So I have this old IH truck that really just doesn't have room for a v8 engine and ran across a screaming deal on a 230 straight 6 with transmission and the works. It's new enough to be the standard Chevy bolt pattern and was updated to electronic ignition when it was rebuilt @8k miles ago.
I really only need the transmission that comes with it for another project but if I take the whole package I'll be into the engine for @$75. I have a S10 nv-something 5-speed from a 4.3L that should bolt right on and hold up fine and give me overdrive in the 75-year old Binder. I also have a brand new Holley TBI setup specifically designed for 1-bbl inline 6 motors I was planning on using on a car I don't have anymore.
What do I need to know, and is it even worth messing with
A 230 is a short stroke big bore car motor, it also might have been used in some half ton trucks, from 62 to 70 in US cars including the Camaro and a zillion Checker Cabs.
This may be the same block that Pontiac used for it's SOHC 6.
Not a bad motor at all (I've owned 2 in Nova's). Don't expect it to tow anything heavy, especially up hill!
Nothing wrong with it at all.
Is this the stove bolt 6?
Many years ago, at an in-between jobs job, I drove a late fifties GMC dump truck, I think it was a 1 ton, but it could have been 3/4 ton. Anyway it had a GM OHV I6, and I'm pretty sure it was an early version of the 250. It could pull a dump bed full of old roof shingles up a steep hill only slightly slower than it went up the same hill empty.
I bet that Clifford engineering has a bunch of good stuff for that engine.
292 was the largest of that I6 family, saw heavier truck duty.
That TBI build sounds cool. 
I had one in my 64 C10 and I liked it. It won't rev very high, but it was fine for a half ton truck. They use a composite timing gear which can fail without notice, but it's an easy fix.
it'll run forever and ever and ever.
plus they sound cool with split exhaust manifolds or headers.
i'd do it now.
HappyAndy wrote:
Many years ago, at an in-between jobs job, I drove a late fifties GMC dump truck, I think it was a 1 ton, but it could have been 3/4 ton. Anyway it had a GM OHV I6, and I'm pretty sure it was an early version of the 250. It could pull a dump bed full of old roof shingles up a steep hill only slightly slower than it went up the same hill empty.
I bet that Clifford engineering has a bunch of good stuff for that engine.
This was probably a 235 or 261.
What's wrong with the IHC six?
It'll outlast and outwork the Chevy engine..
fasted58 wrote:
That TBI build sounds cool.
Id take that EFI a step farther and port inject it with 3 throttle bodies and stage 2 of them.
But TBI in the old Binder will run fine.
ncjay
HalfDork
3/2/14 2:39 p.m.
"I have this old IH truck that really just doesn't have room for a V-8 engine" Huh? You mean they can stuff a V-8 into a Miata, but your truck doesn't have the room? Come on, where's that American can-do spirit? Don't give up so easily.
The truck came with some unidentified gm v8 in it, missing one head and the intake and locked up solid. To get it in the hood didn't fit and they had to cut quite a bit out of both frame rails.
I can patch up the frame with a section of boxing but if you go forward from the firewall far enough to get to the front of even a SBF it's too wide to fit under the hood. At one time I was planning on running lake pipes and no hood or front fenders, but I have other things to drive fast and lean towards more low key these days.
It's a 75 year old truck and I have had it parked out in back of the family farm for the last 22 of those years. It doesn't need to ever work hard again and it deserves another go around
The Chevy straight six is a good motor and would do well for your project. I had a '67 Chevy half ton. "Ol' Yeller." You could not kill Ol' Yeller.
An IH straight six would be a good choice (I prefer sticking with the same manufacturer when possible) but you can get a Chevy for cheap and the truck will need some frame repair anyway, so it seems like a decent choice. Parts for the Chevy will be a lot easier to find as well, if needed.
I had one in a GMC (chevie) half ton. Beat the s*** out of it. Never complained.
ncjay wrote:
"I have this old IH truck that really just doesn't have room for a V-8 engine" Huh? You mean they can stuff a V-8 into a Miata, but your truck doesn't have the room? Come on, where's that American can-do spirit? Don't give up so easily.
Believe it or not, Miatas have huge engine bays compared to vehicles from that era. The frames tended to be rather narrow near the front of the vehicle, making anything but an inline difficult to do.
Appleseed wrote:
HappyAndy wrote:
I bet that Clifford engineering has a bunch of good stuff for that engine.
Yes they do.
Ordering from them hasn't been easy lately from what I've heard; you may be better off finding used Clifford speed parts than buying new. I've heard a lot of stories about huge shipping delays and the like with the current team running Clifford.
I dumped 5 psi of boost into a 250 in a Chevelle for a couple of years. With a 3" down pipe, that dumped right behind the front tire, it sounded like a Peterbuilt. What a hoot to beat around town in. It's a good, basic, low tech, engine. It will run with a rod knock longer than most engines will run. You can fix it with a rock and duct tape.
If you are looking to do any sort of performance upgrades this is a fantastic book. http://www.amazon.com/Chevrolet-Inline-Six-Cylinder-Manual-Edition/dp/1931128278
In reply to TheV8Kid:
Thanks for that, new book on its way!
I picked up the engine yesterday before work and am looking forward to the project. I'll probably get it running on a stand in the shop and then bring the truck home next month and start on mounts and such. It would be an interesting if not particularly competitive challenge project if I had any documentation.
