What year was the 235 engine introduced?

For the trucks, I believe that the first year the 235 engine was introduced was in 1941. For the passenger cars the first year was 1950.

The engines for the years JYD gives were not full pressure oil system, at least in passenger cars.

Thanks!!!

Glyn! So am I to understand that the 1950 BelAir with the 235 was not a full pressure oil system?

One more question: Were the first 235`s babbitted? If so when was the first 235 with inserts? OK--that was 2 questions!!!

My 1950 Belair came with an oil pressure guage that goes up to 30 pounds. 1953 guages read 0 to 60.

Roger

Hoppy, yes the first 235s were babbit low pressure engines The first 235 was in 1941 in the larger trucks, then in Army trucks then in 1950 (Powerglide cars) were babbit with hydraulic lifters thru the 1952 model year, the standard shift cars had 216 engines up thru 1952, also the 53 standard shift had a 235 with babbit rods and mechanical lifters, the first inserted "hi-pressure" engine, were the 1953 Powerglide engines also hydraulic lifters, the passanger cars with a 235 had hydraulic lifters and truck engines had mechanical lifters up thru 1957 and may have had mechanical lifters later on, but I am not sure about them, they are too"New" for me!
The 1953 standard shift cars had a 0-30psi gauge and the 1953 Powerglide cars had a 0-60 psi gauge. The 54 cars had 0-60 psi gauges. The part number for the 0-30 psi gauge is 1508084 and the 0-60 psi gauge is 1507950

Recommend the '54 stick shift engine with mechanical lifters. Had a '54PG engine done in a top machine shop and have had trouble with the lifters since. At highway speeds, several lifters rap loudly. Slow down for a few miles and the noise goes away. Others with engines from different shops have the same experience. Apparently, the new lifters aren't as precision as the originals...Found a set of originals and so far, they're fine, but the summer driving season is ahead...

Some 235's with hyd. lifters had the leak-down problem when new.
The modern replacement lifters are "fits all" lifters.Note the the original lifters fit 1950-53 for one part number, 1954-58 with another and 1959-62 with still another.
Finding NOS originals of the proper part number is the best way to go.

Joe rather than a lifter problem you may have a machine shop problem you could have some valves trying to stick or a problem with the fit all lifter size. What engine oil are you useing?

It the engine in our car has a small triangular shaped plate with two bolts and is located just under the exhaust manifold then you have a low pressure, babbit bearing 235. Another place to check is on the oil pan flange back at the starter, may have to remove the starter,there is a code there that provides the date built. Post the numbers and you will get a reply.

my 54 pg car has the full pressure 235 41000 miles, never been apart. at 65-70 mph the valve train tends to get a little noise, i always figured cause it is just too fast for a 2 speed to go. as for lifter leak down, it isnt a issue on my car. i use 10-40 castrol gtx, change it once a season. engine is quiter than my new truck.

Re: MrMack's quote above; (The passenger cars with a 235 had hydraulic lifters and truck engines had mechanical lifters up thru 1957)

Actually the 1954-1955 Passenger cars with 235 engines and manual transmissions continued to have mechanical lifters. 1956 was the first year that all of the 235 passenger engines had hydraulic lifters.

WD did GM continue to build the 235 engine with the old waterpump after 1954 for replacement engines? I have one with what is a 1956 casting date. It has side mounts and mechanical lifters. The engine number pad is still blank.

BYTW, Will we get to see you at the LSR swap meet at Traders' village in Grand Prairie next week?

Replacement blocks with the old type water pumps were amde up until the mid-'60's. at least.

MrMack, Yes I will be at the swapmeet at traders village next week.

All of the 235/261 engines with the old type waterpumps were abvailable until about 1970. The first ones to disapear were the 1953 & 54 Powerglide 235s in November of 1970. The 1954-55 1st series 261 was still available in May of 1977 so most of them stayed around a while.

Just worked on another member's '53 PG. The engine that's in the car has a pair of raised hashmarks above the starter. Wonder if this is a replacement 261 block as described above. The casting date is D 6 3(it might be an 8), but the engine stamped # is LAQ...It has a ...5913 cyl head - not '53..He doesn't know the history of the car......Mack, we're using 10 - 30 Chevron in the '54 and with the new original lifters it hasn't been noisy. They are the later ones that Gene described...

Joe the LAQ would be a '53 PG engine (if not re-stamped).New short blocks came with no numbers, the number from the original engine was to be used.The way I read it the D 6 3 would be April 6 1953, which would be correct for a 1953.The head would be a 1954-55 which was the replacement for a 1953 if a new one was installed.The 4 screw holes for the valve cover would be under the valve cover gasket.I believe that I read some place that some 235 engines had the raised marks also.The casting number would be the best proof for the block....also the 261 would have had solid lifters, which sound like heck with the PG.

My '53 coupe was babbit/mech. lifters/low pressure (first car, used). My dad got a '54 SW that was a FAR better car. The high pressure mech. lifter engine would really wind up (65 mi/hr in second!!) and was stronger than dirt. Compared to the '53, it was day and night! The '54 would take much harder pulling and higher speeds. I ran rods out of the '53 twice pulling trailers. Never a problem with the '54.
If I were redoing anything of that era, I'd go high pressure, both to get the inserts and to get the durability.

My first new car was a 1953 235 stick.Before I ever drove it I had the PG aluminum pistons installed....The aluminum pistons are slightly taller than the cast iron (come up to flush with the top of the block) which raises the compression ration from 7.1 to 7.5.This was responsible for raising the HP from 108 in '53 to 115 in '54.That along with the much lighter aluminum pistons made the engine more flexible and higher reving than the stock '53...there was a difference.Would do 67 MPH in 2nd gear wound out tight which was 5000 RPM.Drove it out west in '53 and '54 at high speeds plus really beat it and never had any rod problems.The second ownner did the same when he bought it.

Yep, but put a ton of trailer on it and drive all day on the freeway...a different matter. It's incredible the babbit engine lasted as long as it did. I kept the '53 going from 1961 until about 1972, with two rod jobs...moved up to a little Buick special with the tiny aluminum V-8...nice engine!

:confused: :confused: :confused:

I am new to this website, and it is a good thing there are no dumb questions-because I have plenty of them. I have wondered about the durability (read mileage of how long the engine lasts) about the postwar chevy sixes. I had a conversation with a longtime mechanic, and he had an aunt who was a rural route mail delivery person in Wyoming. He said she got 80,000 miles out of her 1941 Chevrolet, but that was because she never drove it very fast--driving one mile to stop at the next postal box. He said the 216 cubic inch engines would last about 50,000k miles before major engine work was required, on average. Would the Powerglide engine last any longer than the standard shift engine?
Also, have wondered about the bearings on these engines. Were they poured bearings in both engines, or was it some kind of a shell bearing. The term babbit gets used to describe them, but that is inaccurate, as insert bearings have babbit material in them.
Thx for reading this.
Jim

The first 235 engines to have insert bearings were the 1953 Powerglide engines. As far as engine life like all engines it depended greatly on service maintenance but I believe the cars of the fifties (235 inset engines) would average around 75000 miles. I think that with todays oils and conditions that would be greatly increased.

The 216 engine and the early Power Glide engines had about equal durability.
They both did best with highway driving, regular oil changes and engine speeds of under 3000 RPM.
In my part of the country they could use an overhaul by 50,000 miles due to oil consumption which was caused by the oil ring and oil return holes in the piston plugging up with carbon. A highway driver could get double the mileage. The babbited rods would not be a weak point if oil was changed and , especially on the before 1948 models, rods adjusted it beginning to make noise.
I drove those engine hard and fast and never has any rod bearing problems.
Getting 80,000 miles on a mail route engine sounds about correct (with oils back then).......as the stop and go driving is hard on both the brakes and egine.
The 1953 Power Glide and all 1954 engines had full pressure oiling and alumimum pistons many lacked the low oil consumption that a cast iron 216 or 235 could provide.

Note that the 1948 and later dipper 216 and 235 engines had the thin babbitt bearings and with proper oil changing could go 100,000 with out a rod adjustement.

Wnen I first started at the dealership in 1950 we were overhualing 1947 engines with 35,000 miles. They were using oil, due to carboned up rings needed a valve job. wrist pins clucking at idle speeds, etc. After that low mileage and only three years the engine was fillled with sludge and the oil pump screen was beginning to plug-up.
On a lot of other makes tthe engine would be worn out by 50,000 miles and would require a rebore job, etc. to cure problems. A chevrolet engine could be overhauled once or twice in 100,000 miles and still no major cylinder wall wear.

My present 1950 Power Glide car has 56,000 miles on it, most with good modern oils, head has never been off, oil consuption at high speeds less than 1000 miles to a quart and runs as quiet as they did when new. 65 MPH is my usual highway speed with the 3.55 rear end and engine speed about 2800 RPM.

Gene,
Thank you for your thorough response. I see now where the reputation came from for these engines requiring major maintenance at 50K miles.
When you say engine rebuild when you were working at a dealership, do you mean just replacing all engine bearings and a valve job? I assume they didn't need to be bored out, because that wasn't the issue? Your estimate of 2800 RPM at 65 MPH is a good one on your 1950 Powerglide equipped car, assuming you have 6.70 by 15" tires on it, with an approximate diameter of 28.4". That puts your engine RPM at approximately 77% of peak horsepower RPM of 3600. The 216 stick shift with the 4.11 rear axle ratio has to be going slightly over 57 MPH to match that RPM.

This all started with my curiosity into Pontiacs of this same period, with shell type insert bearings and full pressure oiling. This was the case on both the sixes and the eights. Apparently they would go for 100K miles without any major engine work.
Thx again for your thorough response.
Jim

When we overhauled an engine it included replacing rings, fitting new wrist pins,adjusting main and rod bearings, grinding valves, cleaning carbon and sludge and a tune-up.
A good mechanic would do it in an 8 hour day and in the early 1950's the price was $77.00 plus any valves or connecting rods, etc.
If the engine was a virgin and has say 50,000 miles it would be better than new if every thing was properly fitted. The babbitt material was nice and compressed and a better piston ring was used.

The Ponntiac was a good tough engine as long as it wasn't driven too fast as the standard trans. cars were geared kind of low.


when my 1939 Chev. had the 4.22 rear end I did drive it at 60 to 65 MPH for long trops with no problems.

Gene,
So you would put on new piston rings, but not hone out the cylinders, or install new pistons? How long did that last, and did they consume more oil? All this for $77 plus parts? That is cheap, particularly considering $80 in 1950 is about $850 today. Couldn't get that done today!
Thx for the information
Jim

They cut the ridge and honed the cylinder walls. We used the replacement rings that Chevrolet sold through parts. The rings had expanders and the oil ring was of the four piece design so less apt to plug up with carbon. Chevrolet replacement rings were made by Muskeogen Piston Ring Co. After chrome faced oil rings were introduced we use them.
The cast iron pistons wore like iron and never needed replacing unlless one broke for some reason. Always fitted new wrist pins as the oiling to the pins was not that great esspeciallly if the engines saw a lot of ideling. That was $77 with the usual parts like rings, pins and gaskets. Always replaced the oil pump screen and connecting rod pal nuts.
I was in parts at that time and could pull the stuff in two minutes once the size of the wrist pins was determined, depended on if the engine was overhauled before. With todays better oils etc. I am sure the life would have been longer. Also winter caused problems and many cars never saw much highway driving. The highway cars engines lasted twice as long as the city cars. They usually just required a valve job by 50,000 miles. Chevrolet used cheap valves until about 1954.

The above pertains to 216 engines and early 235 engines. When the change was made to full pressure oiling and aluminum pistons (1953 Power Glide-all 1954) They seemed to last longer. .....but that engines often tended to use more oil from new compared to the early design.

Gene,
Thank you for all of the information. I hope you are writing all of this down, because you have all kinds of information on Chevys in your head.
Thx
Jim

Okay. Interesting sugject. Lets see if I've got it straight.

a. Prior to 1953 235s with babbit were available for heavier trucks than a 1/2 ron pickup.

b. All 235s had babbit rods until 1954,

c. No car prior to 1950 had a 235,

d, All 235s for cars had babbit engines and 30 lb gages,

e. All 235 with the oit distribution cover on the driver's (left) side of the engine had babbit rods.

f. The first 235 with inserts, full pressure and 60 lb gages came out in 1954.

I gathered this by reading all the posts above. I may have got something wrong but that is the reason for this post. Please correct the above by item letter.

Thanks,

Charlie

BTW: It was good to hear from MrMack. In his last post here he said he was confused (on the instant question, of course.) Well, so am I.

53 with power guide had full pressure, and 60 psi gauge

All Chevrolet engines had splash thtough 1952.
All 1953 engines had splash EXCEPT POWER GLIDE ENGINES AND CANADIAN CARS -WHICH HAD FULL PRESSURE'
All 1954 had pressure.

1953 was the only goffy half/half year.

The full presssure engines had rod inserts and aluminum pistons.

OK, so the connecting rod bearings were insert in the 1953 Power-Glide engine, and all sixes beginning in 1954. I have a book that states in 1948 precision interchangeable main engine bearings were adopted in Chevrolets. Is this another way of saying the mains (4) were a shell type insert bearing beginning in 1948? What were they before that--was the bearing surface poured into the block, and also into some kind of a main bearing cap?
Thank you for answering all of these questions Gene.
Jim

What book are you quoting? There are a large number of books that have been published that contain incorrect information. A best practice is to verify any "fact" in three or more non GM references. Best to verify in two GM references if there is any question.

All 6 cylinder Chevrolet engines from 1929 and up had main bearing inserts.
From 1929-1947 the inserts were"in the rough" and had to be line bored. The 1948 and up had the precision inserts and did not require line boring. Also just one insert could be replaced if necrssary.
At that point Chevrolet sold precision inserts for the previous years but all the inserts had to be replaced as a set.

In 1948 Chevrolet also went to thinner babbit or both the rod and main bearings This meant the bearings did not require adjusting as often. Many went 100,000 without adjustment
In 1942 Pontiac went to the thinner babbitt for rod and main bearings.,,,,see 1942 Pontiac Shop Manual.

Prior to 1937 Ford V-8 used babbitt poured directly into the block and then line bored..

Actually many of the earliest Chevrolet engines had babbitt bearings on replaceable shells. I am not aware of any Chevrolet engine that did NOT have insert main bearings.Ford and others poured main bearings directly into the block. Chevrolet did not.

"Precision interchangeable main engine bearings" is from Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. It is under the Historical footnotes for 1948 Chevrolet.
Jim

I suspected that or the one for trucks as they both are full of errors. I even wrote a part of the Standard Catalog of Trucks and changes were made that were not correct.