Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines engine/trans question

I have a'55 chevy(55,000 miles) that was originally a 283/3speed I want opinions on which 6 cylinder and trans to put in this car. It will be used for freeway work and back driving. Any ideas will be appreciated

A 261" truck engine would be a good choice as it is almost a "bolt in deal" if you want an "orginal look."

However; The choice is yours, as the later 292" will fit too. All the later OD transmissions fit that as well which many like these days.

Good luck, John M., #3370...

I am not after the original look just a combo that will take me down the expressway at 80 mph. As I have alway fooled with chev V8 What years do I look for in a 292 and what for a overdrive trans I really want to keep "3 pedals" rods have 3 pedals Thanks for the reply

Well the 292 +.060= 320 CID so that will work really well as It's a 'low end' (truck) engine. These were used in Chevrolet trucks throught the late 60s into the 70s. Perhaps later as well. The actual year doesn't really matter, just check the truck Salvage Yards. The SBC Bell Housing fits it etc.

Most of the newer OD transmissions fit this too.

JM....

You can use the original bellhousing from your 283 on the 292 and use a later model Camaro T-5 5 spd trans. Work good if you aren't hammering every day. You will have to make up the side mounts for the 292 but they might even be availble aftermarket if you search for them. Either headers or a set of cast iron duals from Tom Langdon at Stovebolt Engineering along with an aluminum intake and one of Tom's Holley-Weber 2 bbls. Lumpier cam is optional. HEI is a definite benefit. That is the setup I have in my 1965 Chev Pickup which hopefully makes it to the road in the next month or so.

I have some questions for you first...

Why are you looking to swap the 283 for a six?

Are you willing to rebuild an engine, or just find something that runs good and "drop it in"?

You say you want to stay with the stick shift. Do you want to stay with the column shift, or do you want to go to a floor shift?

You want to do 80 mph comfortably. This means gearing is going to be an issue. Either by using overdrive, or changing out the rearend to a lower gear ratio, or both. Your answer to question #2 will help determine this.

Are you planning on "hot rodding" the engine, or just running stock?

There are alot of little "gottcha" things that will need to be addressed, but which things, depends on your answers.

My current 265V8/3speed runs fine at 55/60 mph but over that I am working this combo to hard at expressway speeds. My idea to change to a 6cyl w/overdrive I think will be more suited to my driving and I will have something not so common. I would be for rebuilding if the right engine cme along. My desire is to have a mildly rodded 6cyl(headers,2 carb intake,maybe bore and mild cam,with a overdrive shifted from the floor. My car is stock(55000 miles with frontend rebuild, discs brakes, electric wipers, radio/speaker upgrade) I guess you could say after 30 years of messing with old cars(nevera 6cyl I can't leave well enough alone. Also I want an engine I can run a AC compressor off of(ever been to Oklahoma in teh summer?) any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Paul

Sounds like the main issue is too many rpm's for the speed you want to run. Changing the rearend would be the easiest solution to this. If you are looking to stay with 6 lug rims, 3.07 gears were used from 63-66 in 1/2 tons and should be allright for width. Not sure if the 67-up rearends are too wide or not. Some have used full size Blazer rearends also. Not sure if the yoke size will be the same as what you have or not, likewise for E-brake cables. If you plan on hopping up the engine later on, especially if it's a six, you may find the 3.07 a little tall from a dead stop, but you can offset this by using a T5 tranny with a 3.50 or 4.03 first gear, no problem. Keep in mind the S10 is the only version of the T5 with the shifter not located on the end of the tailshaft, should the rear shifter position be a problem for you. Also keep in mind that the T5 is longer than your existing 3spd, and has a different spline count, so you're looking at a different driveshaft if you go with the T5 (or any newer tranny for that matter).

As for changing to a six, the 55-62 235/261's would be what came in that truck originally, and therefore would require only bolt-in changes in parts, but that means everything ahead of the tranny, as the V8 bellhousing is different than the 62-earlier sixes. The 63-up 230/250/292 sixes are the better engines, can be used with your existing bellhousing, etc... but will need to have motor mounts made or possibly someone makes a kit for this, I haven't looked...
A 230 or 250 is the most likely to be found in good running order for cheap, the 292 will be a little harder, the 235/261's are likely going to need rebuilding just because of how old they are by now, but you may get lucky.
you aren't likely to see any real improvement in gas milage over a 265 2bbl. that is in proper tune. Driving the speed limit instead of 80, with the lower ratio rearend will do the most good for milage.
There's is more that could be said, but I would rather answer specific questions than to write a book that covers every angle, at least for now.

Your right, It's 302 not 320 CID.

Thanks, John M....

For some reason I thought we were talking about a truck. no matter, if a car, then disregard the rearend choices. A 3.08 center section can be had for the 55-64 rearend fairly easily. Look at 59-64 for the 3.08.
3.36 and 3.55 are also easy to come by, but you'll want the overdrive then to run at those speeds comfortably.

May be a silly idea, but if you post on a tri-5 website you might just find someone who will give you a complete 6 cyl drive train out of 55-57 with all of the brackets, linkages etc. You may luck into an original overdrive. If you get these pieces and find a 261 it would be a very cool combo.

I am a later motor fan, but there is something about a 261 in a 55.....