VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 1955 235 cid in 1954 body

I have a rebuilt 1955 235 engine with the motor mounts at the front of engine and would like to know if there is a adapter kit that would allow me to put this engine in a 1954 210 that has the engine mounts further back on the engine?

The 1955 engine you have must be out of a truck 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton, if the motor mounts are on the front. Check the engine block for the bosses on each side for the side mounts. There is some internal diferences between truck engines and passanger car engines. I am not sure which year truck engines had the bosses on them or not. If the block does not have the sidemount bosses they can be drilled and tapped, but the location on the block is critical.

If the engine is from a 1955-57 passenger car it will have a bracket bolted up to either side of the front of the block. It will not mount from the front engine plate. It will have no provisions for the side mount brackets used in 1954.
My thoughts are the front could be mounted as a 1949-51 car is. There would need to be holes drilled in the front mounting plate and holes drilled into the front crossmember. This will require a matching larger hole on the bottom of the crossmember to allow the bolts to be passed through. These holes or openings may already be in the crossmember as well as the depressions on top of the member for the actual bolt holes. The next problem though will be is that this system requires some type of side support at the front of the bellhousng to keep the engine from rocking side wards.
In a long run I see no decent way to mount the engine in a 1952-54 chassis.

Thats the answer I have been getting from other sources here in Alabama. I have a 54 block that I can put the rebuilt 55 engine guts into. Just thought I would try and save alittle time

David
I built a motor mount for my 54 hardtop using a 57 motor. It had the motor mounts the same as the 55. I built this mount to bolt into the 54 frame, no cutting or welding needed incase I wanted to go back to the original 54 motor, which I eventually did. I will see if I can find it and show you how I built it. You will need a welder, some flat Iron metal, A round piece of metal stock and original motor mounts for a 55. The other trick is to use a 54 fan pulley on your 55 water pump. You cut the pump shaft and press on the 54 pulley. You don't need to cut up the radiator housing that way.
Best of luck. I'll be back to you in a day or so.
jaykinder@aol.com

jaybob

Give Tom Langdon a call @ Langdon Stovebolt. 1-586-739-9601. He has all the info you need and offers a kit to mount that '55 in the '54. Great guy to talk to.