VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Mechanical - Engine, Trans, etc '41 216 engine tired

I have a '41 AK with a tired 216. I have no history or than has not run for several years. So far it has low oil pressure and 3 bent push rods. I am looking for recommendations / opinions on what I should do:
1. Try and rebuild the engine (I am somewhat limited on tools and services available ).
2. Replace engine with another 216 or would a 235 be a better choice and if so what is involved in the swap?
3. This Is in reference to #2. Is there anyone or business that sells rebuild or "grate" engines either 216 or 235?.

I would really like to put a "good" 235 in - if feasible.

Your 216 is a low pressure splash & squirt engine from the factory so the oil pressure you're seeing is probably normal. I'd wager the bent pushrods are intake pushrods and probably the result of stuck intake valves, most likely from old gas. Pull the head and do a valve job. A simple valve lapping will probably do the trick, it did on my 38. Pull and clean or replace the tank and DON'T run old gas through the engine. Don't be surprised if you have to rebuild or replace the fuel pump. 216s have low tension valve springs so a simple straightening of the pushrods will probably make them usable again. If not, replacements are available from the vendors. Got any pictures to share?

Hi ronsway

One of the first things I'd do is try to determine if the engine is original to the truck.
Look at the prefix letters on the engine serial number to determine this.
If the truck has it's original engine, I'd do everything I could to keep it that way.
I view the original engine in a truck as an uncommon plus point. 🙂

Also,
How low is "low" oil pressure?
As Tiny pointed out, the pressure on 216's wasn't very high.
If it idles hot with 7 or 8 lbs, that's normal for a pretty good engine.

Also... as Tiny said... pictures please? 🙂

i agree with the advice you are getting. How did you determine the engine needs rebuilt?

After you get the valves working and the pushrods straightened run a compression test. You should drop the oil pan and reset the bearing clearances.

The 216 in my '37 had about 3 to 5 psi when hot at idle. At speed there would be about 12 to 15 psi.

Installing 235 is not a difficult swap but there are details that require changes.

2 lbs

The low oil pressure could simply be due to a plugged inlet screen on the oil pump. The rod and main clearances can be fixed by removing shims.

Did you check oil flow to the rocker arms?

Thank you. We did some more checking and the engine appears to be in good shape. We are going to pull head and pan to continue checking. We put a bore scope in it and there is still cross hatching.
Compression is good also.
Is there somewhere you can rent the tools needed to adjust squirters, ect...?

Expensive to buy when you can find them. I looked for years and spent several hundred dollars for mine. Not aware of anywhere to rent. Unless something has happened to make them move adjustment isn't normally needed.

There are places that rent the aiming and checking tools such as here:

https://www.vintageautotools.com/rental-tools-engine-oiling-system.html

Chev's of the Forties used to rent them also, but I'm not sure if they still do.
They charged a HORRENDOUS up front deposit though.

You may be alright without checking, depending on what has been done to it in the past.
I found and bought the tools for myself, so I checked mine when I had the pan off.
Four nozzles were good, one was off by about 1/2 inch to one side, and one was off by nearly an inch to the side.
Being off by a little up or down isn't as serious as being off to the side.
Glad I checked mine. :-)


Does your truck have an oil filter added?
Bypass oil filters shunt off a small amount of the oil flow, but if plumbed in without enough restriction, pressure loss could be noticeable at idle.
Be sure to actually remove the pump pickup screen, and look through it and clean it as they are commonly partially plugged as Rusty has pointed out.
Mine was.

With a little patience you may not need to remove the head. Remove the rocker gear and give the valve stems a generous squirt of WD40, acetone/atf mix or similar and gentle tap over a few days may well free the valves. As Tiny suggested above straightening the pushrods may well solve your problems.
Tony

Well we finally got the pan off and the engine needs a rebuild . Any suggestions on the best route to take? I am going to call my machine shop tomorrow but I thought I would see what you guys think.

What did you find wrong?

It looks like the oil hadn't been changed in years and then was given an oil change. Everything is worn. I am looking for is "sage" advice and recommendations. Do I rebuild the 216 or would a better choice be to replace with a 235?

Here is a picture of the pan:

That pan really doesn't look that bad considering the type of oil that was used. Where any shims left in the rods and mains? Are they loose or starting to come apart?

Dave

It is not unusual to find a ;lot of gunk on the bottom of the pan on an engine that is not used often. This is because the particles settle to the bottom.

That pan looks way better than the one was on my car. I measured 5/8" of sludge in the bottom. The oil pump inlet screen was completely coated.

I cleaned everything up, checked the oil pump, and adjusted the crank and rod bearings by removing shims. I also cleaned the pressure valve on the left side of the engine, removed and cleaned the rocker arm assemblies, and made sure the oil feed to the rocker arms was open.

The engine ran great. I put about 6500 miles on it in 5 years with no problems.

New update on my 216: We pulled the engine and the oil pickup tube is cracked, one of the soft plugs is corroded out and the block is full of debris to the head, crank is scored and machine shop said that they didn't think the block is useable. I am going to take it to them on Tues to verify condition.
Also the transmission is junk and the rear end needs to be completely rebuilt.
A friend says he has a 235 w/bell housing and clutch (it needs to be rebuilt) available.
What is involved to convert to the 235? Is there a reference for the conversion?
What about transmission, drive line and rear end conversions?

Depends on the year of the doner car. Would be best if it is a 1954 or older.

If you check the Stovebolt forum you will find a technical article about adapting a 235 to a 216 vehicle.

As always Gene is correct. Adapting a later 235 takes more modifications.

started to prep my new (to me ) 235, the number next to distributor is F1016PF. I was under the impression that this was going to be a pretty straight forward swap for the 216. I even ordered the water pump plate. But, now the bell housing is not nearly the same as the 216 so I am not sure how to or what use for a transmission , drive line & rear end. If I change transmissions what about the brake and clutch pedals? Let's not forget motor mounts.

I have any experience with this generation of Chev's. I have a friend who is more experienced and he says it can be done with a lot of modifications. I looked at 1955 235 and it looked like the same bell housing.

What are my options?

From an article I read it says that the rear of every Chevy "6" block (216-235-261) is the same from 1937-1962. And the flywheel /crank flange pattern is the same from 40-62. Whenever you're putting the donor engine into (41--53) re-use your original bell housing, flywheel,and starter.,. that way the rear motor mounts remain unchanged.