Reproduction Parts for 1916-1964 Chevrolet Passenger Cars & 1918-1987 Chevrolet & GMC Trucks


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#204031 04/16/11 07:24 PM
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The 235 in my 37 p/u has a noise thats internal and wont have the time to fix it untill winter,if I cant find another good 235 I am considering a 216 since I could probably get a good one free,cheap or paid to haul it off and get me back on the road quicker. My 37 has a T-5 and 3.55 gears so it wont get over revved and might hold up so all those who really drive their 216s please speak up.


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We have lots of 216s on the Six Cylinder Tour every year and I haven't heard of any problems.


See you Touring the Back Roads

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In my opinion, they are a very dependable engine. They don't like high RPM or their valve clearance set too tight. luv2


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The fact that the 216 was manufactured for 16 years with only minor design changes speaks well for the durability of that engine. I've made four 2500 mile road trips with three different 216 motors, and all performed well, with no serious problems. However, I'd be hesitant to hit the road with an unknown 216 that I hadn't checked and adjusted the rod and main bearings first.

With a 216 in good condition, you can run it all day long, day after day at 2500 rpm without any problem. With a 4.11 rear end and 6.00-16 tires, you'll be traveling at 50 to 55 mph at that rpm. With overdrive and 3.55 rear end, you'll probably be doing 65 to 70, but you'll have to come down out of overdrive on long grades and when the wind kicks up.

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I have a 37 1/2 ton that had a 235 when I bought it. I found a 37 216 and put it in. The 216 is stock bore size so I just put rings and re-shimed the bearings,new seals and valve job. No problems at all. Been driving it for seven years now.

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Jeff,
Look at it this way: Did folks with 216s hesitate to hit the road in the forties and fifties? No, they didn't. With a good cooling system and 5 quarts of good erl, those old 216a hummed along just fine at 50-55 mph.

As to speed, let's say you AVERAGE 30 mph for EIGHT hours, that's 240 miles traveled. If at AVERAGE 35 mph you would have traveled 280 miles.

Average in both instances takes in consideration stops for gas, bathroom breaks at rest stops, every Stuckeys, stopping for a cold drink and a pack of nabs.

When the latter car stops for the night at the motel, the former will pull in in LITTLE less that an hour. talk

And, If the former doesn't fart around at the stops, then it will arrive at the motel at about the same time. dance Enjoy the trip.
Charlie computer

Last edited by 41specialdeluxe; 04/17/11 12:46 PM.
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I did not have too good of luck with the 235 and know very little about the 216 except that they do not carry much oil pressure,over the winter I will pull the head and drop the pan on the 235 and take #2 piston out and see whats going on but if I can find a good running 216 one might go back in if the 235 is toast. The 235 has less then 10,000 miles on the rebuild and would have thought it would have lasted longer but should have thrown it away when a cylinder needed sleeved as I think its the cylinder that has the issue,if I do run accross a sweet running 216 or another 235 before july it will be going in so I can bring it to Flint since or it will have to stay home since I have no trailer.


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young man, back in 1971, i drove across the usa in the winter, with my 41 spec dlx 2 dr town sedan at the time. on the return i put a roof carrier on the car, and then in the middle of texas, after being chased by one angry chow, after i tried to wake up a service station owner. i wound up pulling the biggest single axle trailer u hual had at the time and it was fairly, large, and it was now full up of mostly 41 parts and accessories. i made it to california and to a club swap meet and the next day an earthquake hit. but that old 216 kept doing a good job. also had a total of 5 people in the car.
and in early 1965 i had moved from az to calif, in a 1952 styleline deluxe 2 dr sedan, pulling the big u haul dual axle trailer, with stuff like a huge fridge, freezer combo, washer dryer and a household full of stuff, and on the old road at the time, going up the big hill out of palm springs, i did have to come to 1st gear, but that old 216 made it just fine.
a 216 to some people wea known as a "stovebolt" engine, and they were really tough. you say you have 10,000 miles on a 235 rebuild. you don't sound satisfied. did you change to a new clutch, and if so is it adjusted right. sounds to me like you need the help of someone like gene schneider, who you can find around the chat forum. he is brilliant on this stuff, and above all very honest in his advice.
wish you all the luck in whatever decision you make.
richie

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After about 10,000 miles the 235 has either a rod bearing going bad or a bad wrist pin or a cracked piston,it still has good oil pressure so I hope its just a wrist pin and can be repaired easily. It makes noise after warming up and is only on one cylinder and has been making that noise for about 2 years,I thought it was a rocker arm and finally got around to replacing them and the noise is still there. If its a rod bearing the crank is out of round by now so it would be easier and quicker to replace the motor and if I can find a good 216 it will go in.


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I've been following your posts and I think you mentioned that the #2 cylinder had to be sleeved on your engine. Maybe something to do with that procedure is causing your noise. A bad fit for the sleeve maybe? I can appreciate your concern for the noise and the desire to repair it. I don't think the root of your problem has anything to do with the engine or it's dependability of a 235 or even a 216. Chevrolets success with these engines speak for themselves. Now if you want to learn about headaches, quirks and expensive repairs move on with installing a Nailhead Buick or a first generation Olds motor. Good luck. Don

ps. I'm not trying to come across as a blowhard, just trying to help.

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I never really drove a 216 very far and heard stories that they do not like to be driven on the highway for a long distance and high speeds and will get the rods knocking when doing so,if I do put a 216 back in it I want to be able to drive it on the highway at 65 mph without destroying it. I dont own a trailer so it must be able to be driven at highway speeds so I am a little concerned about what I heard about the 216s,I dont want to put one in and on the first highway trip blow it up and be back with a non drivable truck again. I had about a 1/2 dozen mid 50s Olds and they would run 80 all day long so if a stovebolt cant handle going 65 then I dont want one and will put in a Olds that will,I should have thrown away that 235 when I found out it needed sleeved and found another but was too far in to stop.


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Jeff,
If it has been making noise for 2 years, I doubt it is a rod, they will usually go clear out pretty fast. I don't know how much you have driven in 2 years but if it was much you would have a very loud knock and possibly a hole in the side of the block.


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Just as dependable as you make it. They didnt get their name "cast iron wonder" for nothing and it really sounds like you got stuck with a bad representative of a stovebolt. Mechanical knowlage or lacking there of, of who ever did the job, has ALOT to do with that. These engines will do as they were designed to do, nothing more, nothing less. If you feel an upgrade is the way to go then by all means. But just as an example, i have a stovebolt myself. Loose on the number 3 rod (not much) and 50 percent LESS of compression then what it should have, but she starts, runs and drives like there were no problems and thats exactly 75 years AFTER this engine was installed in the car. Dependable? you bet.


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I put about 4500 miles on my 216 in a season. A small portion of my driving is done at 60 mph and it is turning at 2700 rpm at that speed. Most of my hi speed driving is at 50 mph. I think they are a great old work horse. A more modern 235 is just an improved 216 with full pressure oiling and more torque. With a T5 and 3:55 gears, 5th gear would be a bit of a stretch on the hills. However 4th on your T5 shouldn't be very far behind. That is one thing I have noticed about the old style transmissions is that there is a large gap between high and the next gear down.


My 1951 1 Ton is now on the road! My 38 Master 4 Door is also now on the road .
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If it makes it through the summer I will drop the pan and pull the head and yank #2 piston out to see what is going on,I put about 1500 miles a year on it and it could have been making the noise longer but I noticed it after I installed the T-5 and taller gears and slowed the motor down. I cant tear it apart right now and make it to where I cant move it if the problem will require the motor pulled to fix it,the noise is more like a rattle and sounds like a loose rocker arm but goes away when the plug wire is off and does not do it when the motor is cold. If I want to make it to Flint I will have to install a known good motor because if it will need machine work I wont be able to touch it untill winter.


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carrot A person can still go to a NAPA store and buy things such as points, plugs, condensers, rotor caps, and a host of other parts for these engines. Why? Because, according to my NAPA salesmen, they were used up into the 60's and maybe even 70's on different types of equipment - road, farm etc. - because they were so reliable. This says a lot for their reliability. Since there are so many of them still in use, NAPA stores keep or can get overnight many of the parts needed to keep these engines going. Yay for NAPA (no, I don't own any NAPA stock)!!! Beamer


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To follow Big Richy post as well as others I'll ad a story that was told me about a 1941 Chevy.

I was at a car show and about half of the fun is when people share stores or memories about a 41 Chevy.

During a car show last year a guy told me he had a fond memories of 41 Chevy's. Then related this story. He signed up for W.W.II in 1942 and received his papers to report to Oklahoma for basic. Drove his 41 Chevy 2 door Sedan from Oakland Cal. to Oklahoma {1,600 +-} miles. He was in basic training just a few days and got a message that his father had a heart attack. The Army gave him a "pass" for a few days to help his family. He got back in the 41, drove back to Oakland, helped his family, then drove back to Oklahoma to continue is training. 4,800 +- miles with no breakdowns or problems. Yes, his father survived the heart attack.

A great testimonial for the 41/216 Chevy and a good story. But that's not the best story I've been told about a 1941 Chevy.

Enjoy the ride,
Michael41





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The #2 plug did not look like it was burning correctly so I am going to NAPA and get a pair of valve springs for that cylinder and see if thst the cause of the noise.


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Ordered two valve springs from O Reillys and should have them in a couple days,if it fixes the problem it was only a 3 dollar part.


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If the springs are not broke, which you can see, it will not make a difference.


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The motor has always had a little pop out the exhaust at idle and the plug on #2 was not burning right so I am thinking the exhaust spring might be weak and keeping the valve open.


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I would bet on a burnt-leaking exhaust valve.


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Not to bash you 216 enthusists but no need to downgrade motors now as the valve springs on #2 took away most of the rattle,most of the existing exhaust springs are week so I will be ordering 10 more springs and it should be sounding like it should and no need to replace the motor and the 235 will live on.


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Its been almost 2 years since I last posted and the 235 is still going,its got thicker oil and a quart of Lucas oil stabilizer and is not making any noises but who knows for how long. The valve springs did not help and I picked up a supposive low mile 235 but there is a voice way back in my head telling me its time to try a 216 and learn about them,might keep a watch out for someone making a hotrod and getting rid of a 216 I can hear run. I usually dont listen to the voices but maybe its time to learn about a motor I know little about.


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Jeff, I have a voice in my head that tells me to restore my car to what it was originally. I want to pass my car onto someone a little better than when I found it, and hope that person will try to do the same. It called "Pass it Forward." Good luck, Mike

P.S. Keep checking on ebay, Craigs List, Jalopy Journal, and our Chat sites. Have some fun driving with a friend to pickup what you want. I had a great time spending $400 to pickup a $100 frame.


Mike 41 Chevy
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