Even at the age of 20, I knew that Chevrolet made an outstanding product in the 6-cylinder Stovebolt engine. They are the most resilient engines that I have ever had the pleasure to work with. To this day, if you can find them, you can take a 1950s farm truck that hasn’t been started in more than 40 years, free it up, start it, and run it most of the time without much trouble. Although my marriage didn’t last, the old truck just kept right on!
That truck was my first foray into vehicle restoration, and I didn’t do much with it, but years later I began new frame-up restorations focusing on 1950 Chevy pickups. I decided to write down every aspect of these restorations in careful detail and create a website so my experiences were documented for others. It is a labor of love, and it documents all the mistakes I made along the way and, more important, how to fix what is broken. One system after another, careful documentation, lots of pictures, and a deep desire to succeed drove my work.
As you use this book with your own project, be sure that you follow accepted safety procedures and clearly understand the dangers of machinery, equipment, etc., as well as how to mitigate the dangers by being cognizant and diligent while operating machinery. Please use your common sense. And don’t forget to have fun!
A young and inexperienced Deve in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1978. Sir. Yes, sir!
The 1954 235 was a combination of old style and new styles. With slits in the valve cover and older bottom-end engine parts, it was a unique year for the 235. It was the first truck engine to have insert bearings and full-pressure oiling.
This 1954 235 has the oil bath air filter, bypass oil filter cannister, and mounted horn. After this year, General Motors stopped drilling the intake manifold for mounting the horn but left the boss in that location.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Even though I did the writing and all the physical labor, the component that makes this book a guaranteed success is the people who gave their time and knowledge to help keep each procedure exacting and precise.
This was my strategy: I asked at least three professionals the same question. If all three agreed and it made common sense, it went in the document. If two agreed, I solicited a fourth person’s perspective, always keeping the odds well in the favor of precision. This was done at every step using Chevy documentation, outside sources, and tapping the expertise of some of the best engine rebuilders from all over the world. Some of these people were notable because of their giving attitude and the fact that they were always just a phone call away.
You do not get where you are going without the influence of others, and this journey was no different. I was lucky enough to find Dave Folsom, a respected mechanic and shop owner, who specialized in this vintage of Chevrolet. His father taught him the business, and his knowledge is impeccable. There is nothing this man doesn’t know and no problem he hasn’t run across. Although this is true for a lot of people in a lot of professions, the thing that sets Dave apart is his willingness to share everything he knows.
Along with my long-distance friends, a few local people were of major influence. My dad taught me to “always have common sense in your back pocket”; he was invaluable to me and is sorely missed. The late John Erb was known around these parts as the expert on this vintage, and I was honored to have spent many hours in salvage yards all over Kansas helping him salvage parts for vendors. This was an amazing learning experience that I will never forget. Another great man, Gene Swartzendruber, taught me how to weld, how to view things as a mechanical engineer, and how to work with metal. His influence can be seen all over my shop. I am so grateful for the influence of these great men. Nathan Hall, Jeff Pohlar, Jeff Nelson, Allen Jones, and the list goes on and on, you know who you are. Thank you all!
Left to Right: My dad, me, John Erb, and Gene Swartzendruber solving all the world’s problems.
INTRODUCTION
Chevrolet introduced the first overhead valve 6-cylinder engine, affectionately called the Stovebolt, in 1929. There is speculation on where this nickname came from; some think it is because the hardware used on the engine looks like the hardware used in old stoves. Others have said that it has to do with Ford owners needing something insulting to call their competition. No matter where the name came from, it stuck over the years and refers to Chevrolet 6-cylinder engines from 1929 to 1962.
The Stovebolt is an amazing engine in its simplicity, yet it has very strong torque specifications and an ability to handle the heavy abuse of the American Industrial Age hauling steel, wood, and all the products of an emerging economy. In Kansas, it was used for agriculture and was significant in the effort to feed the entire world.
Although the Stovebolt was a strong runner with very good statistics, the 1929–1953 engines had one weak spot. This does not diminish its heritage, mainly because the engine used the technology of its day. I am referring to the babbit used in making the engine’s bearings. In engines after 1953, Chevrolet used insert bearings. The company still uses the same technology today. But prior to 1953, engine rebuilders had to learn the art of repouring babbit into the bearings forms. They then had to shave off this babbit and shape the “bearings” into proper form. This was time-consuming, expensive, and less accurate than the next technology.
As time went by, these babbit professionals grew older and retired. Now, you are lucky to find a babbit professional. This is the main reason that most 1929–1953 Chevrolet cars and trucks have the newer 1954–1962 Stovebolts in them. It was not cost effective or, in many cases, even possible to salvage an older 216/235 engine. That heritage lives on, however, because you can use some of the parts from the older engines on newer ones.
You can tell this is a 1954 or early 1955 by the slits in the more modern valve cover. The 235 of that era is called the Thriftmaster.
This 1964 261 has a replacement block (no numbers on the distributor deck). The 261 of that era is called Jobmaster.
It is easy to see the evolution of these engines year by year. The big transition year was late 1953. The 1954–1955 235 engines used some bottom-end parts from the older 216/235 series.
For the reasons stated above, I concentrate on the newer vintage 1954–1962 235 and 261 engines. In this book, I perform a complete rebuild of a 1959 235 engine. This is the tail end of the Stovebolt era and a good example of how to do a proper rebuild. If you have a 261 engine, a good article to read is found at devestechnet.com/Home/TheVenerable261.
With a little patience and the ability to read instructions carefully, it is a very rewarding experience to rebuild one of these engines. I also use the principles of restoration, which means that you stop and evaluate every step of the process and take no shortcuts; no matter what.
I hope you enjoy the journey!