Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Question on 235 engine

Hi. We are almost done putting toghether my rebuilt 1957 235 engine & would like some input from you guys more experienced in this engine than me. My last 6 was way back in the 50's with a 216 in my old 49 coupe that got me thru high school and the original stock 216 that was in this 46 coupe until it thrashed.

Putting this 235 in my 46 coupe with the following engine mods -
848 head with just a slight dress up of the head surface, Hardened valves & seats, 0.060 bore with flat top pistons, 264 grind Clifford cam with new hardened solid lifters, new push rods & heavy springs & such, Clifford dual intake with two 2 barrell Webber 36-38 carbs & progressive linkage as well as a set of the shorty tube headers & X pipe & dual exhaust. Mufflers undecided yet but would like a medium old style 6 cly Chevy rap but not a modern muscle car sound. This will be a daily driver & will get a lot of Hwy miles. It is not going to be a racer.

I think that the 0.060 bore should give me something in the high 250's for C.I. & would like input on that as well as a good guess to the Horse power it should develop with these mods.

I am running the original 3 on the tree & for now the original 358 rear but plan to change it to the 338 whenever that ring & pinion set comes in.

I would like to stay with the 600/16 tires but will likely swap to the radials to make it a better Hwy driver.

I want an original look for the exterior & interior with just the changes under the hood & gearing & exhaust. I likely will add a vintage air unit once I get all this stuff done if I have enough money left.

Looking forward to comments on this build.

I need to figure out how to post a photo & I will get it done. My photo's are only hosted on my computer.

Thanks, Jimnmie

Hi Jimmie . . .

The build sounds like fun. Should be a good upgrade in the '46.

Given the vintage of the build a glass pack muffler seems in order.
Smithies are an option but they rust (at least here in the midwest). A stainless steel glass pack seems a better investment.

An .060 over 235 is 40.58 CuIn per cylinder or a 243.5. With an 848 head you should be in the neighborhood of 8.5:1 compression ratio.

Not sure what rear end you are referencing. In the late thirties Chevy was shipping a 4.22 or an optional 3.73(rare).

In the forties they shipped a 4.11 and an optional 3.73(again rare).

In '50 when the power-glide transmission arrived a torque tube 3.55 gear made the scene.

Is your car perhaps converted to an open driveline?

regards,
stock49

I have a Question. How tall are the 600/16 tires? Stock 49 is this the tire size that came on your 49 also? Thanks Jay 6155

Hi Yall. I was incorrect & have the stock 411 rear end with closed drive line. I do have the a 355 ring, pinion & installation kit on order for it. In looking the 338 is just offered for the pickups looking at the Patricks catalog.

On the question on the diameter of the 600/16's which are on it they are approximately 28.3 inflated as per specs in the Coker catalog. I did not go out & measure the tires.

I plan on staying with original 16"X4" wheels & changing to original styled radials (bias ply look) with likely 600/16 (28.36 Diameter) on the rear & 550/16 (26.88) on the front to level out the stance on the car. Then I must decide on whether to get 1 of each size for spares + finding another original wheel or just have 1 600/16 spare as the car will be a daily driver. They offer these in radials in both the Coker Classic radials as well as in the Diamondback Auburn Deluxe radials. I have not checked to see if they finally have the Auburns in stock yet or not as they have been saying coming soon for over a year now online & in printed catalog. Has anyone here had any experience with the Diamondbacks?

The 5 bias tires I now have have only have around 2500 miles on them & the spare has never been on the ground. As the car has always been kept in a closed garage with a car cover on it there is not aging showing on the tires such as cracks or dry rot. I think the previous owner even kept it on blocks as when I purchased it & began driving it ever day there were not any flat spots to thump going down the road. Old Allstate wide whitewalls is what they are. The only reason I am considering radials is at today's hwy speeds on these asphalt roads down here the car follows the low spots in the road from all the heavy truck traffic and does not track straight.

The engine should be ready to install in around a week & then I will have to haul it to exhaust shop to get a set of exhaust fabricated. From memory the 49 coupe with 216 that I had in high school many years ago had glasspack Hollywood mufflers & I loved that sound and would like to duplicate that now.

Jimmie

In '49 Chevy switched from 6-lugs to 5-lugs and the rim size went down to 15".

The factory wheel specifications for 1946 were:
Standard tire size: 6.00 - 16
Tire width (in): 5.98425
Tire sidewall factor: 90
Rim size (in): 16
Total wheel diameter (in): 26.8

The factory wheel specifications for 1949 were:
Standard tire size: 6.70 - 15
Tire width (in): 6.6921
Tire sidewall factor: 90
Rim size (in): 15
Total wheel diameter (in): 27

Very different dimensions but roughly the same overall diameter.

I am running Goodrich Silvertown bias ply wide whites (a reproduction of course). Many catalogs show this tire to be 28" in diameter - while the ones I have on my car measure ~27 5/8".

Coker shows the diameter at 28.4 which would be a 100% sidewall factor:
(6.70 * 2) = 13.4 + 15 = 28.4" versus stock factor of 90%:
(6.70 * .90 *2) = 12.06 + 15 = 27.06"

Seems the reproductions are shooting for a taller tire then the factory had in mind.

regards,
stock49

Thanks both of you for the replys about the tires. Now Chevys are back to 16" and bigger again. I think that I am near the bottom of the trend with a 14" and P195/75/R14 tires at 25.4" published height. I am almost at the other end on axle ratio also with a 2.73. Jay 6155

Hi. Got caught up a bit & looked at my tire catalogs for both Coker & Diamondback & both offer the 16" radials in both 550R/16 and 600R/16 sizes.
As my coupe is a bit higher in the front I should be able to put the 550's in front & 600's in rear to level it out. But first I need to get the engine rebuild finished on the 235 & get it installed to see how it stands then & decide on what radial tire sizes to order.
Jimmie

Hmmm . . . it is probably the back is bit low because of weak leaf springs. How about a new set? And then you run the same size tire and be able to rotate them . . .

Hi. Springs might be the problem. I will just wait until engine swap is complete & see how it stands then & decide.

Thanks, Jimmie