Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines 235 chevy flywheel

Will a 168 tooth v8 flywheel work with a 235. Will it fit under the bell housing and work with a 162 tooth 12 volt starter? Also, why does the cyl. head have water passages that flow to spots on the block that are not drilled for water. Thanks.

I don't think so. If you are converting to 12 volts you can use the 6 volt starter, or you can use the flywheel and starter from later 12 volt 235. A V8 flywheel can be machined to work. As for the water question I don't know but wonder why you ask.

You might have a 261" head, with the siamesed cylinders they had 2 'steam holes' between the paired cylinders. For instance, running a '248' head on a 261" you should use a 261" head gasket and drill the head, I wouldn't drill the block on a 235" however.

What exactly is going on that you would ask about using a V8 flywheel??

You can't use V8 stuff on a 235.
If you were to machine a 168 V8 flywheel to fit the crank, I would expect the starter to need to be relocated as well. There is n good reason to do any of this, as the proper flywheels and starters are readily available.

If you are running 12 volts, you can keep the 6 volt starter and flywheel.


The two large holes on the pushrod side of the head are not drilled in the block. No, I don't know why, and no it doesn't really matter. In fact, some newer head gaskets have the larger front holes blocked off to help force more water to the back of the block, rather than letting it short circuit through the front of the block.

The reason I ask about the flywheel is that I received a 168 tooth flywheel with a 235 chevy engine I bought. I do not know what it is off of but it fits the 235 crank. I got to wondering if it would work in place of a 162 in flywheel because right now I am missing a bellhousing, starter and flywheel and I wanted to test the engine on a test stand I built.

Does this engine have the distributor in the middle of the block or towards the front?

The engine is a 235. It has the dist. in the middle of the block and is casting #3769716.I guess this is the question I am asking. I Thought 235's only used 2 flywheels. A 139 tooth for 6 volt starters and a 162 tooth for 12 volt starters, but this 168 tooth flywheel, casting #3705410 and it fits. What was it originally for, a 261? If so, Does it need a special matching bellhousing and starter. Thanks.

12 Port Tim,

The Master Parts Catalog indicates that your flywheel is for a 55(second) - 55 truck with the heavy duty clutch. It is my understanding that the late model 235s and 261s had the 168-tooth ring gears.

12 Port Tim,

Just curious, do you plan on using that flywheel? I am building a '41 coupe with a 261. I have my 11in. clutch set-up and have been looking for a matching flywheel for sometime. What is the diameter of it and is it a six hole mount for the pressure plate?

I just finished going over my parts stash, but Hoyt beat me to it...

55-62 235/261 flywheels are indeed 168 tooth and have the same outer dimensions as a 168 tooth V8 flywheel, BUT the V8 has a different size bolt pattern, only one dowel pin instead of three, and the center hole is larger.
So no, a V8 flywheel can not be used "as is" on any 216/235/261 engine.

As to what bellhousing to use, that depends on what you are planning to use the engine in. Give me an idea of what you're going to do with it and I can be more specific...

As to the starter, any '55-62 12 volt starter for a 235/261 will work. If you want a solenoid starter, look at any 55-62 car. If you want to go with a foot starter, try a 55-57 truck.

I have a 3705410 flywheel, and it is a 12 volt era 235/261 for an 11" clutch and 6 bolt pressure plate.

Most any 3/4 ton or larger truck from '55-62 with a 235/261 will have an 11" clutch. They would also be 6 bolt pressure plate.
6 volt era 11" pressure plates were 9 bolt.

Gearhead,

Thanks for the information. You are the first person to give me some positive feedback. I've talked to Gary Cope, Al Cunningham in San Antonio, some people around the Houston area, and even Tom Langdon. They all know what I'm looking for, but either don't have or know where to find one. Would you be willing to part with the one you have? If so, please contact me at lhcates@hotmail.com. Thanks.

Larry Cates
Chapter Head
Texas/Gulf Coast Inliners

Sorry, but mine is balanced for an engine that I have yet to put together. I'll look around and see if I can come up with one. They do turn up on Ebay somewhat regularly...
Otherwise, you could have a machine shop redrill one for you. If the old holes fall within the path of the 11" disc, make sure they plug the old holes, and of course, resurface it.

What are you doing for a bellhousing? I'm not sure a '41 bell will fit an 11" pressure plate??

As I recall, I got my flywheel from Jim Carter Truck Parts. They do sell used parts as well as new. Give them a call...

Gearhead,

I'm using a '53 truck bell-housing with a T-5. My motor came out of a '56 Pontiac sedan-delivery and I have the 12v starter from that motor. Do you have the number for Jim Carter Truck Parts? I have three 6v flywheels with 139 teeth. When you lay the 11in. pressure plate on them, the mounting holes seem too close to the edge for re-drilling and part of the pressure plate sticks out over the edge,also. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.

Larry

Canadian Poncho in Texas? long way from home...

I'm refering to redrilling a 168 12v flywheel, not the 139...
You can't use the 139 with a 12 volt starter anyway.

In other words, if you can get a 55-62 flywheel that has a smaller plate, you could redrill that.
You shouldn't really need to do that though, it's the optrion of last resort.

Just to round out the discussion,
If you wanted to keep the 6 volt starter and 139 tooth flywheel, they did use an 11" 9 bolt setup for a couple years before switching to 12 volts, but they are a little harder to find. If you were to do this, I would recoomend redrilling it to use the later 6 bolt pressure plate instead as they are cheaper and easier to get. I've had problems in the past with the way they rebuild those 9 bolt plates.

http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/cgi/htmlos.exe/start.htm

Thanks Gearhead,

No, the Poncho came from Washington State. I bought the engine when we lived in Seattle. We just moved to Texas a little over a year ago. If you do run onto one of those flywheels please let me know. Thanks again.