w-block questions

[rcurrier44]

Hi first post...and first W block

Well this is the engine I came across a couple of weeks ago. I don't know exactly what it is yet but the truck is costing me a 18pack of bud light and he is even going to deliver it :) He had bought it years ago at an auction and drove it 70 miles to the site it is at before he pulled the rear end to use in another truck. He said the rig ran very well and the engine was very strong when he drove it home.

From looking at it I have concluded it's not a truck motor from looking at the water pump and the by-pass into the intake. So I am hopefull that it might be a desirable engine.

http://www.m4x4a.org/ImageGallery/album173/DCP00629.sized.jpg

This is the truck it was in. A 1960 LCF with a SM420 behind it.

http://www.m4x4a.org/ImageGallery/album173/DCP00630.sized.jpg

My short term goal is to get it running and throw it in this truck to play around with it for a while. The truck used to have a SB chevy...and I was going to origionaly put another SB chevy that I have laying around in it. The truck has everything still in it except the motor. Then if it turnes out to be a good car motor. I will be using it in a long term 61 chevy truck project.

http://www.m4x4a.org/ImageGallery/album173/DCP00632.sized.jpg

So I guess my first (of many to come I'm sure) is what problems do I need to look for in this engine other than the block cracking below the heads?

Other than the usual spark plugs/fluids/carb cleaning what would you check or swap out before running it?

I am thinking of poring some ATF into the spark plug holes and priming the engine with ATF to clean it out and loosen up any sticky bearings/rings before I attempt to turn it over. Of course flushing and filling it with oil before startup. I will also pull the carb and soak/clean it up since the airfilter has been off for a while. Anything else you guys can think of doing to this old engine before trying to get her to fire.

Also, it will probubly running at 3000 rpm at 65 on the highway. Do you guys think this is too high of an RPM for a Wblock on the highway? I have axles that can drop the gearing to 2720, 2450 or even 2000 if I wanted to; but the ones that would run me at 3000 RPM are the best set I have so I would like to keep them.

Thanks for any input

ROB

[rcurrier44]

Oh and another question. If it does turn out to be a truck block with a car intake on it. What was the purpose of having the compresion being so low on the trucks? I think I read that it was in the 7.5 range???thats realy low. :?

[OldTruckNut]

Hey Budd, I'm new here too. Nice find you have there. Wish I could fall on one like that. I had to pay alot more than that for mine, and it's still a truck engine. That sure doesn't look anything like my engine. The truck engine has a governor setup on the carb and the distributor; and the dist has no vacuum advance. If that is a truck block you have, seems funny they'd of went through all the trouble to swap out all that stuff. In the FAQ section, it says the 65 truck engines had all four holes on the front of the block(on each side of the balancer) drilled and tapped, but the car engines had only the left side holes drilled. But the footnote also says it might not apply to all years. I can't see the dipstick in the picture, but a left hand(driver's side) dipstick is supposed to be a 348, and a right hand should be a 409(if the pan wasn't swapped). As for the 7.75:1 comp ratio, most all big truck engines were that way, designed for heavy-duty high torque use, not high performance. I see you must like some of the same old trucks I do. The 60-66 Chevy trucks have always been my favorites. My first truck was a 65 C10, and I still like them 30 years later. I've lost count of how many I had over the years, lots of drivers and even more parts trucks. Too bad you're so far away, or we could maybe swap some parts. Best of luck with your motor.

[SteveD409]

Looks like a car type water pump.

[Mr.Jimmy]

Get yourself another case of Bud Light, and take a valve cover off and get some numbers along with the ones off of the front and rear pad. Then you know what you really have. Measure your balancer too...get the numbers off the intake too. You will be admazed in what you could have. Truck motors can be great too. I have one in my Chevy and love it....along with the big heads, fuel injection and a ZF 6 speed with 4:56's

[Mr Goodwrench]

well thats a high choke wcfb carb which was only used on 1958 348ci engines unless it is off a 283. look for the tag on the carb should say 2656s. either way if the short block is "truck" someone went to a lot of trouble putting a car top end on it.

[Mr Goodwrench]

as far as rpm's ??? my wifes father bought these 348/409 trucks brand new, only two axle ratios back then 7:17 and 6:50 he liked the 7:17 on 9:00 tires 60 mph was about 3400 rpm all day long and then half the night! never could blow one up! first gas truck engine ever went down on him was a 427. that was when he wasent repalcing sparkplug wires starters or fixing stuck exaust valves because they run so hot.

[29Coupe348]

i run my motor at 3000 all day long, seems to be fine to me.

[rcurrier44]

I figured that these engines can handle 3000rpm in stock form. I have read many threads on here about people reving their race engines to 7000rpm....but those are race engines and not old stockers.

Yep love those 60-66 trucks. My dad had a 65 that he taught be how to drive with. I realy wanted that truck but mom made him sell it because it had to many electrical problems...he only got 200$ for it....it ran and drove just fine, had a 350 + 3 on the tree. Ever since then I have wanted one and have been accumulating those old parts trucks for the past couple of years.

I will definatly be getting the #'s off of it this weekend. Going out there on Sunday and will hopefully get the entire cab off of the chassis. Maybe the motor/trans too if things go smothly.

The only number I got off of it last weekend was off the passenger side front head. I think it said TIII58...I think this is a date code so maybe your right Mr Goodwrench and its a 1958 348ci.

Thanks for the replys guys.

ROB

[OldTruckNut]

Boy Rob, too bad that old truck is not a "C" series instead of a LCF, the cab and doors look pretty solid, you could probably use them for one of your 61 pickups. That's what I'm wanting to do with the cab, doors and hood from my C80. Being a fire truck, it spent the greatest part of it's life inside an insulated building so it's in excellent shape. The main thing I'll have to do is fill all the holes where they had lights, sirens and other garbage mounted.

[rcurrier44]

Actualy I am going to be using the cab and doors on my next long term project. Its a 61 chevy 4 door for pulling my cars and trucks to shows and races. I have been looking for a while for an old 4 door around here to fix up...but have only come up with dodges. So I have decided to make my own. The different firewall and front part of the doors don't concern me because everything infront of the windshield A-piller is getting cut off in order to graph it onto another cab (witch you can just see to the right in one of the pics Orange cab w/ Yellow hood). Otherwise the cabs and doors are the same.

The body was the reason I was initialy interested in the truck. But finding out it has a w-block in it has realy peaked my interest in using this motor. :) Its clasic 60's V8 look is just what I was looking for for this project. :cool:

[rcurrier44]

Well got some #'s off the truck.

I was able to get the date code off of the back of the engine. It read as J2857 ....or maybe J2867 but I think it is a 5. I think that this means it was cast on Oct the 28th, 1957.

I think suffix code is actualy T1115H and not the TIII58 that I origionaly wrote down. I think this means it was assembled on Nov 11th and the application would be a "H" 1958-61, Pass. Car, 250HP, 348 V8 , 4 bbl., Turboglide .

I didn't even see a casting # in the area above the CM4...but I didn't look to hard eather. Those 2 numbers I got off of it look origional and seam to jive with the fact that it has the high choke carb like Mr Goodwrench said.

So that means 250@4400, 355@2800, 9.50:1 . Its probubly the least powerfull of the car engines....but thats ok. It will work just fine to run around this little pickup.


I talked to the owner a little more this weekend and got some more info on its condition. He parked it there aprox 10 years ago and the only problem it had was the the battery was dead and they had to jump start it. When preping it to pull this weekend things looked promising. The oil and antifreaze look clean, there is no rust in the intake thermastat housing and the carb looks to work fine. Need to get a tourch out there and cut a couple of body mounts and the welded on steering shaft off of it so I can get the body and engine out of there.

Thanks for the help guys

ROB

[OldTruckNut]

That's great Rob, I'm glad it's turning out to be a good motor for you. It may be the least powerful of the car 348's, but it's still got gobs more torque than any stock 350 you'll find. Not knocking the 350 mind you, they're good engines. There's just too damn many of em'! Lol

[rcurrier44]

Yep, I'm kinda warming up to using this motor... 355lbft right at my highway crusing rpm does sound like it will work well.