VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 1953 - 1954 235's

I understand a 53 (Bel Air or 210 or any model) with a Powerglide would be (should be) a full pressure 235. What I'm wondering is, would the valve cover look like the one in my 54 - or would it look like the valve cover on a 216 with the sort of rounded top?? And the 2 studs running up thru the valve cover??

Also, what internal differences ( if any ) would there be between a 53 235 with PG and 54 235, whether PG or 3 speed??

Also, would the 53 235 with PG have the "hi test" starter; like a 54 PG??

Obviously I don't seem to have too good of a handle on those FP 53 235's......

Thanks.

Bill.

All 1953 235 engines used the same cylinder heads and valve covers.The full pressure engine was blue and the dipper engine gray.The dipper also had the little tin plate retained by 3 screws on the lower left side.
All 1954 engines had the new style valve cover.It made for two improvements.Better gasket sealing and reduced "tappet" noise on the solid lifter engies.The 1953 235 with solids were extra noisey in the valve department and Chevrolet had a few "fixes" for those who complained.

The 1954 engine had improved pistons with the pins off-set to help eleminate cold engine piston slap.That was a '53 PG complaint.The 1954 PG engine had a high lift camshaft.Thats how the power went up from 115 to 125 HP....power was increased at higher engine RPM's.The cam made other changes necessary.The larger lobes required larger cam bearing so the cam would pass thru the bearings.The rocker arms were made stronger and the valve springs stronger to eleminate valve float.The PG also had better quality exhaust valves to eleminate the valve burning problem in the 235 engine that began in 1950.The 1954 stick did not have a high lft cam and the early engines had the small cam bearing (although was not necessary with the cam).
The valve burning problem with the early hydraulic lifter engines was actually caused by the lifter sticking in the "plunger up" position when driven at high speeds causing the valves to not close completely.The later better oils cured this problem.If the car hadn't been operated at high speed for some time and was taken out on the highway the sticking lifters would cause a real rough idle.We were grinding valves at 20 to 30,000 miles on some cars.My present 1950 has over 50,000 and the head has never been of.Most of the miles are highway and put on in the later years with better oils.
From my info the first to use the better starter was the 1953 as there were no "new" field coils listed in the 1953 parts book.

The 53 standard shift and the powerglide valve covers are the 216 style with the two stud hold down bolts.

The 53 starters auto and standard and the 53 and early 54 Corvette have an ID number of 1107109

The 54 Automatic and the late 54 Corvette have an ID # of 1108035
I can't see any difference in the 53 powerglide starter and the 54 starter. I have a 54 powerglide engine and also a 53 powerglide engine on stands in my shop, the only way I can physically tell the difference is the 54 has the 4 bolts on the valve cover, the 53 does not and the head and block casting and engine numbers are different.

Which I have been told is the "high test starter" and can be identified because the two thru bolts are rotated to accommodate the hi-test fields. The Starter guru in Dallas told me he can make a "high test starter" by modifying the older starters. I haven't needed the extra power in my standard shift car which has a replacement high pressure 235 engine.

(Gene and I were typing about the same time, I am slower)

The 1108035 starter is easily identified by the 4 fields.

Starters and generators are very difficult to identify because the rebuild shops chopped the data plate off and discarded it. They then placed their own number on the item, which in many cases, would fit more applications than what was originally on the data plate.

I believe the high output starter number was 1108035, I have one in my 50 Chev with a 1959 235, they had 4 fields.

Do I hear an echo?

Hi Ray,

The reply from Chevgene looks completely accurate to me. I mostly mess with 53s, but parted out a 54 3 speed and that came with solid lifters. There were two part numbers for 53 P.G. hydraulic lifters.

Tom Wertenberger, chevrolet1953@msn.com

The original 1953 Hyd. lifter has three oil fill holes on the sides. That was later discontinued and replaced by the 1950-52 Hyd. lifter. which ha one larger hole.
The 1954 lifters were changed and a spring was added to the check ball. Also the 1954 and up lifters were made from a better material to be compatable with the new cast iron cam. The previous cams were forged steel.
The early 1954 solid lifter engines had a forges cam. The later engines had the cast cam and larger cam journals.