Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines 228 to 230 or 250 swap

I have a 1942 GMC with a 228. I have found a 230 or 250 out of a 1963 Chevy truck. Will the 228 bellhousing work on the 230 or 250? I want to go back with the old style pedals. That mount to the 228 bellhousing. I know about the motor mounts and how they need to be modified. I have not pulled the 230 or 250 to see about the bellhousing matching yet.

The 230/250/292 all have same bellhousing patten as Chev V8, unlike your GMC. Chev 235 and 261 would work with your GMC bellhousing.

You could check with Patrick's for a 270 or 302" engine.

This would upgrade the truck & make it worth more $ in the process.

Good luck.

I would rebuild my 228 but I dont think it will hold up to many high RPMs. I will be on the highways mostly. Plus the 230 or 250 with trans will be free from a friend. Better bottom end, better oiling and just better performance all around. But I dont want to loose my old school look. Also I am just trying to get this done as cheap as possible.

GMC inlines are remarkably durable engines. Unlike the Chebby 216/235/261 family, which were designed for car use, the GMC engines were designed for use in heavy trucks, so they're under-stressed in pickup useage.

Hey man ! Why not go for a real gMc engine, 270 or 302, much more cubes, and a gMc of your vintage should have a real engine. Check around and see whats on the market. Use the classifieds, have seen them there.

How much smaller was the chevy 292 than one of the older GMC's 228-302? Weight and length?

GMC had full pressure oiling starting in 1938, w/ the 228 engine. The 302 looks the same and is the same in external dimensions as a 228, about 100 lbs. heavier than the 194-292 Chevy engine. GMC and 194-292 are about the same length, about 2' longer than 235-261.

GMC Ser. No. starts w/ the displacement, i. e. 270xxxxx. 302xxxxxx, so look for a 302, parts are same price as 228, and you will have plenty of power. 302's come w/ 14' flywheels(too big) and 11" ones, so if you get one w/ the big flywheel, you will have to get the appropriate flywheel and bellhousing w/ the pedal mounting holes in it-same as Chevy bellhousing.

Where are you located? 302's only came in big trucks, however, one may have been swapped in a smaller truck. 270's are very common and a good alternative if you can't find a 302.

Ed Pruss
Longmont, CO

I am about 2 hours west of Fort Worth. There is lots of large farm trucks around my area, but I am trying to do this on a small budget. Why does the price go up when you speak the work GMC. Either they dont know what they have or they want an arm and a leg for these parts. I will just take the free 250 and trans and do some fab. work and make it fit. The 250's seem to have lots of after market parts. I will make the 250 work for now and I will keep my eyes open for a 302.

Hi ! I guess this will not turn out "cheap" anyway. The 250 will not fit your orig. bellhousing, and the new trans. will not fit your closed driveline (1/2ton truck), so you will need a new rearend and driveshaft too, in addition to new engine and trans. mounts. And your orig. clutch and brake pedals will not fit the newer eng/trans, so you need to fabricate mounts for them too.
A 270/302 will fit your orig. bellhousing/trans. and front eng. mount. So you must be realistic and calculate all costs involved for both alternatives, to see if any of them are "cheap", even if your 250 is for free.

The closed driveline is easy to fix - just get a 55.2-59 rear "pumpkin" from the same sized truck and swap it out, then have a driveshaft made to fit.

Is this a 1/2 ton or a 3/4 / 1-ton?

The clutch and brake pedals don't bolt to the engine, they attach to a crossmember under the floor. I fully intend to use them in my 250/NV4500 swap.

The forums at www.oldgmctrucks.com are a great source of GMC info.

Don't ask for a GMC engine. Just look around the yard-make up some excuse to get in-and then ask for the price on that 'old 6 cyl. engine' and that should get you a better price. Most don't know the difference anyway.

The 270-302" is the way to go.

Check with Tom's Truck Parts in Maimi, Ok. if Patrick's doesn't have one.

Or any 'Truck Yard' in Texas you can and then "play dumb" as Ed suggested.

Good luck.

Tom Meyer in Miami, OK is a great guy to deal with.

If you want that worthless 228 hauled off, let me know.

I have got everything worked out with my rearend, driveshaft and trans. I just cant seem how I will be able to use my 1942 pedals with a 250 engine bellhousing and trans. Is there any way I can build a bracket to mount to my bellhousing, trans or engine and be stable enough to hold the pressure of a brake or clutch pedal. Has this ever been done.

Yes, its possible to make a bracket. You have it all in front of you...

If you know someone who is good at welding cast iron, you could cut out the pedal section from your old bellhousing and have it grafted into the new one.

Welding cast iron is almost impossible as it shatters when heated. About the only time this is done in when both pieces are the same (as in a cracked housing) etc.

There's a method called "furnace brazing" but I'm not sure this would apply as you would be using brass, which is a soft metal.

Either way, your putting a car engine into a truck which might be hard to sell later.

Good luck.

i've never heard of cast iron shattering when welded. it can be welded, to it "self" or to regular carbon steel. the welder just needs to be familiar with the process.
the problem is that cast iron absorbs & releases heat at a different rate than carbon steel or the weld filler metal. what happens when normal methods are used is that the weld it self cools & shinks, then pulls itself away from the cast iron. to prevent this the cast is preheated to a certain temperature with a torch ( if the job is big enough this preheating is repeated to maintain temp. ) after welding the piece is buried in sand or wrapped with heavy insulation to slow the cooling process down & prevent cracking. there is also a "cold" method ( no preheat ) but i don't have time to go into that as well.
although best left to a proffessional ( there should be a welding & machine shop in your area able to tackle this job )cast iron can be welded quite successfully by a welder familiar with the proccess. i know this because of my 20 plus years on the job welding experience.
robert

Well it looks like i just need to spend a little time and money and put the original motor and bellhousing back in the truck. It will look better and it will still have that old school look and sound.

Keep looking for that 270/302" engine as your in the right spot (Texas/Oklahoma) to find one and it can 'turn up' when you least expect it increasing the value of your truck by 40%.

Try Ken Neal @ (918) 605-2248.

Good luck.

PS: Perhaps 'shatter' was the wrong term. The heating/cooling of cast materials (hairline cracks) is the factor I was speaking to, as this process is very difficult as Robert pointed out.