough good things about the whole package. Pulls good, starts great and looks like my own personal heaven.

 

I'll have to give you my number in case you need another push start.

 

Yer motors purty...

 

Yes they are different. I have a 1957 set-up that I ran on my Corvette. The dual 4 carbs have a bunch of small differences.

 

I would like to sell my 265 short block for $100.

 

I am going to be starting my 265 build shortly. This thread has been great. Has answered a lot of my questions about the 265.

 

As an update to the secondary counterweight issue, I recently saw a WCFB that someone milled (or sawed) 90 percent of the counterweight off, leaving a thin surface. He then drilled a hole through the center and had a stack of flat washers held on with a screw and nut. Seems like a good way to fine tune your secondaries, by adding or subtracting washers until it opens perfectly.

 

I found the missing pages from my post near the beginning of this thread (post #10).

 

I forgot about this thread, makes me think about the stock '56 225 hp vette distributer i just found in some boxes in my shop....

 

I snagged a '57 245hp tach drive dual point for $70 recently.

 

Wow!! Really amazing thread!!!!!!
Im standing here, going to build 3 lovely 265s, and got so many Good inputs here!

Two 55s and one 56 ;
one 55 with std Bore
One 55 with 283 bore
one 56 with 283 bore

I have a matching pair , heads, witch has "x58" on sides, .. Good heads for a bored 265?

BTW, Its Realy hard to find a one year only 55 oilpan here in Sweden ;-)

 

for the 56 265 engine, 9 fin vette