Info needed: Chevrolet 235 c.i. conversion for CMP

[Dave Newcomb]

4 different cyl heads available;
3836848 79.1 cc's 58-62 years
5913 86.2
6850 86.2
3703570 92.5 cc's combustion chamber
From Inliners International Club [Chev engine experts in USA]
Dave in Oregon

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thanks again for the load of info. It’s clear many conversions of this sort have been done. Relocating filters and swapping pump and pulleys etc. sound all very doable. I have a donor 216 with RHD bell housing which could be swapped over.

As this engine is already fully rebuilt it would be worth doing these conversion jobs. I’ll try to get some more photos and have a look at the engine in person.

[Bob Carriere]

That explains why the XXXX848 heads have higher compression and the best to have.......

...and shaving the heads on the Chev engines is almost impossible and better to true up and shave the block surface.....

Thanks Dave


Bob C

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Went to have a look at the engine and I liked what I saw so I bought it.

It was advertised as a 1954 235 c.i. truck engine with solid lifters. The block casting number deciphers it as a 1958-1962 235 block. It has the 1956-1962 3836848 high compression head.

Now to pick it up and convert it to CMP standard.

IMG_9749_resized.jpg IMG_9750_resized.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

I picked up the fully rebuilt engine last week, now looking at it and online sources to get to know the differences between the 216 and the 235 cu.in. engines, mostly to determine what needs to be converted to fit it in my C15 4x2. The previous owner rebuilt this 235 c.i. with a SM420 4-speed transmission/ gearbox with crawler 1st gear and synchro on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear. He was planning to fit this in his 1932 Packard 900 Coupe Roadster. He had sent away the Packard engine to be rebuilt with cast white metal bearings etc. As this was taking a very long time, he decided to rebuild a Chevrolet engine as he has the skills and spares to work on these. Of course, as things go, by the time he had the Chevrolet engine done, the rebuilt 320 c.i. 8-cylinder Packard engine showed up in his workshop after four years at the rebuilder.

I reckon the overall length of the SM420 gearbox is pretty much the same as the wartime non-synchro one in the C15. If it is longer, that's no problem as I can shorten the drive shaft (I have a spare somewhere).

Still need to figure out if the rear engine mounts are compatible to the setup in the C15. Front engine mount is the center one. Not sure if I need/ want to convert the water pump. RHD gas pedal linkage to be swapped over from spare.

Plus I need to figure out if I fit the RHD bell housing off a CMP - would it swap over using this gearbox? Else I have to convert the current one to a right hand clutch fork as per Phil's instructions.

IMG_9985.jpg

[Harry Moon]

that bellhousing doesn't have the proper mounts so converting it to right hand won't fix that.