VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 Accepting suggestions for my 1947 engine swap.

http://www.hiberniaautorestorers.com/

Ranger:

That's the color my car was originally, and, someone repainted it. The paint appears to be a very close match. The color they used is Honda Bordeaux Red Pearl. The number on my bottle of Honda touch-up paint is 08703-R78PAH-PN.

Regards:
Oldengineer

Over the years I have seen a large number of maroon cars repainted in off colors. If I were to choose a maroon I would select a color from a modern cars that looks correct. The reproduced colors are often too purple, tomato red or some other shade. The original 1947-1950 maroon was a beautiful color but wore thin from the sun after three or four years.
I a started in the dealship in 1950 most of the 1947 and 1948 maroon cars required repainting. Some of the other metallic colors were bad also.

15 years ago I ordered a gallon of lacquer from Hibernia for my 1950. Wanted it just for touch-up. The color is a light gray non metallic. A very easy formula of black, white and a dash of yellow. The paint they sold me was way too dark and I could not use it. $100 down the drain.

That is true even today on the new cars. You can order paint from PPG for a 2014 model and the paint may or may not match the paint that is on the vehicle. Even paint used out of the same can that a car was re-painted with several years earlier may no longer match.

Only a bit off topic, but you guys are aware of "LEER" fiberglass caps for pickup trucks.

You pick out your style of cap, then give them the paint code off the glove box door.

Cap order and paint code are sent to LEER factory to fill the order.

Cap comes back in your specified color and it matches your truck well. Amazing to me !

You can't get that good of a match when your car is touched up at the local body shop.

Great photo...Bet their not cheap...

True about the cover for the truck. I ordered a cover for my 2011 Ford Ranger four by four. It came and was installed by a company in town. Matches just wonderfully and so very functional for me. My Ford Ranger is a red one - one of the last manufactured in the US.

Which spark plug for the 235 1954 Ford engine with straight stick? No custom work to be done on the engine. Has Autolite 86 in it now.

AC - R43 or AC - R45

Also, some mention of a pilot bushing to assist with installation. Could you all give me just a little more information about the pilot bushing?

Thank you!

The correct modern AC spark plug number for a 1954 CHEVROLET engine would be an AC44. A 43 is too cold of a heat range. The 45 is OK. The R indicates it is a resistor type plug. I run the AC45R in my cars and they work fine.
First a reminder. The 1954 engine you have originally was in a 1954 car with an automatic transmission. Automatic transmission cars did not require a pilot bearing.
At one point you mentioned the engine was removed from a 1952 Chevrolet. If this car had a standard transmisson a pilot bearing (which is necessary for std, trans. cars) whould have been installed.
The pilot bearing is a solid brass bushing that fits in the "hole" at the back of the crankshaft. It supports the front shaft of the transmission and has an ID of 19 /32"....and will be visable when the clutch is removed.
When installing the engine you MUST use your present 1947 flywheel housing and motor mounts abd brackets.
You can use the 1954 flywheel and clutch parts if they came with the engine. The parts can not be mixed (54 disc with 47 pressure plate as an example.)
Must be all one or the other. The 1954 clutch is prefered as it is stronger to with the more powerful 1954 engine.
Before starting the engine drain the oil and put in 5 Qts. of 10W30 oil. Also make sure the transmission is full of gear oil.
Lubricate the throw out bearing and pilot bearing as per the shop manual.

Thank you Gene. Things are moving forward. Slowly because I am taking it slow and checking and re-checking so that I make as few mistakes as possible.

Let's help me get this straightened. I was told that I was buying a 1952 engine(216) with an automatic transmission.

When I went to pick it up and brought it home it turned out to be a 1954 235 engine with the bell housing and tranny connected.

Question - it looks like my 216 tranny that would be a stick. How do I recognize the different between an automatic or a stick. Numbers, ???

Lastly, if it turns out to be a 235 with a stick why cannot I use the entire outfit to replace what is currently in my 1947 chev?

Thank you again.

Aren't the push rod/lifter covers between the two enough to tell which motor you were looking at...? Not trying to be...I might have brought along an engine # chart to see what year, etc. you were seeking...

Please read the entire posting = then give me an answer.

I knew the engine ran good and for other reasons I did not recognize the difference in the engine. That was a blessing in disguise.

My question now is about the tranny.

Thank you

"Question - it looks like my 216 tranny that would be a stick. How do I recognize the different between an automatic or a stick. Numbers, ???"


This question was answered for you, in another thread somewhere, when you provided the "F54Y" numbers from the distributor pad, on your purchased engine.

F = Flint Engine Mfg Plant
54 = 1954
Y = Powerglide Transmission

Letter "Z" = standard shift engine

Click on this site.

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/models/engine.htm#54eng

Scroll down until you see 1954 imprinted on the aqua colored stripe.

Look at left column "model and code" heading.

If it looks like your 216 tranny then it's a stick. The powerglide tranny is completely different and weighs about three times the weight of the stick. As Gene has posted above the bell housing from the 47 must be used to keep the original mounts. All the other components can be used together , but not mixed with the 47 parts. At least that's my interpretation. You can also go on ebay or the internet and find photos of the transmissions and you should also purchase repair manuals for the engine and transmission as they will come in handy in the future. The Filling Station or National Chevy Assoc. are two sources that should have them.

[quote=m006840] If it looks like your 216 tranny then it's a stick. The powerglide tranny is completely different and weighs about three times the weight of the stick. As Gene has posted above the bell housing from the 47 must be used to keep the original mounts. All the other components can be used together , but not mixed with the 47 parts. At least that's my interpretation. You can also go on ebay or the internet and find photos of the transmissions and you should also purchase repair manuals for the engine and transmission as they will come in handy in the future. The Filling Station or National Chevy Assoc. are two sources that should have them. [/quote

Oh ... I thought the poster was asking for appearance differences in stick vs automatic ENGINES. Thus my direction to distributor pad stampings.

I did not think there was a question concerning stick vs powerglide appearances. Like night and day.

Powerglide pic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BTE-Powerglide-Transmission-Bracket-Brake-with-1-82-Planetary-/160922492583

Your 1947 bell housing must be used due to the motor mount brackets attached to it. Your 1947 trans. must be used due to the length.

Even though I have owned 3 - 47's I have never been this far into one.

The transmission is a stick - even though the engine stamp says that it is a 1954 with an automatic. The owner of the engine did not know what he had. He told me it was an automatic as well.

So I will use the engine plus my bell housing and my stick transmission and go from there.

Again, thank you for your patience. That is what a teacher does. In this case I am a 71 year old student and all you fine fellows are the teachers.

Blessings

Been working on the 54 - 235 engine. Bell housing and transmission removed. All parts removed from the engine so that I can paint the engine.

Valve cover off - what did I find? All new lifters!

Oil pan off - what did I find? All new pistons!

Engine inside very clean - no overload of old oil anywhere.

Also appears that the camshaft is very very clean. Wondering if that is new as well.

So pleased with what I have to work with. And the price was right.

Thanks for your help.

One question: should I open up the timing gear and check that out while I have the engine apart?

Thanks again!

To see the lifters you would need to remove the side cover, remove the rocker arms and push rods and then lift the lifters out. I suspect you are refering to the rocker arms.
Seeing the engine is clean and appears to have been rebuilt if it were mine I would ASSUME the timing gear and it's oil passage is OK.
Clean off the top of one of the pistons and see if it is stamped oversized....like .030 or .040. If it is it indicates the engine has been rebuilt.

Thank you

Did you find that it had a pilot bushing in the end of the crankshaft when you removed the transmission?

I did not need to clean the top of the piston. The number .40 stood out without any cleaning. Why not .30 I do not know.

I have had my 216 apart and none of the components looked like new. In the 235 the pistons - the push rods - the crank - the lifters - everything is as clean as they can be.

In that all these parts look good I think I will pass on the timing gear and trust that it is good as well.

I am encouraged and am going to start cleaning up the outside of the engine for painting and then begin to putting the parts back on the 235 for installation.

I am sure I will be back should I and I probably shall run into problems while putting the pieces back together.

Why .040 and not .030 ?

When the cylinder was "bored out", the amount of boring required determines how LARGE the new piston will be. .040 is larger than .030, so if it reads .040 on the piston, you know it had to be bored MORE to clean up the cylinder wall properly. As an example, my 235 has .080 pistons.

Understood

Those numbers were only examples. Could be 10,20,30,40 or 60.

The 1954 engine should have the narrow grove balancer and water pump. What are you planing to do with the generator from the '47?
Also you said it did not have a distributor.....start looking for a 1954 Power Glide distributor or any 1955-1962 dist.