Looks like a rod cap gave way today. Wonder how hard it is to balance a 235? I think I can balance rods and pistons but not the crank. IMHO a balanced 216/235 is the most admirable old engine there is. You have to look at the fan to see if they are running. This has been a slim year for money and thats no Pelosi
Doggone it Willard, I just gave away a brand new, never been started 235. The man that bought the truck from an estate wanted a V8 with all the bells and whistles and another fellow at the VW restoration shop just down the road has an old AD he's tinkering with so bye-bye 235. Normally shipping is too high so I don't mention pull out engines but it sounds like your not a great distance away. I have a 37 engine out of a farm truck with 41k miles but it has cast iron pistons, a different front plate, and several other things that would be like backing up from a 50's engine. A contributor on this site, "cimberdad", called my engine builder and he quoted him $550 for a short block completely rebuilt. A very good price but five hundred bucks more than I would have charged you for that take out. Don't dispair and find out who does street rod work in your area. Perfectly good inliners get pulled frequently. If you lost a rod cap most likely the crank got gouged and won't grind.
Thanks for empathy! My first car was a 62 bubble top Bel Air with a 235. I felt sorry for myself and replaced it with a 300-HP 327. I never realized how great a 235 was untill I bought this truck for my son/me too. Never a problem in ~4,000 miles, oil pressure gague was always maxed out. Got oil all over the place adjusting valves, then sudden death. A lot like a friend dieing. At least engines can be bought. Anyone have high opinions of hydraulic valves? I like quite Probably gonna take a gob of money juice. Hope next year is better.
235 Fun Willard ; Hydraulic lifters are a wa$te of time & $ on these engines , they rob power and will ALWAYS clatter @ hot idle . If you can find an honest racing machine shop (good luck) yes , you can balance the engine including the crankshaft , flywheel and clutch cover plus the rods & pistons , all to ZERO grams and the boost in tractible power will be amazing plus you'll be able to smoothly crusie down the freeway without worry it'll blow up . Adding a 261 cam will increase power and fuel economy too . Having the exhaust ports in the cylinder head smoothed up and the exhaust valve guides un shrouded wil increase power end reduce operating temperatures , a win - win situation but DO NOT port it nor do anything to the intake ports other than having them matched to your intake manifold ! . Don't replace that old oil pump if it was working well , the new Melling pumps tend to be junk , low pressure and volume . I have written reams of detailed 235 hop up info before , it's in the archives , money well spent .
