The 216 heads are held down by 15 bolts. The 235's have 18. The head
casting number ending in 848 are considered the 'good ones'(235).. See
archives for discussion on this. Per another recent post, there are 216
look a like valve covers for the 235 for those that want to make their 235's
look like 216s.
It would be worth your while to pull the starter and verify the casting date
on the block, per Jim's post, to verify the casting date. The s/n by the
distributor will tell you where is was cast and for what type of vehicle.
Love those Stovebolts!
<><
Whitney Haist
Orinda, CA
Chevy trucks: 2-'46s & a '39
www.jps.net/haist/artdeco.htm <http://www.jps.net/haist/artdeco.htm>
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-oletrucks@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Justin C. Earl
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2001 5:40 PM
To: Truck List
Subject: [oletrucks] Mystery Motor (216 or 235?)
Hi all!
I believe my '51 one ton should have a 216 originally. In an early post,
someone mentioned the 216 has 2 bolts in the center of the valve cover,
while the 235 has 4 bolts on the sides of the cover. My motor has the 235
style valve cover. According to the shop manual (I finally got one!), the
bore for the 216 is 3 1/2 inches and the 235 is supposed to be 3 9/16
inches. I measured the bore with nothing more accurate than a steel tape
measure and it looks like exactly 3 1/2 inches and would imply this is a
216.
Here are the numbers:
Head: 3836848
Block: 3769716
Truck VIN: 8JSE-1849 (and says it is 85 hp at 3300 rpm on door plate)
(The 9 in the block number might be "iffy"... it's hard to see the number)
Here are the questions:
What motor do I have here and is it original to this truck?
If it has the old babbit style bearing, what are the problems with these
bearings? (everyone seems down on babbit motors)
Are the heads interchangeable for the 216 and 235 and if so, do I possibly
have a 216 motor but the head has been replaced with one from a 235?
The valve train looks pretty heat scored and someone on the list mentioned
poor top end oiling of these old motors... is there a fix, kludge or
aftermarket solution for this?
On a side note, I really like the retro performance stuff for these motors
(such as in the Chevy Duty catalog) and so I'm definitely going to stick
with one of these old stovebolts. Is this motor in my truck now the motor
to go with or should I find a different motor to rebuild?
Thanks for the help!
-Justin Earl
'51 Chevy 3800 dually
Cartersville, GA
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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