The Stovebolt distributor setup was industry standard in their era. The distributor was like that on most engines then because the vacuum advance actually turned the entire distributor body. The distributor had to float in the block to allow that. Its an odd setup today, but not when they were new. I can see where running a modern distributor could lead to confusion in installation.
Thanks for the video. I'm currently reassembling my 235 so I'm going to make sure my distributor is seated correctly. I loosened that clamp then dropped the distributor in, then lowered the clamp to tighten.
Very nice video, on any engine that doesn't have a PCV dial valve I always put one in so it sucks all the ass and and junk out of the engine. I always eliminate road draft. Fresh air into the valve cover from the air cleaner if possible, and dirty smelly stuff out through the PC valve.
Chevy 235 best engine ever ..I pulled a 1965 Chevy C10 side step out of a potato field back in 1974 , it had three busted piston .. took 6 piston and connecting rods from a 283 ..that has the same bearing and pistons the connecting rods are a shorter ,,so it had great lower end torque .. after twenty years it was still running strong it ended up in a potato picker .. in northern Maine ..
Many of you have had these stovebolt engines. If I remember that the 216 and maybe the early 235 engine had timing gears not timing chains until later years of the 235. I know what he is saying is true. A person had to time those from the bell housing or flywheel. Nice video. Where were you when I was growing up
Next time you build one of these... drill out the oil passage on the side of the block to 3/8" or more ( depending on your confidence) thread the passage...on the outside of the block drill & tap 2 holes for installation of fittings for a full flow oil filter system...last , install a plug so it rests in between the 2 hole's you drilled on the outside of the block... now you have a full flow filtered oil system. I did this on our engines for figure 8 back in the day and we were the only ones with the same running engines at seasons end.. I also used 2 sets of main bearings, use uppers from both sets for 360' oiling...These weere great engines in their day... don't forget roller rockers , we didn't have them back then...
Thats my favorite modification to do to these engines. The 261’s have a full flow filter setup and I can tell a major difference in wear when I take them apart. I agree it is a much needed upgrade.
At least one of the bolts in the head has an oil galley through it. The people who rebuilt my 235 failed to put the proper bolt in, so I did not have any oil going to the lifters or to the top of the head.
The best way to get right is to measure from the notch in the oil pump to the flat surface where it bolts down and adjust the clamp to that measurement and mark it with a scribe tool. Then take the clamp off of the distributor and cut the clamp off just behind the slot where it bolts down. Then grind the clamp off to make it round. Replace the clamp with the adjustment screw towards the front of the engine like it was before and tighten really tight , you won;t be using it again, now you can use a Chevy V8 distributor hold down clamp. The reason I suggest this is that if you loosen the clamp too much when adjusting your timing the distributor can be pushed out of the oil pump and the engine will still run so you may not even know it happened until the engine starts making noises. It happened to mine and it's costly.
use a stock chev. 1961 dist on 216 with points or a modjule ,it has worked for me on my 1948 chev from 1975 untill now, mine runs better with a good set of points in the dist . the ole blue streak points last a long time / only a orignal or New old stock cam is made of real steel most all replacement cams are made of a" cast type steel" , if you can find a orignal cam that can be REgrind then it will be of billet non cast metal . if you drive" normaly" you can use the 6 volt system with the babbit rods and get good service out of your 216 engine. yet you must remember that the 40's chevs have a 4:11 gear in the rear end so keep speed s at 50 or 55 mph . and use the factory 16 inch wheels , a rear end gear set is sold for higher speeds or if you can find a entire torque tube from a powerglige car from 1950 you can swap the whole unit out ,they have a lower gear,( thanks for a good video !)
yes 3;73 vs4;11 the entire torque tube can be swaped out as a unit , not haveing to mess with ring and pinion measure 1st length of torque tube the std trans 1950 -51 may work to ,it has been a long time so check my facts one or the other will work @@thomasandbethanygriffith892
The HEIs are good distributors but I would never put one on my 235s or 261,they look so out of place and as bad as hanging a alternator on the side of one. Never had points leave me stranded like electronic ignitions so all the I have converted to electronic will eventually be going back to points.
So, is the length issue with oil pump engagement or cam gear engagement? I just got my 235 back from the machine shop. I have not tried to start the engine yet, but I did move the clamp on the original distributer for cleaning. I noticed at that time that it was adjustable. I just stuck it down the hole until everything engaged and then adjust the clamp. I should have watched the entire video first. You answered the question.
I have great love for the 235. Had one in one of my first cars - a 1959 Brookwood 2door station wagon. I have a curiosity…I was once told by someone who CLAIMED to know that the 6 cylinder in some first Gen Toyota FJs are a direct copy of the chev 235, to the point of parts interchangeability. True?
I am in the process of installing the same HEI distributor in my 1957 235 motor as you are showing. Your vid is very helpful and I thank you.... Is there any way of knowing the dist gear is engaged in the oil pump after installation before I start the motor?? Maybe engage the starter and see if oil comes up to the head or look at the oil gauge, etc...... Thanks in Advance
Hey Dan, I'm new to the straight 6 world, yet I have been working on installing them in 40s and 50s. I need help learning how to set timing on them when the have hei distributors and 350 or 700r4 transmission. Do you have any info or videos on that? Thanks
I seated a DUI HEI dist with sliding clamp like that into 235 oil pump and tightened clamp before I tightened then bolt. The down force from tightening bolt pushed dist gear into bushing in engine block above oil pump and caused bushing to cut and wear where gear rests on bushing. Bushing wore a massive amount and sent filings through motor. Also engine oil pushed up the shaft and leaked into top of dist under rotor. Original distributor is designed to float and ride on the bushing above oil pump. When hold down bolt is tightened dist gear destroys bushing. Engine ran great and had good oil pressure, but eventually caused bearing failure. These DUI HEI distributors are designed wrong and will eventually cause engine failure. They also should have a seal under pickup coil to keep oil out of upper housing.
is this a car 235? or where did you find the adapter plate? that's to mount a automatic transmission correct? i searching for an AUTO transmission that will bolt to my 57' truck 235.
back in old days machine shops would drill the cranks to send oil to rods i have not been able to find a shop that stills does it , a GMC oil pump can be put in too requires a new type tube there is a old book still in print called how to hop up GMC &chev engines by roger huntington in the floyd clymer booklets of the old days reprints are available someone needs to fab up the fixjure to redrill the ole 216 crankshafts shops did it in the 1950s last one was becks in calf @@danmaxwe11
Why did Chevy charge more for their 250 than their 235? Why did they charge more for less? haha GM bought their Iron Ore right off the lake by the ton. From an "Ore Carrier" like the "Edmund Fitzgerald." After Chevy's release of their 427 Vette, Zora Arkus Duntov said, "We've reduced the overall weight of the 396 a significant amount by punching it out to 427 cubes. That removes a lot of metal. We've lightened the motor which lightens the car."
The 427 vs 396 weight is a dumb thing for anyone to suggest. Do they really thing the cylinder walls are cast the same on different bore size blocks?!?! Go ahead and bore a 396 block out to the 427 bore and see what you end up with 🤨
Fellas lets remember chrome dosent make it run . It just makes it look good when sitting still . Personally i dont put chrome on my motors . I dont like cleaning it . But if you do , i dont care ! Why fuss about it ?
I prefer the look of the stock distributor as well. This is what the customer wanted and it actually ran very well with that hei. I usually install stock style distributor with a pertronix
The only thing "stupid" about that 235 is the chrome all over it. They are good engine's. It's ignorant people who mess things up. Old timers like myself know how to work on these engines. God I've had a quite a few.
@@carrionpvp -- Chrome on the body of a car is seen during normal operation of the vehicle or while the vehicle is parked. Nobody sees chrome on an engine while it's running down the road. It's excessive and stupid.
@@Interior.repair -- Us "closed minded" boomers are the ones who started putting chrome on engines. Fancy that!! By the way, you'll be old someday as well. I wonder what you'll think when you're demeaned, and wanted gone?🤔
You can also just turn the engine and the distributer will drop into the oil pump drive.
The Stovebolt distributor setup was industry standard in their era. The distributor was like that on most engines then because the vacuum advance actually turned the entire distributor body. The distributor had to float in the block to allow that. Its an odd setup today, but not when they were new. I can see where running a modern distributor could lead to confusion in installation.
Thanks for the video. I'm currently reassembling my 235 so I'm going to make sure my distributor is seated correctly. I loosened that clamp then dropped the distributor in, then lowered the clamp to tighten.
Did that work for you? I have the exact same situation. I haven't started the engine yet.
@randallksparks1, yes it did!
I can't thank you enough for this video and valuable information. I almost made the catastrophic mistake you mentioned on here.
Very nice video, on any engine that doesn't have a PCV dial valve I always put one in so it sucks all the ass and and junk out of the engine. I always eliminate road draft. Fresh air into the valve cover from the air cleaner if possible, and dirty smelly stuff out through the PC valve.
The straight six was a good engine.
I typically bump the starter or jiggle the crank to get the oil pump drive tang to drop into place.
@georgewilson9121 Agree, you should stick with using a screwdriver.
Chevy 235 best engine ever ..I pulled a 1965 Chevy C10 side step out of a potato field back in 1974 , it had three busted piston .. took 6 piston and connecting rods from a 283 ..that has the same bearing and pistons the connecting rods are a shorter ,,so it had great lower end torque .. after twenty years it was still running strong it ended up in a potato picker .. in northern Maine ..
This. Video. Gives. Some. Very. Solid. Advice... with. Good. Logic. And. Reason... with. Visual. Examples.. of. How. It. Needs. To. Fot.... good. Job. have. A. Nice. Day....
Many of you have had these stovebolt engines. If I remember that the 216 and maybe the early 235 engine had timing gears not timing chains until later years of the 235. I know what he is saying is true. A person had to time those from the bell housing or flywheel. Nice video. Where were you when I was growing up
Next time you build one of these... drill out the oil passage on the side of the block to 3/8" or more ( depending on your confidence) thread the passage...on the outside of the block drill & tap 2 holes for installation of fittings for a full flow oil filter system...last , install a plug so it rests in between the 2 hole's you drilled on the outside of the block... now you have a full flow filtered oil system. I did this on our engines for figure 8 back in the day and we were the only ones with the same running engines at seasons end.. I also used 2 sets of main bearings, use uppers from both sets for 360' oiling...These weere great engines in their day... don't forget roller rockers , we didn't have them back then...
Thats my favorite modification to do to these engines. The 261’s have a full flow filter setup and I can tell a major difference in wear when I take them apart. I agree it is a much needed upgrade.
That's good advice! Any other suggestions? I'm rebuilding great Grandfather's 52 with I believe a early 235
Any chance you can do a video on changing the rear main seal on a 235? There is very little info out there, and the shop manual is not helpful.
Good info ,I'm currently doing the distributor in my rebuilt 235, thankyou 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
At least one of the bolts in the head has an oil galley through it. The people who rebuilt my 235 failed to put the proper bolt in, so I did not have any oil going to the lifters or to the top of the head.
You are absolutely correct.
Had a 54 chevy belair. Blew a rod thru the side of the block, but still ran and got me home about four miles..Tough engine.
I hope you are able to make some more videos. Liked and shared. All my best.
More videos to come! Thanks for watching
I’m down with the straight six cylinder engine because of it’s sound and grace
The best way to get right is to measure from the notch in the oil pump to the flat surface where it bolts down and adjust the clamp to that measurement and mark it with a scribe tool. Then take the clamp off of the distributor and cut the clamp off just behind the slot where it bolts down. Then grind the clamp off to make it round. Replace the clamp with the adjustment screw towards the front of the engine like it was before and tighten really tight , you won;t be using it again, now you can use a Chevy V8 distributor hold down clamp. The reason I suggest this is that if you loosen the clamp too much when adjusting your timing the distributor can be pushed out of the oil pump and the engine will still run so you may not even know it happened until the engine starts making noises. It happened to mine and it's costly.
I would like to know how one works with a turbo , head work , a cam and a 4 bbl .witha 5 spd.
use a stock chev. 1961 dist on 216 with points or a modjule ,it has worked for me on my 1948 chev from 1975 untill now, mine runs better with a good set of points in the dist . the ole blue streak points last a long time / only a orignal or New old stock cam is made of real steel most all replacement cams are made of a" cast type steel" , if you can find a orignal cam that can be REgrind then it will be of billet non cast metal . if you drive" normaly" you can use the 6 volt system with the babbit rods and get good service out of your 216 engine. yet you must remember that the 40's chevs have a 4:11 gear in the rear end so keep speed s at 50 or 55 mph . and use the factory 16 inch wheels , a rear end gear set is sold for higher speeds or if you can find a entire torque tube from a powerglige car from 1950 you can swap the whole unit out ,they have a lower gear,( thanks for a good video !)
Did the power glide 1950 and later have a higher top speed?
yes 3;73 vs4;11 the entire torque tube can be swaped out as a unit , not haveing to mess with ring and pinion measure 1st length of torque tube the std trans 1950 -51 may work to ,it has been a long time so check my facts one or the other will work @@thomasandbethanygriffith892
The HEIs are good distributors but I would never put one on my 235s or 261,they look so out of place and as bad as hanging a alternator on the side of one. Never had points leave me stranded like electronic ignitions so all the I have converted to electronic will eventually be going back to points.
So, is the length issue with oil pump engagement or cam gear engagement? I just got my 235 back from the machine shop. I have not tried to start the engine yet, but I did move the clamp on the original distributer for cleaning. I noticed at that time that it was adjustable. I just stuck it down the hole until everything engaged and then adjust the clamp.
I should have watched the entire video first. You answered the question.
I have great love for the 235. Had one in one of my first cars - a 1959 Brookwood 2door station wagon.
I have a curiosity…I was once told by someone who CLAIMED to know that the 6 cylinder in some first Gen Toyota FJs are a direct copy of the chev 235, to the point of parts interchangeability. True?
What I had was an oiler problem with my 1956 chevy after 2 years and that was in 1965
I did not watch you build, but when I built one I put a 261 cam in it
If you need a carburetor,the best option is uremco,but you will need to use the original jet out of the old carburetor,and reset the float.
I am in the process of installing the same HEI distributor in my 1957 235 motor as you are showing. Your vid is very helpful and I thank you.... Is there any way of knowing the dist gear is engaged in the oil pump after installation before I start the motor?? Maybe engage the starter and see if oil comes up to the head or look at the oil gauge, etc...... Thanks in Advance
You can crank it over with the spark plugs removed so it will spin faster. You should see your oil gauge move.
Hi my hei distributor is too short. About 1/4 inch. It is a truck engine. Are car and truck distributors different sizes.
Hey Dan, I'm new to the straight 6 world, yet I have been working on installing them in 40s and 50s.
I need help learning how to set timing on them when the have hei distributors and 350 or 700r4 transmission. Do you have any info or videos on that? Thanks
I seated a DUI HEI dist with sliding clamp like that into 235 oil pump and tightened clamp before I tightened then bolt. The down force from tightening bolt pushed dist gear into bushing in engine block above oil pump and caused bushing to cut and wear where gear rests on bushing. Bushing wore a massive amount and sent filings through motor. Also engine oil pushed up the shaft and leaked into top of dist under rotor. Original distributor is designed to float and ride on the bushing above oil pump. When hold down bolt is tightened dist gear destroys bushing. Engine ran great and had good oil pressure, but eventually caused bearing failure. These DUI HEI distributors are designed wrong and will eventually cause engine failure. They also should have a seal under pickup coil to keep oil out of upper housing.
Can you stick long screwdriver down in hole mark distance with sharpie
Yes that method will work too
@danmaxwe11 thanks for reply
That looks like the engine that was in my 62 Chevy truck that lasted many years, thanks for the reminder, l was only 16 at the time
Great informative video, thank you for posting.
How about if you have the old stock distributor and take a measurement on it!
measurements are the same on a stock distributor.
Right on , compair the origional one , check oil flow before firing up
is this a car 235? or where did you find the adapter plate? that's to mount a automatic transmission correct? i searching for an AUTO transmission that will bolt to my 57' truck 235.
Glen Self got a lot of power out of those 261s.
I bought a 50 fleeline 2 door sedan with original motor. how can I find out if its a 235 or a 216
216 looks feminine compared to the 235.
Can you convert a babbitted mains block to use inserts?
All 216 and low pressure 235’s pre 1953 had insert main bearings. It is the connecting rods that are babbit. I can convert them to insert bearing.
back in old days machine shops would drill the cranks to send oil to rods i have not been able to find a shop that stills does it , a GMC oil pump can be put in too requires a new type tube there is a old book still in print called how to hop up GMC &chev engines by roger huntington in the floyd clymer booklets of the old days reprints are available someone needs to fab up the fixjure to redrill the ole 216 crankshafts shops did it in the 1950s last one was becks in calf @@danmaxwe11
hey bud i have a inline 6 250 what ya charge to make it look as good as this one and run for ever
Toyota F and 2F, same issue.
When I was a Young MufflerMan I did Hundreds of Split Pipes on those 😁😎
One addition is NGK Iridium plugs. Use them straight out of the box. Do not gap. Huge improvement.
I remember my 66 chevelle with a 194 cid motor
Thanks for the tip
Thanks for your video
Just think no more carburaors, no feeler gauges. Techno;ogy stiks.
Measure off a stock distributor and your set.
good video, thanks
Ok, now I'm aware and won't do that. Those old sixes were commonly found as everyday drivers into the '70s.
I got chrome on mine both of them 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
It’s the only automotive engine I’ve ever rebuilt.
Thank you :)
Where are you located? That is one Chingon looking engine
Why did Chevy charge more for their 250 than their 235? Why did they charge more for less? haha GM bought their Iron Ore right off the lake by the ton. From an "Ore Carrier" like the "Edmund Fitzgerald." After Chevy's release of their 427 Vette, Zora Arkus Duntov said, "We've reduced the overall weight of the 396 a significant amount by punching it out to 427 cubes. That removes a lot of metal. We've lightened the motor which lightens the car."
The 235 was a late 30s design with 4 main bearings. The 250 was an early 60s design with 7 main bearings. The 250 gave you more for your money
@@Texassince1836What about a Slant-6 it only had 4 main bearings?...Or do MoPops not count among Mighty Chevrolet's?...
Those 4 Main Bearings of the Slant-6 are the size and same part # as the 426 HEMI.
@Texassince1836 I believe he means the "modern" 235
The 427 vs 396 weight is a dumb thing for anyone to suggest. Do they really thing the cylinder walls are cast the same on different bore size blocks?!?! Go ahead and bore a 396 block out to the 427 bore and see what you end up with 🤨
Good looking motor!
Fellas lets remember chrome dosent make it run . It just makes it look good when sitting still . Personally i dont put chrome on my motors . I dont like cleaning it . But if you do , i dont care ! Why fuss about it ?
Why not use the original distributor throw that hei distributor away
I prefer the look of the stock distributor as well. This is what the customer wanted and it actually ran very well with that hei. I usually install stock style distributor with a pertronix
The only thing "stupid" about that 235 is the chrome all over it. They are good engine's. It's ignorant people who mess things up. Old timers like myself know how to work on these engines. God I've had a quite a few.
Heaven forbid the whole car from its Era didn't have chrome accented too
@@carrionpvp -- Chrome on the body of a car is seen during normal operation of the vehicle or while the vehicle is parked. Nobody sees chrome on an engine while it's running down the road. It's excessive and stupid.
@@ironcladranchandforge7292to each his own sir.
This comment made me want to get a chrome kit for my 235. Thank god you closed minded boomers are on your way out 🥰
@@Interior.repair -- Us "closed minded" boomers are the ones who started putting chrome on engines. Fancy that!! By the way, you'll be old someday as well. I wonder what you'll think when you're demeaned, and wanted gone?🤔
🥝✔️
My father stupidly bought a 1959 Chev with that engine. The brick could hardly move.
I don't buy Chevy so I don't have to worry about mistakes.....😮
You don’t fix anything so people ruin everything you own.