VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 6 cylinder in a 1928

Ive recently stripped down my 1928 engine and it is beyond economic repair. These engines are somewhat rare in the UK but the Chevy 6 cylinders are far more common, is it possible to fit one together with its gearbox in a 1928 car? I know the car was lengthened in this year to fit the 6 the year after.

I am possibly looking at a 6 from a 1955 car, it will obviously need a detune but has a manual gearbox, not sure if 3 or 4 speed.

Hi,

I have seen pictures of a 28 with a 6-cyl in it. I think the car was in Australia. It did not look good and required many cuts and patches to get it in there. I have often thought of doing something like that, but don't have the time to mess around.

The gearbox should not be a problem. I have a 28 engine just bolted into early six gearbox I also have a LQ gearbox that is virtually identical with the earlier LP gearbox. Even the cast numbers are the same. The early sixes have the notch cut to the firewall to fit the engine, so the -28 firewall has to be mutilated, I guess, among other little things that are surprisingly faced during the project. But hey, that is what the modifying is all about, facing and solving unexpected problems.

Four cylinder engines are very common finds in Northern Europe, especially -28:s. Bodies are long gone and Chevies in general have never been that popular projects compared to Fords. You in Britainn have had such a strong domestic production instead.

I can do a tidy job cutting and changing the firewall, i would intend to use the gearbox from the stovebolt 6 (the manual 1954-5 one) will this fit onto the axel drive shaft of the 28? Also would the combined unit be too long to do this?

cooling, is the orig rad sufficient? i would plan to de-tune the engine by limiting rpm and lowering compression ratio to make it more like the 1929 engine.

The overall length of the engine/transmission might? be the same,but the '28 tailshaft will be different in size & splines.
You'll probably have to shorten & re-cut the tailshaft splines(assuming they are the same size),as well as the '28 torque tube.
Then if it does all fit,the '55 engine will most likely to have too much torque and you'll be snapping axles.But the most important thing to worry about - Brakes!,forget about the cooling system!The original mechanical brakes won't have a hope of pulling the car up,no matter how much you de-tune the engine.
Just how bad is your engine?It may be cheaper(and a whole lot less of a headache)to try advertising for a good repairable '28 engine.

Has anybody considered using a later year4 cylinder engine. Several boat builders used a 4 cylinder Mercruiser motor made by Chevrolet. Another option may be the a 4 cylinder motor from a 1960's era Chevrolet Nova. Has anybody done this? It could be an interesting transplant.

ChemEng.

It's one thing to get the car going,I'd be more worried about stopping,especially if someone pulled out in front of you.You've got to drive these cars as if you've no brakes at all,very defensively,especially in traffic.

One of our members out on the LEFT coast has placed a 4-cyl Nova in a 1925 roadster and drives it all over. Looks very stock except for the folding top. Just don't look right. For the long tours he changes the front tires and places it on a dolly behind the motor home.