VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1958-1960 1958 biscayne

i just bought a 58 and have a lot of questions ''ohh by the way i am new here lol.. anyway
1st can i use the electronic points ??
2nd and i need a shop manual is there one on line ?
3rd what about the valves are they hyd or solid ??? i need to adjust them i guess

thanks guys i will be searching a lot

Hi lilrobo -

An ex-Kentuckian here, from Bowling Green.

I don't have a '58, but I did some searching for manuals ...

> '58 Shop Manual - I didn't find one free on-line. These are available from the Car & Truck Shop and probably other suppliers:
'58 Shop Manual - $20; '58 wiring diagram - $6
http://www.truckandcarshop.com/58-72car/c58_215.html

> 1955 Chevrolet Passenger Car Shop Manual
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1955/index.html

> 1959 1960 Chevrolet Passenger Car Shop Manual Supplement
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1959_60/index.htm

> '58 Owners Manual
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyowner/58omindex.htm

> '58 Specifications
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/58index.htm

> 1958 Chevrolet Parts and Accessories Supplement
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/1958chevyparts/index.htm

> Keith Hardy's OLD ONLINE CHEVY MANUALS
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/
Scroll down to the window "Manuals, Booklets, etc. Listed in order of Year" to search for items specifically for 1958.

- Lonnie

so would a shop manual be the best???

Yes.

In my opinion, yes. The 1958 Shop Manual for cars is the best source of info for most problems that you will encounter. Well worth $20. Even a dufus like me can read and follow the instructions to fix a problem. Go ahead an buy a wiring diagram at the same time.

Don't know if a Factory Assembly Manual is available for '58 automobiles. If it is, that would be my second purchase.

The 1958 Specifications ( http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/58index.htm
) has numbers info, adjustment specs, and a world of other information about your car. The same specs can also also be downloaded from the GM Heritage Center ( http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-heritage-archive/docs/Chevrolet/1958-Chevrolet.pdf ). The info on the oldcarmanualproject site is much easier to use. You can buy a "restoration pack" with the info from the GM Heritage Center for $50, but the on-line link is good enough. The printed pack was free from GM about 10-15 years ago.

The on-line '58 owners manual gives a good overview of operating your car. Reprints are available. Nice to have in your glove box for "show."

I bought an Accessories Installation Manual for my '54 pickup that has been valuable and worth the cost. Don't know if a similar book is available for '58 cars.

The rest of the links that I listed are nice-to-have, not necessarily need-to-have. But you can never have too much info.

- Lonnie

where is the best place to get it ? there is wiring in it also ??

thanks

update ,, i was able to fix the temp .. it was the sending unit i changed it and now it reads just a little past halfway i saw it raise when i had it off for a few min and it came back down
one of many fixes to come

well i thought i had everything fixed ,,, well i was about 15 miles out ( it was hot ) and it start ticking again real loud so i limped on to our restaurant and i check out the engine department and i saw anti freeze around the radiator and a large spot of oil underneath so after we eat i got 3 large water to go ( for radiator ) and started it up and it sounded fine until, about 15 miles back and it started again,, i made it back home, i guess i need lifters they just not holding pressure i guess .
so i will need to fix the rear seal, flush rad ( or replace ) add fan shroud ( maybe ) and work on lifters....

so back to work huhh

well i drove the car today, and started ticking loud , i brought in the garage and adjusted the valves she quieten down nice , wait until i turned it off and guess what right back the ticking was there ,, i am ordering a set come mon , i think i have developed a knock now ,,( 1 thing after another ) could be a wrist pin or a rod ,, what would you guys do redo the motor or change it to a v8

thanks

update

well i check the oil pressure
cold is 40 psi
hot about 5
i guess i need a oil pump ????

What oil are you using? The amount of drop in pressure indicates excessive wear in the engine. It could be the pump but more likely main bearings and other gaps that have a big affect on oil pressure.

i was using rotella 30w ,i almost have the oil pan off now i want to see the pump and screen , so you seem to think that the pump is ok??? because i have 40 psi to start with and as the engine warms up it drops, cause i guess that if the pump is bad i would have bad pressure all the time ??

That is what I was thinking. Typically if the oil pump has problems the pressures are not up to normal under all conditions. Oil pumps are not normally a problem but can be. Of course heat can be a cause of pressure loss as well as leakage.

i cant the pan out lol i have jacked the motor all the way up and i dont see how it can come out , the main member in the front is blocking it i dont know what else to do.i have --
removed the motor mounts ( both sides )
removed the tranny bolts ( 2 )
removed the rad hoses ( up and lower )
the pan is lose but wont come out lol
i'll keep trying
ohh i am jacking it by the tranny is that ok ???

Does it make a differnce were you jack it up ?..

You can turn the engine over and get more clearance for the throws on the crankshaft.

the pan is hitting the tranny

lilrobo, you are lifting the motor from the top, yes? The '58 model was the first year where oil pan removal required an very long procedure because Chevy enlarged the front crossmember. Both engine AND tranny must be drained and everything disconnected. RAdiator must come out, driveshaft disconnected and slid back, TRanny support crossmember removed then depending on the type of engine hoist you use the motor can be lifted high enough for the pan to clear crossmember, crank throws and oil sump. UNFORTUNATELY, many hoists, even cherry picker types bump the hood as you lift so attach the lift arm as close as possible to the motor. I remember removing the hood anyway because it makes all the disconnecting easier. If you do pull the hood be sure to scribe around the hinge connection so easier to replace.
Actually, I remember pulling the motor totally out since all the 'work' was already done. Your frustration level is probably pretty high at this point-----part of auto mechanics. It don't get any easier on the new ones!
DFC

i was lifting the motor at the front right in front of oil pan , the pan is sitting on cross member and hitting the tranny ,,so your saying that motor has to come out ??? right now the tranny is hitting firewall ,, i hate the motor has to come out . wow

yeah i am doing research on the oil pan,, i dont see how it will come out, turning the motor isnt the problem , its hitting the tranny looks like it needs to go up about 2 more inches , it up now about 2 or more got me

had an old man tell me i might have to jack the tranny up a little as well as the motor , i'll see this evening ,, i need a little luck

if I remember correctly the pan could be dropped much more easily with the standard transmission but did require some fanagling also.

oil pan 1 me 0,, i put the pan back on , i will live another day to fight lol

Hey guys,i found a 327 motor, came for a 60's truck or something like that , he said i could have and try it and if i like it pay him 150 if not bring it back and pay nothing ,,,you guys think it might be ok to try ? He says it needs a carb, it floods bad now. I know i will have to change motor mounts,,and do pips ,, what else, will the linkage work for tranny ?

Thanks guys

lilrobo, if you have never heard this 327 run, it may be no better than the 235 and you will put alot of $ and work into putting it in your car.Unless you trust the seller a whole lot a money back guarantee is no good deal from my view. The tranny kick down rod on a V8 is different from your six but that change is only one of many this swap requires.It will keep you out in the garage alot and running to the parts store.
DFC

I feel pretty good about this guy, he is a good friend of my good friend,, and he trust him, never the less you are right,iknow there is goung to be lot of changes,, but for the most part
Kick down lever
Pipes
Motor mounts
Are what i am thinking,,
the rad is the same no ?
the elect is still the same ?
I just added oil (40w) and the oil pressure is looking getter, hot its 15 lbs, i do have a small oil leak i am guessing from the oil pan cause i couldn,t get sealent there, but small though,i just dont know,he is only wanting 150 for the motor complete even if i got it and done a slow rebuild on it ? It would be a good motor, like i said i just dont know
Thanks for helping so much i do need it

lilrobo,
The 327 is a great motor and maybe you will get lucky and this one is okay as is. I rebuilt a 327 in my '68 about 2 years ago, it was pumping oil past the rings,valves and lifters bad.It cost me roughly $1000 for machining and parts and since the motor was out rebuilt the powerglide, another $400. Just pointing out that the time/$ can get big. The 60s small block motors seldom ran well past 100K miles. Also,unless the 327 comes with a good flexplate/starter ringgear I think you will buy a new one. I owned a '58 with abig block 348 way back (loved it) and it cooled well with the big radiator.I thought the 235 had a smaller rad -my memory ain't what it was so perhaps one of the other chat folks remembers. You might want that rad cleaned out anyway after 54 years. New front seal a must on the tranny. Lots of little things to consider. Maybe better driving it with the 6 for awhile unless you have a fat wallet and want more grease under your fingernails?
DFC

yeah your right ,,i do need to rebuild the tranny while its out ,,i will get the flex plate and things i would say , he seems like a great old man, and yeah the rad is another thing i will get later on down the road, i could just rebuild the 6 cyl but i am told that can get costly also and the 350 would be the way to go ,,i will do some more research on the 327 i just want to make sure that i dont have anything hidden that pops up on me

again thanks for all the info

As they say....."you get what you pay for".
Beware of the easy way out

I know , getting leary now, icould just the motor and rebuild it before it goes in,,i know then i would have a good motor ,, but the tranny is getting me ,,i could do the motor and then find a tranny to go with that ,,a nd install them both ,,,i just dont know , could be like quick sand ?

A guy sent me this
When I ran the numbers on the engine I believe it said 1958 to 1962 passenger car, the 4 digit code for the date ended in "zero" that indicated it was built in 1960.The engine Number is 375659 and the date code is J280--look it up.

This is for a 283 motor he is asking 350 ,you know i am looking for something simple ,dont see why the 283 wont just bolt up, being tha it came from a 1960 it should have the same tranny( cast iron ), even if i took my time and rebuild it before hand ?

Thansk guys

You may want to check out the engine on the FOR SALE forum.

A 1957 block would be difficult to bolt in due to the motor mount changes.

yeah i say that would be hard ,, but i don't understand why a 1960 v8 wouldn't work i know the tranny is a little different i was told that the clutches are different but the bolt pattern is the same
The engine Number is 375659 and the date code is J280
says it came from a 1960 and a 283 ??

A guy sent me this
When I ran the numbers on the engine I believe it said 1958 to 1962 passenger car, the 4 digit code for the date ended in "zero" that indicated it was built in 1960.The engine Number is 375659 and the date code is J280--look it up.

This is for a 283 motor he is asking 350 ,you know i am looking for something simple ,dont see why the 283 wont just bolt up, being tha it came from a 1960 it should have the same tranny( cast iron ), even if i took my time and rebuild it before hand ?

Thansk guys

The above is the same information that you already posted earlier today.

sorry about that
here is what i know so far 283 was 57-67, 327 was 62-69 so i have 2 choices 283 or rebuild mine ,i sure have learned a lot in the last few days you guys have been a great help thanks you all , now i have to make up my mind

thanks again

Just to add my prejudice to the discussion. If it were mine I would keep the six. Two reasons: 1 - it was originally built that way. 2 - you don't see many sixes as too many have switched to V-8s thinking that they are improving the vehicle. In fact the six will get better gas mileage and has the drivability of the V-8 only lacking a bit on towing.

How may people will stare or comment on a V-8 in a '58? Not nearly as many as for the six!

very good point chipper, i was just going by what i was told by engin builder he said about 1100 for short block and he could do a sb v8 complete for that ,, but you are right it dose look better,, i am talking to this guy about the 283 if the price is right i might ,, it would still look original ,, but anyay thanks for the input well noted
thanks

looks like ii went with a v8 all i would have to get is a adapt ring ,if i go with v8 dont know yet

thanks

well looks like the starter, flex plate, and mounts are the same on the i6 and v8(283) i just all the parts up and they have the same part number , so looking good for far,, only thing so far is linkage and pips

i took betesy( my 58 biscayne ) out for a speen today she ran pretty good , i still could hear the rattle noise mainly after she got hot ,, but never the less went for a hour drive, she did good but seems like she was a little hotter than normal,, here is a pic of the temp hand you guys tell me

I'd be getting a bit nervous if mine was that warm. You might want to check the ignition timing, that can cause it to run on the warm side. Don

I have tryed its hard to see the dot on flywheel ,, i need to see how its done also.
I will change the stat and flush the block also
Thanks

i got the stat out and it looks OEM its a 180 i got a 160 to go back , is there any way i can flush the engine ??

i hat to cut the hose and install that kit it looks tacky

how do you read engine code i have one that i am looking at
283 Part #375659 J280
R/H Head # is 3774682 , has K30 and GM with the number 11 under it.
L/H Head # is 3774682 , has K20 and GM with the number 2 under it
F1104D is on the flat area of the block forward of the r/h head. No intake or carb i can get it for 250 maybe less maybe 200
what do you think ??

Do a google search for : Chevrolet engine numbers and engine casting numbers. Here is a good one for Chevrolet V/8 engines:
Chevrolet engine casting numbers just plug in the number in the search box, or scroll down until you find the number.
By the way the block part number is not the casting number. but the head # 3774682 shows a 60-68 283/327 head

i think he left a number off its 3756519, he left the 1 out , now it show to be a 58-62 283 2 bolt, i might try to talk him down a little

yeap he left out the 1 ,, it should fit ????
took betsey out for another spin after i flushed the rad and engine block and installed a 160 stat ,, and now it runs about the 5/8 spot not as hot as it was i dont think never the less i am thinking about having it looked at ,also i tighten the belt a little too, i think i need a fan shroud that could make the difference dont know, i hate to do a elect fan it takes away for the look dont you think

On a hot day a temp reading of just past mid scale is not bad, as long as it stays constand while you are at normal driving speed.
Have you checked out the ignition timing and the working of the vacuum advance? This can effect the engine running temperature.

is the fan shroud the same on 235 cars and trucks ?? i can make one if they are the same no problem my son can powder coat it be great

What makes you think you need a fan shroud?

Will dont know ,, i thought all had a shroud , i figured it would help, i am going to take the rad out and take it in and have it check out flow and all,,and go from there,maybe i need a water pump , i am going to check it also with a inferred gauge too
no i haven't done anything with timing i tried to with a timing light but had no luck its hard to see the little dot through the hole on bell housing

Thanks

Well I hope you aren't chasing a ghost, there may be nothing wrong with your car. Is your car airconditioned?
Are you running a 50% water, 50% coolant mix? has the radiator boiled over, are you loseing a lot of coolant?.... Remember that a car without a overflow tank should not stay 100% full, due to expansion, I say my car is ok if I can touth the fluid 3 or 4 inches down in the radiator, after a 45 minute or one hour drive. Maybe the temp gauge is off?

No a/c, and running about 50- 50 never boiled over , i did see it puke once thats when i heard a few more noises ,,, but all in all i can handle the temp thing, could be be abad water pump, we changed one on my sosn 65 stang and the impellars was rusted just about off we did a water pump and a northern all alum rad with elect fan and he has all guages and he ran the other day and he was 205 but it was really hot i say 97 or close , but whats gets me is the rattle noise i have right befor the shift from low to high ,i guess it will worse before it goes out ,i just want to drive this car, i love driving it ,, i am going to check it with a temp gun , when it stops rainning , we went from 2 weeks od 100 deg now to rain for 4 days lol
Ohh were is your gauge when normal ?

Thanks

My 53 runs about in the center of the gauge, the 68 does not have a gauge an idiot light.

well i will check mine again hope it was just the weather real hot was the problem ..
thanks

been looking and trying to figure out the timing ,, i see the dizzy moves when you give it gas ,,i guess there is a bolt or screw that you loosen to adjust it , i know there is a dot on fly wheel and you see through the hole in bell housing is there another way to do this i can't see the dot for some reason

You may need to slowly turn the flywheel or flexplate until the dot shows up in the window. Then mark it with a dab of white paint so you can more easily see it.

update:
took betsey for a date tonight ( food and a movie) worries me about leaving her in parking lot while in movie it was great , ran a little past halfway on temp gauge going down there but it was kind a warm , coming home it was a little below half bujt it was 10 pm too ,, so i think i will get the rad boiled and cleaned and maybe do a water pump , we did a water pump on a toyota once and half the blades was gone ,, and i will check the timming out too
thanks guy for putting up with me

I doubt that you will find the 235 too simular inside to the Toyoto. I think that you want to get inside the 235 and see what makes it tick, good luck.

i am just talking about the impellers could be rusted away ??? never know

never seen that in a 235, only a seal ogoing out and leaking or a bearing, bushing squealing.

update:
her is what i have now on temps
top of rad 148
stat housing 171
sending unit 192
top of head 209
front of rad 142
think i will get the rad boiled and cleaned and add a new water pump and check again what you think ???

update:
the rad was only 50% they got it to 85 they said , so that should help now i am going to replace the water also while the rad is out in doing so i found this


looks like it wouldn't been long before it went so i am going to replace it if i rebuild this motor i can always re use it once i get it in i am going to do more temp reading and see

thanks guys

well i got a new water pump but the heater port is too small its a reman water pump , i am guessing it can off something else so i had them to order another one and what that is , the new one is 3/8 pipe thread and i needed 1/2 go figure , i cant wait to see what my new temp is

let you know

well been driving all weekend ans seems like the temp is a little better, it still gets a little hotter when sitting idling for a long period of time , that could be from the low oil pressure , but all in all it does run cooler all the time it stayed straight up and down ,( but the time i was idling for a long time , the other day it was just hot too , alot of my trouble is low oil pressure i guess, if i had better pressure i am guessing it would run cooler ,, winter time i will rebuild it and stay with the 235 unless something happens

thanks

Would a 235 from a truck that had a 3 speed tranny fit into my car i could get it now and slowly rebuild it now

It would need the boses for the side motor mount brackets to bolt it in place..

What are they?

Does your car have a fan shroud? You might also want to find another fan and compare it to yours and make sure that the blades are not bent or even possibly the fan could be on backwards?

Never thought about that,,, i will check it out,, i say its becaue of bad bearings ?

Thanks

The 6 cyl. never ad a shroud. The fan is unnecessary over 40 MPH

Would it be too abnormal to remove the fan add a electric fan? W did on my sons mustang it works great, but its a alumi rad with elect fan
Thanks

lilrobo, it doesn't seem like you would gain that much cooling replacing the engine powered fan with an electric. Pretty expensive too. If you are concerned with overheating in slow traffic a PUSHER fan in front of the radiator works well for me on my '49 panel truck. I got it out of a 90's pickup truck in a salvage yard for $20 and built brackets to attach it to the radiator surround. Remember, the fan has to be designed to push air through the radiator. I wired mine to turn on manually by a switch in a spare hole in the dash. Power comes the accessory side of the ign. switch and i used a relay so the corrent threw the ign. switch is low. You can also buy thermal switches that attach to the radiator so the fan comes on automatically when the water temp exceeds about210 or so.
I needed to do that because I added air conditioning and tow with it. But I agree with Gene, you really shoudn't need it with your '58. Anyway, its an idea if your convinced there is a problem.

yeah that what i will have to do , add a pusher and just turn it on as needed ?? like in slow traffic ,,