Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Hey guys,

I posted a bit ago about getting a 48 gmc project for $400, well I just got it for $300 and now the fun begins. Here is what I got:

cab - has some rust issues that I will have to address, plan to sandblast the whole dang thing
frame - solid as far as I can tell
engine- looked up the casting and I believe its a 54 235
tranny- smallest 3 speed I have ever seen, haha

and a whole bunch of odds and ends, a steering column emblems, the wiring, the truck was basically taken completely apart and most of the sheetmetal thrown out except the cab.

So I started tinkering with the motor and checked it for oil and poured some fresh oil under the valve cover and try to prime it to attempt to see if it turns over. I had to take the starter apart and clean out some loose metal out of it and got that working with 12 volt car battery. Anyways hooked it up and the engine will turn over sooo slow.

I would like to see if she will run eventually and see if I can use it but Idk why it is turning over so slow. Do I have an options to get a 12v starter that will bolt up to the old school bellhousing?

I'm pretty much just starting from scratch and trying to figure out how everything goes and I would appreciate any suggestions, thanks

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

stuff looks pretty good. how do you have the battery hooked up? you need full size battery cables power and ground. need good ground connection at the frame/engine. scrape off rust and grease. battery fully charged?

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

That's a chevy frame and motor. what does the front sheet metal loom like

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

54 was still 6 volt. 55 switched to 12 volt. If you "took bits of metal" out of the starter I'd start there. You will want to convert to 12V anyway so just go get a new starter, NAPA, etc. has them. If you want to try and start it get new 12v coil and distributor bits. Did you pull the plugs and squirt any thing down the cylinders to loosen them up, if not might be dragging dry rings on cylinder walls. I don't think 58 had pressure oiling system so my might be dragging the crank, cam, etc dry. I'd pull the valve cover and side plate and lube anything that looks like it moves, cam, lifters, rockers. Make sure the water pump is not seized.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

You're brave.
I'd pull the plugs and see if it cranks different. A '48 would be a 12V system and my guess is it would crank fast. Might want to check the voltage on the starter and the engine numbers to see what's there.
I'd also put new oil in and shoot oil in the plug holes and let it sit for a while.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

I would have pulled the plugs and looked inside the cylinders if you could. Then tried turning it over by hand before trying to start it. As Orrie said, you might have dry cylinders, or even have corrosion in there. You might do more damage then good just trying to kick it over.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

well originally i was thinking of putting in a 250 from my 76 but after checking out the 235 its kinda intrigued me. So when I was putting on the bellhousing/flywheel, the motor started to turn a bit as I was tightening. Then it took me a while to get the starter to work and figure out how it worked, lol. I have been using some thick jumper cables to test the starter connected to a 700 CCA battery. I tried another battery same effect. I'm probably gonna chance the oil and take a closer look at things.
As for sheet metal, all i have is a cab and that sucker is in the garage, I will snap a picture for you guys tomorrow.

Ill pull the plugs and shoot some oil in there and see what happens tomorrow

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

When I got mine a few months back, it hadn't been ran in 15 years... so I pulled the plugs, shot some oil in and let it set. The next day I could turn the motor by spinning the fan. So I hooked power up and the starter turned it over good but no spark. New points and she fired up. Leaked gas from the carb and water from the pump. Also had a mean exhaust leak. I just started to replace all of that so I'm hoping in the next few days I'll have the engine running good. After that brakes and a road test.

I'm betting something is wrong with your starter.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

I'd go along with squirting some oil or Marvel Mystery oil in each cylinder and letting it set a couple of days and then trying to crank it over with the plugs out. Get it to spin over easy and hopefully build some oil pressure and then worry about getting it to run.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

I've heard of guys using a breaker bar on the crank, then pick it up with a jack and let the weight of the truck try and turn it over. Then begin to soak the cylinders with sea foam or marve mystery oil. Then just let it do its thing. Go by everyday and shoot some more oil in the cylinders. Eventually gravity will win.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Another vote for marval mystery oil, plus I would get new starter since that one had loose pieces of metal in it, remove plugs, fan belt, make a good connection to battery, not jumper cables, keep working it.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Thanks guys, I will report back when I get a chance, but today Notre Dame plays so I will be completely preoccupied. hahah

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Here are a few pictures of the cab. Definitely gotta replace the corners.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

When I first tried to see if my Kansas truck would turn over I lubed her up and after turning by hand tried a good battery and jumper cables...basically nothing. Spent some time troubleshooting with my meter and couldn't find anything wrong. So used real battery cables correctly attached and she spun like a top....so I agree with other posters...good, correct connections.

Of course the pieces of metal in the starter sound questionable...

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

hey another gmc! fyi, fc 101 35086 is a 1/2 ton 116" wheelbase 1949!

http://www.oldgmctrucks.com/page0014.html


that serial number page is how I proved to my tag office my truck was a 47

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Thanks This is all new to me so I'm learning from a firehose, thanks for the link.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Hey guys,

well after a notre dame lost I was back at it and pulled the plugs and they looked like they had some soot or were running rich to me, anyways shot some oil in the cylinders and waited a bit to hand crank the motor and it is a lot easier to rotate. I tested the starter still with the jumper cables until I can get some better cables and I definitely noticed a difference.

I had a little bit of oil spray out of a threaded hole on the driver side middle of the block, I am assuming it goes to some filter or something to cycle through the engine.

Plans:

fix the oil leak
maybe swap out the dizzy for my 76 hei dizzy bc its 12 volts
hook up my monojet carb from my 76 (because i know it works etc)
reinstall the water pump and maybe just run a hose on it? Less mess?
try and get her started!

So what am I overlooking other than the fact that if she does run, it will be loud with no muffler?

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

After thinking about it I'm betting part of your problem is your jumper cables instead of actual battery cables. But your going to need to make sure you have spark, so check your points or swap the dist. Also make sure your getting fuel too. Both the pump and the carb. Simple as that really... you can also check compression and make sure the timing is set right.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

"I had a little bit of oil spray out of a threaded hole on the driver side middle of the block, I am assuming it goes to some filter or something to cycle through the engine."

These engines have an external oil filter that goes on the driver side with 2 hoses that thread into side of engine...one feed and one return...from what I can see in one of your pictures, yours is missing...

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

235 is similar here is a sketch...

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Thanks! That helps a lot.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Update:

I got a ghetto oil loop going to feed into the head for now.
Setup a hose for the fuel pump
Property wired the starer instead of jumper cables

And boy the starter is night and day. She rotates fast and got me all excited. Lol

Now not getting a spark need to check the connections again.
Fuel pump not working. No biggie for now, I can always cheat and pour some down the carb.

So tomorrow I'll give it another whirl. If she runs I'll fix her up and probably use her for my project. Thanks for your help!

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Mine doesn't have one of those either. I was wondering why it didn't have an oil filter. I guess I need to add one

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

At least your threaded holes were plugged...lol

I'm assuming this because otherwise you wouldn't be keeping oil in your truck very long.

Re: Trying to get a 235 to turn over
 

Well gents I gave her a little gas and cleaned the coil connections a bit and voila! She runs! Or at least for 2 seconds. Anyways good enough for me to reward her with some investments.

I'm thinking:
Oil change for sure- maybe drop the pan to check it out and clean out some gunk
Oil filter system - install one lol
Rebuilt the carb - it's a carter that all I know so far

After that try and get her to idle then probably replace spark plugs and maybe a new dizzy with hei? I gotta research that part more but I'm kind of excited the whole drivetrain works on this sucker.

Am I missing anything?