VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 216 / 235 Compatibility

I am sad to report that my 216cid engine in my 48 Chev Cabriolet has a crack in the block. It's still running really strong - and may continue to run strong for years to come (for as much use as it gets), but in the event that I need to do a swap, does a 235 drop right in or do I need to be concerned about matting to the trans / motor mounts / anything else?? I have had the car running almost a year now. When I towed it home 3-4 years ago I suspect now that it had this crack, but I didn't see it until I started running it on a fairly reg basis. A few heat up / cool down cycles and I have a LITTLE BIT of coolant seeping across a horizontal line on the drivers side. No startup or power issues. I am keeping my eyes out for a nice 48 216 but if I find a 235 that might be tempting. As always your advice is appreciated. Bowtie

Lots of information here on the swap that you are asking about. It is an easy swap, but a few things need to be done to make it happen. I have a 1958 Chevy 235 in my 48 Fleetline.

http://www.webaccess.net/~pstair/ChevyEngineSwap.html

WHAT A GREAT ARTICLE. Thanks for taking the time. That answers any/all questions. I would rather stick with the 6 and resist the 502 BB urge. It just wouldn't be right, the car's too nice to hot rod. Bowtie