after a while of driving my truck with the original 216 and the crashbox i think a 235 were better. Which year of the 235 fits without problems in my 1946 1/2 ton? And fits the crash box on a 235 without modification. I found on this site a 235 for about $550. plus shipping to Germany - wow i think it's very expensiv but if i have an idea in my head it's only a question of time for reality. Could i feel the difference between these engines or is it only stupid to change a running 216? Volker
Hi Volker Your truck looks so nice that I expect it is a hobby & not a daily driver. I love my 235 & have never had a 216. If I were to change an engine in my truck I would want the newer 292. It has a lot of modern changes like hydraulic lifters, pointless ingnition & lots of power. It would probably cost the same.
An early 235....55 or so has the same mounts as the 216. Later years had side mounts, so you ould have to switch out mounts or fab up some new ones.
Volker, I would not buy an engine and pay shipping unless I knew for sure the engine was good. $550 for a fresh engine is a fair price but for a run of the mill engine it's too much. These engines can be found for $200 maximum, usually less, and sometimes free since there are scores of them being replaced by V8's. I think there are members on this forum from nearly every state and I'd bet someone would be willing to check out a potential engine for you. If the person with the engine for that price doesn't have it to where it can be run, listened to, oil pressure checked, etc., then I'd pass it by. As far as the engine swap be prepared to deal with several differences that I'm sure you can handle. The front mount plate can be modified to use the 216 mount cushion, The bell housings/flywheels can be switched or rear frame mounts fabbed for the 235 which had both a straight mount or an angled one depending on the year, The water pump is different and the location is lower but if there isn't a cleareance problem all is good. Most likely there will be a problem with the 235 fan being further forward but the 216 pump and fan can be used with an adaptor that also relocates it higher. The angle of the exhaust outlet is different but that's no big problem. The 58 or newer 235 is the best engine but the 54-57 are much easier to work with than a 216 if you have to go into the bottom end. This swap has been done thousands of time so if you check the "search" feature on this and other sites you can gather a lot of tips and probably even get some of my wrong ones corrected. If you keep the torque tube you are most likely stuck with a non-synchronized 1st gear transmission but the others are synchronized.
What Evan Said ! The front mount , you'll need to swap over the front engine plate from the old 216 . The bell housing and tranny are straight up bolt on and will work fine. Although I prefer the 235 engines ('55 ~ '62) you can always install a dual carby intake manifold and wake that old 216 right on up ..... Being sure to always maintain the engine in a sharpish state of tune ensures every bit of power is always on tap from idle to floating the valves...
@nate Although I prefer the 235 engines ('55 ~ '62) you can always install a dual carby intake manifold and wake that old 216 right on up ..... Nate, did you mean i can hold my 216 and have more power with a dual carb? The reason for changing is the loudness of my engine. up 2.000 rpm i can't hear my own word. or could it be that's the motor mounts are kaputti (a fine german word) ? I'm waiting for Patricks Ring and Pinion and think 60mph are enough for this old lady but if i drive 60mph the engine turns with 3.000 rpm and that's too loud. Now i got the freight costs for an engine to Germany: approx. $400. And now my question to all Has anyone a runnig 235 in the garage and sell it for small bucks?
Yes , that is what I meant . A 216 with proper tuning should easily push your truck to 65 MPH with the 3.55 R & P . if it's too noisy now , either you have the wrong muffler , you're seriously over speeding the engine or you need to add some sound deadening materiel to the floor , firewall and inside sheet metal , the Streamliner trucks (what you have) were fairly noisy when new *but* can easily be dampened , I did it to my '46 3100 shop truck many years ago and it was fine . I'd look closely and address the sound issues now before $pending any big Deutschmarks on a new engine..... Little things like adding a thin strip of foam into the groove in the floor where the tranny cover plate fits , and replacing the square foam seal between the tranny's cover and the floor board , stuffing the cavieites behind the kick panels , inside the doors (a tough job I know) on and on like that , will result in a nice , quiet ride , not the constrant drumming you're suffering now . Remember ! use ONLY closed cell insulating materiels are they'll absorb moisture and cause rusting! . I assume you have the exhaust outlet level with the back bumper ? failure to do that means sound dumped under the truck where it bounces off the pavement and back into the cab .
Volker, on the Stovebolt Forum under the "engine and driveline" feature they have a post titled "Good asking price for a running 235". The responders think a $100-150 would be fair. Some say they have several laying around, one guy has 14 and another 6 so it might be a good place to pick one up.
