Last Weeks Project! 1965 Chevy C20 Engine Swap!
Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:22 am
So... Here's how the story goes. This truck has been in my family ever since the mid 90's when my Dad bought it for $250 and my brother and I were in Middle School. The truck was trashed and better left for dead, but we ended up restoring it is a family and it was finished in 1997. Come the year 2000, my parents split and my Mother got the truck in the divorce. In 2004 my Mother gave the truck to my Brother and I as a gift and it has been stored at his house ever since and rarely sees daylight except for an occasional cruise with it by my Brother to take his Son out for ice cream! He's also taken it to 1 or 2 shows and a couple parades. Other than that, it sits. He lives 120 miles North of me in Rhinelander, WI so I don't drive it either. Less than 5,000 miles have been put on it since 1997! Well, anyway, my Brother and his Wife are expecting there 3rd kid sometime this November, and they are in need of a bigger house. We don't use the truck, they could use the $$$, so we are saying goodbye to it and putting it for sale!
About 3 or 4 weeks ago, my Brother had made plans with me to drive the truck down to my house so I could detail it, fix a couple minor things and get it prepped to sell at the Iola Classic Car Show and Swap Meet this July. He only made it 15 miles South of his house before he heard a boom and some rattling followed by smoke and the engine shutting off...
The 230 Straight 6 engine was dead... 
He had it towed to a buddies shop and all we know is that one of the spark plugs was smashed, a piston was busted up, the cylinder wall was gouged and almost all the engine coolant was in the crankcase... Diagnoses = FUBAR!
Now comes the fun part! Onto the search for a Small Block Chevy V8! Now keep in mind, the goal is to SELL the truck, so the budget is well, not much...
I was able to hunt down a good running complete motor for it, a 307 V8. Don't be alarmed by the look of the engine on the outside, it was actually recently rebuilt and the inside is in EXCELLENT condition!
To begin, I started by tearing down the new engine so I could degrease it and give it a fresh coat of Chevy orange engine enamel! Almost clean enough for new paint in these pics!
Pile of NEW parts! Gaskets, Chrome, etc, etc...
Ugly Broken POS 6 Cylinder...
After I pulled the old engine out, it was a good opportunity to degrease and pressure wash the engine bay and give it a couple coats of fresh black paint! This pic is from the first light coat!
Aha! New engine freshened up and ready to drop in with new paint and a half dozen pieces of bling as well!
About 3 or 4 weeks ago, my Brother had made plans with me to drive the truck down to my house so I could detail it, fix a couple minor things and get it prepped to sell at the Iola Classic Car Show and Swap Meet this July. He only made it 15 miles South of his house before he heard a boom and some rattling followed by smoke and the engine shutting off...
The 230 Straight 6 engine was dead... He had it towed to a buddies shop and all we know is that one of the spark plugs was smashed, a piston was busted up, the cylinder wall was gouged and almost all the engine coolant was in the crankcase... Diagnoses = FUBAR!Now comes the fun part! Onto the search for a Small Block Chevy V8! Now keep in mind, the goal is to SELL the truck, so the budget is well, not much...
I was able to hunt down a good running complete motor for it, a 307 V8. Don't be alarmed by the look of the engine on the outside, it was actually recently rebuilt and the inside is in EXCELLENT condition!
To begin, I started by tearing down the new engine so I could degrease it and give it a fresh coat of Chevy orange engine enamel! Almost clean enough for new paint in these pics!
Pile of NEW parts! Gaskets, Chrome, etc, etc...
Ugly Broken POS 6 Cylinder...
After I pulled the old engine out, it was a good opportunity to degrease and pressure wash the engine bay and give it a couple coats of fresh black paint! This pic is from the first light coat!
Aha! New engine freshened up and ready to drop in with new paint and a half dozen pieces of bling as well!
