Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Engine swap? 1951 gmc 350 2 ton

Hello All,
I have a 1951 GMC 2 ton model 350. It has a 248 with a broken connecting rod. I am a little crunched for time in getting it back on the road and am thinking of dropping a V8 crate engine into it. I have never done this and would normally prefer to keep the strait six but need a truck soon. Does anyone have experience in this. And about transmission adapters etc? Thanks in advance,
-Yori

Yori, We don't do V8s here. Be glad to help you with another GMC inline. A 270,302, or even a 292. It's no that most of don't have some V-motors but we can't talk about them here. There's a bunch of cranky old guys who'll pitch a hissy. By the way it should bolt right to you trans but you may have to move your steering column. You'll have to build front mounts or buy them from a supplier. You'll cuss your decision every time you have to deal with the distributer. Beater

I'll second Beater's reply. Try http://www.stovebolt.com for v8 swaps. There's plenty of cranky guys there too, but they are at least open to drivetrain swaps.

We're pretty open to swaps we're just really picky. Look at all the 4.2 stuff. I guess we're just straight laced. I agree the Stovebolt site is a great place with tons of good info for truck guys. My favorite forum there is "the short bus". It's a computer help forum. How to post pictures and links.

Yori, let us know what you decide to do even if it's not an inline. A big six will give you all your truck needs. I understand you have a time issue and an 8 might be quicker because they are easier to find. A six will be cooler.

A CRATE 350 ALONG WITH A SM465 GRANNY 4 SPEED TRANS SWAP IS YOU CHEAPEST AND BEST SWAP, ITS A 2 DAY DEAL AND YOUR ALL MODERN IN THE ENGINE AND TRANS THEN. JMO
BOB

Thanks all for the info. Personally I like the inline 6. Been having a hard time finding parts for the 248. Found a good engine nearby that I can use along with mine to make one good one. My question here then is the 248 a good enough engine to be able to haul a load of 3 tons? I have ordered a couple of books online about tuning this engine up. Am I headed I asking too much from the 248? Thanks again

IT WILL BE AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN A DOG, ALSO VERY EXPENSIVE....

It'll work fine, just keep it off the freeways and putter along at 50-55 mph, the brakes will still stop it and it'll have lots of torque to pull you up the hills, even with 3 tons. Now if you want to race it, that's a whole different story.
As a PS check with the advertisers listed on the club home page and look for a copy of How to Hop up Chevrolet and GMC Engines, http://www.amazon.com/How-Hop-Chevrolet-GMC-Engines/dp/1931128073/ref=pd_cp_b_1

FOR THE SAME MONEY OR PROBABLY LESS YOU CAN HAVE MODERN AND TONS MORE POWER..... SO WHERES THE REASONNING WITH STICKING WITH THE ANTIQUE ?

I had a '40 International D-40 With a Blue Diamond 269. It had a 16' bed and I hauled 3 ton loads of hay on roads that were little more that trails. I hauled two huge loads of barn wood over the Sierras and never ran out of power. It would only go 45 to 50 but that was more gears than motor. A 248 is way better than the 216s and 235s Chevy used and those hauled a lot of stuff.

He likes the inline 6, he has access to another 248 for parts and that's what this forum is all about.

Wow. so apart from the orginal poster - why are the rest of you still messing with the 194/292 series. they're antiques. too.....

Have you considered a 5.9 Cummins? Lots of power and easy to turn up if more is needed. If hauling is your goal its hard to beat a diesel and it's an inline.

So are we.

Yori, Exactly what will the truck be asked to do? Long hauls at highway speed? Hauling a load goats to the Bar-B-Que down the road? What do you need?

In the day, that 248 would haul whatever that truck could carry. It might not haul the load quickly, but it it would haul the load.

Close on sixty years ago my father was hauling 17,500 pounds of brick on a 1949 Studebaker 2R-17 two-ton truck powered by a 245-cid flathead "big six." That Studebaker was not especially fast -- although i more than once saw 70 mph on the speedometer in the high side of the two-speed axle -- but it got the job done.

i daresay your 248 GMC can do as well or a little better.

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

When I had my '40 GMC AC302, ex CDF firetruck grass fire rig, dual rear wheels under wide fenders and a 9 1/2 foot pickup bed, it would happily haul whatever I could fit into it. It had a 236" Jimmy and I regularly hauled wet roadbase piled as high as the cab. Speed was not important to me with this truck, and the more weight the smoother the ride. And it was fun to drive.

Tim

A 5.9 DIESEL WOULD REQUIRE ALOT OF INVESTMENT. NORMALLY MY DIESEL CONVERSIONS RUN AT MY COST ABOUT 5-15K TIME ITS ALL DONE AND I SERIOUSELY DOUBT YOU CAN GET A LOWER R&P GEAR SET FOR THAT ANTIQUE REAR AXLE , A DIESEL JUST TURNS 1/2 OR THE RPM,S A GAS ENGINE DOES. IF ITS A TOY USE THE OLD STUFF IF YOUR GONNA WORK IT AND DRIVE ON THE EXPRESSWAY THE GO MODERN. IDEALLY IMO A SBC (383) AND A NV4500 OR TH400 WOULD BE IDEAL IMO AND I HAVE ALL THE ENGINES EXCEPT THE 248 THATS BEEN MENTIONED. ALSO A 4BT CUMMINS I BET WOULD BE NICE AND GET GREAT MPG.

Bob, could you please refrain from SHOUTING at us. It is bad internet manners. Thankyou.

regards,Rod

YOU FELLAS AND YOUR "SHOUTING" I HAVE BAD EYES AND ITS HARD FOR ME TO SEE. I PRAY YOU NEVER HAVE THIS PROBLEM. GETTING OLD IS A BUGGER.........

At the bottom righthand corner of your screen there is a magnifying glass that enlarges your screen to larger sizes so you can see better without having to use all CAPS.

Some of us understand "old" and "bad eyes" really well!

On the toolbar of Internet Explorer, under View, there is a setting to increase Text Size. i hope that you can use it. Your messages will become more readable, and more pleasant to write as well as to read.

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

Got both those problems, but easily fixed the eyes bit is - just use your computer settings to make the font bigger.
The old - a bit more difficult to turn back the clock !
regards,Rod

Hello again I am the original poster. I bought a donor 248 which turned out to be in great shape. I have almost finished putting it together and hope to install it this weekend. Thank you all for the advice

GOOD NEWS! (I meant to do that.) Really I'm glad you found a good engine and I'm glad it's a GMC. I hope our suggestions turn out to work for you.

That is indeed good news, you might consider joining the Inliners, there are members and a monthly meeting in most areas of CA and you'll get the 12 Port News which is always a good read with large enough print that even bcowanwheels can read it.

Is that group through this forum? I would like to learn about it and will probably join. Now that I know what engine I will be working with, I will be starting out with the stock system and as time and money permit I may be interested in modifying it. The truck will be for work. I am a sculptor and needed the flatbed to deliver my work. To date the heaviest work I have made was just over 1 ton. I am not really interested in speed, but I wouldn't complain about cruising on the freeway either. I bought the service manual for the truck and California Bill's book. I am just a hobby mechanic and this is my first inline. I used to own a 58 gmc with the 336, and I still have my daily driver 1964 chevy truck which somebody put a a 305 into.( I have been thinking of finding a 292 for that, but one thing at a time.) Again, thanks for the input.

"Cruising on the freeway" in a two-ton-rated truck is a job of work, although it may also be, sometimes, a pleasure! For that you may want to find a two-speed axle.

Inliners International is the sponsor of this forum, among other things, and the reason we have this forum! The "Sign Up Now" link on the Inliners home page

http://www.inliners.org/sample/Membership_Application.pdf

will lead you to a membership application form and some historical information about us. Inliners originally organized around the GMC six-cylinder engines, and you will find among us a wealth of information about maintaining and modifying them. You and your truck are most welcome here!

God's Peace to you.

d
Inliner #1450

Thanks I will look to join. The truck already has a two speed rear axle in good shape. When I figure out how to post pics I'll post some images. My brother is trying to convince me to switch to 12 volt. I already have the starter and fly wheel. Any thoughts? Thanks again. Enjoy your evening