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I've settled on a Chevy 235 out of an 1958-9 3700 truck

The engine SN is FIII9K - Flint, MI Nov. 19 34-35-3700 truck

Head - 3836848
Block - 3764476 58-62 235

K 18 8 December 18th, 1958

Its a higher compression motor (8.5:1) and it was a truck motor... so hopefully its going to have enough get up and go to handle these damn Appalachian mountains I live in. But it is a full pressure motor... the only thing I was hoping for was for hydraulic lifters... from what I understand these are still mechanical... that means setting tappet gaps

The only real difference was in 58 the motor mounts for trucks moved from under the crank pulley to the sides of the engine and the water pump has a longer/deeper pulley. The flange on the 58's oil chain housing can be drilled for mount bolts (going to use the G506's original front motor mount pad) and there are options to fix the water pump... either an adapter plate or simply shorten the shaft on the 58 water pump.

The G506's tranny mounted right up to the bellhousing and the rear motor mounts seem to fit into the frame mounts. Tomorrow I will test the engine on the stand and then sandblast/paint if it runs.

If you have a post war motor this site has all the specs for the motors... ALL of them.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/ch ... /index.htm

The hard part is decoding the motor and getting the model / year it was in. The fastest way is to go by the SN stamped on the pad after the distributor.

I was going to test run the engine but looking at the valve train convinced me that where is way to much dirt on the moving parts to risk it.

Its a worn engine, but no obvious cracks in the head. The block, crank and head are going to UCF in Carlisle for shot peening and magnaflux. If that passes then mic the crank and cylinders for wear and figure out if anything needs ground/bored.

Then buy parts/rebuild. I will be getting an adapter plate to run an original 'high mount' water pump. It might be a little more expensive than getting a modified 'short shaft' water pump... but if the pump ever goes I won't need to worry about getting another modified water pump... just get a stock one and bolt it back up. The adapter plates are $45 on ebay. Plus the cost of a new pump.

Here is an epic rebuilding guide. No pics, but its straightforward.

http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/engine1.htm

The part about how to take the oil pump out is a worth its weight in electrons.

Here's a factory manual:

http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.com/ ... Manual.htm

Much more detailed than the link above.

Just some photos of the motor broken down.




I was surprised that no machine shop I spoke with had a hot tank.. they said they would pressure wash the parts... hell I can hook up my pressure washer to hot water and add some soap:

Block, head and crank passed!

Journals are still at STANDARD!!!! WOO HOOO!!!!! The didn't check the cylinders, but I asked them to to make sure I didn't need to bore them out soon.

The last things they need to do at the shop:

Surface flywheel (its got a layer of surface rust on it now).
Install cam bearings (I don't have a tool for this)
Install valve guides (I just don't want to mess with them).
Polish crank journals.

With any luck I'll get out of the machine shop with less than $500 in work.

Took the flywheel and camshaft down to UCF and to pay for the work so far.

I decided that I was going to do the valve guides... but since I don't have a cam bearing remover/installer they would do that.



Only thing I am waiting on is the bore inspection. If its in spec then I should be done with the block for less than $500. Having to go 'ten over' is gonna suck cost wise... new pistons, rings, machining

Spoke with UCF and the taper on the cylinders is .005.. so all 6 will be bored out to .020 over. I was SUPER surprised that the boring was only $124 for all 6. I was thinking $60-80 per hole. The master parts kit will be ordered this week (about $700). I may have UCF install the new pistons on the rods... I know how to do it but without a jig it could be harder than it needs to be.

So no motor till end of next week at the earliest.

Got the final bill for the motor: $299.69.

That's the balance to surface the flywheel, install cam bearings, bore 6 holes .020 over, polish the crank journals.

So total for getting the rotating and reciprocating parts ready for overhaul: $616.37 Master rebuild kit is $750... so it looks like the motor is a done deal for less than $1500. Of course I still have to clean the block, install everything and make it run.

Right now it looks like I am on target for an $8k restoration for the one G506. The last major expenses are tires (!) and the wood bed.

Got the Master Parts kit ordered from Clegg

http://www.cleggengine.com/

They include a new cam AND lifters.. evidently the 235 mechanical lifters are a major issue for these kits. Melling only makes them once in a blue moon.

I did add Intake and exhaust valves and guides and springs.

Total kit price was $860. They picked up the shipping ($20.. but every bit counts) and gave me 'kit pricing' for all the add on parts. I have an itemized list and most are either lower or the same cost as everywhere else. The savings being in shipping or taxes.

So total machine shop $616 and parts $860 is $1476. Under budget by $24!!!

Next week will be BUSY!! WHOO HOO!!!

Final bill was just under $300 ($299.98). Not bad. I think the cost of the bearings was way to high mainly because I had to pay 30% in shipping ($28 bearings and $8 to ship!?!?! Most auto places will deliver for free to a business). When the 270 goes down I will have parts in hand for them to install.



Last thing they may do is the piston pins. Already got a quote ($75) to remove old pistons off the rods and install the new pistons on them.. but I'm pretty sure that I can get the pins out. Getting them in is a different story.

Honed the cylinders and fit the pistons. The book number is 7-18lbs with a .0015 feeler... I tried that and a regular .0015 feeler gauge will rip at the punched hole at about 5lbs (used 3 different feeler gauges learning that). So I basically 'fit' them so with the .0015 feeler gauge installed I can push the pistons up/down with moderate drag.

Not as scientific as the scale... but I'm sure that its good enough. Broke the cam thrust washer taking off the timing gear... so will have to order one (that should be fun) but the crank is in and will plastigauge the bearings for fit tomorrow.

One thing I found that kinda pisses me off is that #3 cam bearing is not lined up as good as I would like it. There is about a 10%-20% blockage of the oil hole because the cam bearing was not indexed properly. Not a huge deal.. but next time I'll check it at the shop before I drive home. 99.99% of the time its not going to be an issue.. but they charged full price, I would like fully and properly installed bearings.

A bit of good news so far... the starter I have is, by PN proper for a G506! That means no need to buy a 6v ring gear or starter drive.

From what I was able to dig up, the 6v starter drive is different from the 12v starter drive in one way: the diameter of the pinion gear.

6V = 1 3/16in
12V= 1in

They both have 9 teeth... so counting teeth does not help (although I did read some posts that 12V drive gears were 10 tooth... maybe 12V cars were???)

The ring gears are different:

6V = 138 tooth
12V = 160 tooth

So I saved about $100 not having to convert from 12V to 6V.

Started on the pistons and rods today. Fitting the piston pins is not an issue... what I am finding is that the oil squirt holes on the con-rod has been obstructed in about half the rods. I'm not sure why, but the obstructed squirt holes had casting flashing clogging them. I used a 3/8ths drill bit (turned by hand) to chamfer the outside part of the squirt hole then ran a 1/6th bit through the hole by hand to clean it out.

Tomorrow will plastigauge the main bearings and install the pistons. I can't install the cam until the thrust plate gets here (Jim Carter does not believe in same day order processing).. so it may be next week till I even get parts

With any luck I'll get far enough to take out the old valve guides and install the new ones... that's the goal. I'm 60/40 against making it that far.

Plastigauge main bearing clearance.

I made one small mistake.. the hole in the bottom bearing shell is NOT for oil to the con rod, but a locating dowel.

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