VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc 6v ended?

What was the last 6v Chevy 6? Thanks.

Trick question??? Or what???

As far as I know, 54 was the last 6 volt 'car.'

6 cylinder or otherwise.

Don't know about trucks, pick-ups, etc.

Bill.

I drove a 54 truck and it was a six volt system, I also had a 55 second series Chevrolet 1/2 ton and it was a 12 volt system.

1955 1st series truck.

Thanks guys.

Was this a 235ci or what?

235 in the 1/2,3/4 1 ton and 1 1/2 ton-261 in the 2 ton....same as the 1954 models.

Gene,

So you're saying the last 6V Chevy 6 was the 1st Series '55 P/U???? Right????

In other words, the 1st Series '55 was still six volt.....

You know, that's what I thought but wouldn't make a 'bet' when a guy 'swore up and down' at a cruise-in the other night that ALL 55's were 12 volt, EVEN THE FIRST SERIES PICK-UP.

DAMN, I shoulda stuck to my guns and made the bet!!!

Bill.

Thanks guys...

Was there a lot of differences between the 261 and the 235 (6v's)?

Were the latter 12v 6cyn motors "better"?

Bill, he will still take the bet at the next meeting, you can even give odds...I get 10%. LOL

The later ones had a little more 'pep.' The '848' head and other factors provided the extra 'pep.'

I don't know that they were 'better.' But they were a 'bit' (marginally) faster.

(IF he bites, I'll send your 10%; unfortunately it will probably cost more to buy the stamp than the amount of $$ in the envelope!!!)

Bill.

235 engine and "pep.....

The 1941-49 235 engine was nothing but a 216 with a larger bore and longer stroke.Used the 216 head,small valves small intake and exhaust and carburetor.Produced only 2 more horsepower than a 216 but had more low end torque.Was great for the larger trucks that is was available in.

The 1950 235 had a new cyl. head and very large intake valves.,larger carburetor and and intake and exhaust system.Produced 13 more H.P. and used in 2 ton trucks and Power Glide cars.Produced it maximum 105 HP at a much higher for Chevrolet 3600 RPM.

The 1953 235 head had reduced size intake valves for better mid-range power ,a higher compression ratio and two added head bolts.The compression ratio was raised to 7.1 on the sticks and trucks and 7.5 on the PG cars.Engine was beginning to "wake up".The 1954 PG had a much higher lift camshaft and maximim HP was produced at 4000 on the PG and 3700 for the stick with the low lift cam...the top end was improved on the PG with top sped aproching 95 MPH according to the road tests of the day.1955 same as 1954 despite change in advertised HP.1956 saw the high lift cam in sticks and the compression ratio raised to 8.0...that was the first 848 head and the only difference power wise was the higher compression ratio,The CR was upped to 8.00 in 1958,8.25 in 1959 thru 1962 so those years of the 848 head would be the best.In 1959 the 235 recieved a new low lift camshaft for better low end power and economy - and it worked well.Horse power was reduced by 10.So any of the later heads are desireable.The 261 head had extra steam holes and larger combustion chambers to keep the CR down to what was desireable for a truck.

Considering the weight of the car the 1959 and up 235's seemed to have the most pep in the normal diving speed.The cam is probably the reason for this.

Nice dissertation Chevgene. It's really fun, interesting and informative to read your posts.



Thanks for being such a good contributor to CC.

Bill.

Great reading Gene...really great!!!

I was sorry to see it end, sounds like a nice topic for an article for the G&D.

So if someone asked you what was the best 6cyl Chevy made it would be which one?

Thanks again for your reply and information.

Presumably Gene's sawing logs in his time zone at this 'time of day.'

I'm going to 'interrupt' Gator's question by throwing my 2 cents in for a 'modern' in-line six.... the 250 with a small 4 barrell in anything 'older,' like a '41 coupe or a '54 Del Ray or....

Bill.

The problem with the later 7 main bearing 6 is that its a bit longer than a 216-235 so some mods. must be used.

Was the 194 the same length as the 235?

No -the 194-230-250 and 292 were of the same family and same length....The 292 was taller due to an ultra long stroke.
Pontiac used a 215 version and a 250 with an overhead cam using a modified version of the block.The overhead cam engine came in a high performance version with a 4 barrel carb....now that would make an intresting transplant.

Gene, the required 'mods' to replace a 216/235 with a 250 aren't really a big deal, are they???

Also, I don't mean to be a 'pain' but what would YOUR favorite be (per Gator a few posts back).

Thanks again, Gene!!!

Bill.

Strange transplant: A friend of mine put an overhead cam HP Pontiac 6 cyl in a Jag XKE, and was pleased with the outcome. Go figure!

BB,

I suppose anything would be better than the Jag engine in the Jag.

Altho you certainly 'see' the ole 350/350 situation more often the the Pontiac HP six cylinder idea.

A good friend of ours, Loren Spohn, up here in these parts who used to be quite active in our Columbia River Region was fond of those 'modern' high performance in-line sixes. He put one in a very nice 59 Chev pick 'em up truck. Another in a '70/'71 type Ventura (Pontiac "Nova"). Another was a '50 (or so) Willy's something-or-in-other 2 door 'roadster.' All of them had four barrells, gears and so on that gave them pretty zippy performance!!

Sorta different; but 'cute' cars and definitely 'kept up with traffic!!!'

Bill.

I guess they were good engines as long as the rubber belt didnt slip or break.

What belt are you speaking of?

Hey Ray, I was parroting my buddy, but I think it was the overhead cam drive belt?? :confused: :confused:

Gotcha, when I hear timing belts I automatically think of a foreign car. Not familiar with any of our older engines having a belt vs chain or gear.

I believe that the Pontiac was chain/gear drive....the VEGA was the first OHC engine to use a belt.There was an excellant article on the Pontiac OHC engine in Special Intrest magazine awhile back-doubt if I can find it...Pontiac used a 230 cubic inch version until 1968 than enlarged it to 250.C.I

Hey Ray...

Gotcha, Read this.

3.8 Overhead Cam Six
Cover of Hot Rod magazine, featuring Pontiac Overhead Cam Six engine
Enlarge
Cover of Hot Rod magazine, featuring Pontiac Overhead Cam Six engine

The Pontiac 3.8 was a SOHC engine based on the standard 230 (3.8L) Chevrolet I6 block, putting it in the avant garde of Detroit engineering; the camshaft was driven by a quiet belt instead of the usual chain, making it state of the art for the time. This engine was used on the 1967 through 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The standard engine developed 165 horsepower (123 kW), while an optional W53 version in the Firebird Sprint, with a 4-barrel Quadrajet carburetor, 10.5:1 compression, heavy-duty clutch, floor-mounted three-speed transmission, larger valves and low restriction intake and exhaust system, produced 215 horsepower (160 kW) while saving quite a bit of weight in the front of the car, compared to the V8 models. Like other Pontiac engines of the era, it was not available in Canada.