Chev engine identification

[Nathan O'Malley]

Hi guys

I’m hoping someone might be able to help me out.

My C60L has had a heart transplant at some point in its life and the engine it has is certainly not a 216.

I suspect it may be a 235 I have the casting numbers but for the life of me I can’t find anything on the lists that matches it.

The number behind the starter reads 3831004
The one on the little shelf behind the distributor reads R239736

[Shaun Mastin]

Blue flame maybe ?

[Nathan O'Malley]

Definitely a blue flame but would like to know a date and how many horses it may be packing.

[Shaun Mastin]

Late 40’s early 50’s pretty sure
I think it’s the same size as a 235 but with bigger bores in it
I think ? ,
Couldn’t tell you the hp

[Lang]

This engine is a a replacement hence the R prefix and ratty hand stamped numbers. Up to the 60's replacement engines were supplied blank and the mechanic would stamp the old number but not the prefixes (which told what factory and date). Unfortunately without the letter prefixes of the old number we can not identify it from this. No Chevrolet factory 6 cylinder engine number was ever a single "R" prefix.

Your casting number does not match any I can find. There are many detailed Chevrolet casting number sites listing every model ever made. The year and number are not sequential and much later motors had smaller numbers in many cases.

I believe, if you look hard again at your casting number it will be 383 7 004

not 383 1 004. Which would make it a mid-fifties 261 - a winner out of all the Chevrolet early 6 cylinder motors!

[Nathan O'Malley]

Sorry mate I thought the casting number photo had uploaded apparently not so I’ve attached it here.

I thought I may have misread the number when I couldn’t find a 1004 it seems like a strange looking 1. If it is indeed a 261 that would be a nice little win

[Lang]

Yes, it is a 7 and you have a 261.

Lang

[Grant Bowker]

For more on Chev 261 identification see: http://devestechnet.com/home/thevenerable261
There's also good information through www.stovebolt.com

[Lang]

Nathan

I think you will find your numbers are on a Canadian built motor. Many of the Chevrolet casting charts found on line (not only Chevrolet but Chrysler and Ford) completely ignore the huge production that the Canadians have achieved over the years and only include USA production.

It took me several searches where your numbers did not match anything listed before finding at first a list on Hemmings then eventually a couple more confirming it is a Canadian 261.

As you are probably aware the US/Canadian company splits are smoke and mirrors BS designed to produce vehicles for the many British Commonwealth countries during a period when non-British goods suffered huge import tariffs.

If you Google a map of the old factories you will see that the US and Canadian factory workers can talk to each other across the river without raising their voices! There are hundreds of apocryphal stories about the Canadians and Americans having Made in USA or Made in Canada stamps to put on components, and indeed full vehicles, as they wandered back and forth across the border.

If someone has not written a book on the subject they should.

Lang

[Nathan O'Malley]

Thank you very much for your help!

I knew the Canadians were making a lot of stuff but I didn’t know that particular story I will look in to that that’s quite amusing

[Dave Newcomb]

Hi; Commonly 261's had II or "Captain's bars" casting marks on the block just above the starter. Also the later ones had full flow oil ports 1/2" NPT in the oil galleries on the intake side. These should be allowed to move oil... not blocked off with plugs. Local rebuilders have informed me that the Chev 6's are cam timed 6 degrees retarded and they use a 4 degree offset crankshaft key to reduce this to 2 a degree cam retard.. wakes up the engines. Canadian 261's were sometime found in Pontiacs [ Parisene?] Highest comp head is the '58 & later 848 casting. Dave

[Tony Smith]

Lang, where did you find that info that it is a 261 block? All the references I can come up with say it is a 1955-57 235 engine.

http://www.castingnumbers.info/site/.../18242/3837004

http://1954advance-design.com/Stoveb...g-numbers.html

[Lang]

Tony

That is interesting. It clearly shows a 235 with a Hemmings reference. I found a 261 with a Hemmings reference. I then found another chart stating that casting was a Canadian build.

It is strange that the references in your chart give two different authorities for these engines - why don't they both have the same serial numbers for that year?

It is much more likely to be a 235 as in your charts for I believe vastly more of those were built.

I will go to Hemmings Chev Talk and follow up the research to see why we get different answers. I don't think it will make any practical difference to Nathan if he is not replacing rods and pistons but it would be nice to get to the bottom of it.

What we have to remember about anything not an official factory publication is that people making these lists feed off each other and any errors quickly become fact because when you do a cross-check you will get confirmation when you find the same mistake repeated - so it must be true.

Lang

[Tony Smith]

Absolutely. I find Chevs far more confusing to find accurate truths on all the variations, when in often fact, they are not a variation at all, identical parts with different numbers.