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
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