65 Chevelle - Motor Swap 230 to a 350

Hello,

I am swapping out a 230 straight 6 cylinder motor and putting in a 350 SB.


What motor mounts do I use?
Do I have to modify the crossmember for different motor mounts?
Do I use a short water pump for the 350 in this application?
Will my 350 bolt up to the 2 speed power glide trans?
What flex plate do I use?
Is there an issue with carb / shift linkages going from a 6 cyl to a SB 350?

Many questions I know..... I really appreciate any help you may have to offer. It is a sweet car and as most people I am trying to pick off a piece at at time.....

Cheers,

Bob

Most of the stuff to "fit" a 283 or 327 (what was available "new") will bolt right to the 350. The frame "pads" must be changed, as the 6-cylinder stuff doesn't match. The bolt holes should be in the frame, to attach the V8 pads.

Use what ever water pump combo you have pulleys for. ALl of them will "fit" the car.

Yes, the small block will "bolt up" to the 'glide. If it's not an "air cooled" 'glide (has a series of large holes around the bellhousing for air to come and go), even the flexplate SHOULD bolt up.

There are ALWAYS "issues" when installing something besides what was there. Not insurmountable, though. Places like Year-1 have all the stock linkage or cable stuff you would need.

Have fun and good luck. I always liked the '65. Too bad you don't have a 396 just layin' around...

Jim

Thanks for the reply...... This is a fun project. Not one spec of rust on this one. I bought it for $1500, spent 2 hours on it and took it for a drive.

I have the frame, underbody and wheel wells restored, the engine compartment restored, the trunk restored, and the interior done except the upholstry on the seats and the headliner.

I have the body blocked and ready for paint.

Working on the engine now. You are right.... too bad I don't have a 396 laying around! That doesn't mean that one won't just come along someday.....

I got a sweet deal on the 350. A buddy had it for another project of his and went with a different motor so I bought this crate from him for $600. He had just paid $2500 for it not two months prior. He owed me a favor......good way to collect!

The car was complete when I got it and only missing one piece of headlight moulding and the rubber part of the gas pedal. Never wrecked, good chrome and the glass is all good. I will need to replace door felts and rubber after the painting. It is all there just weather cracked a bit.

Cheers and thanks again,

Bob

1965 Chevelle
1997 GMC Suburban
2005 Ford F-150 Supercab
2007 Mustang GT Outlaw
2007 Ford F-150 Supercab

Hello Bob,

I too have been tormented with a strong desire to remove the 230 and put in a V8. But the car is only original and numbers-matching once so instead I modified the stovebolt engine and prettied it up. It'll never be as fast or loud as a V8, but it gets many compliments due to the rarity of an SS still having the L6 engine after all these years. In my case they built very few six-cylinfer SS's and only a relative handful are still around. so I have that weight hanging over head.

The hassle of doing an engine swap was more than the cost of getting some stovebolt upgrades so that is what I did. 2 1/2" split dual exhaust, dual carburetor intake and a few other goodies. When it is all prettied up it gets almost as much attention at the car shows and cruise nights as a big block engine would. Again, mainly due to the astonishing fact that nobody hauled out the six and dropped in a bigger engine after all this time. 20 years ago it was almost mandatory to do this in your own driveway or risk being shamed by any gearhead that you know.
Here is a picture of what a 230 could look like in the engine bay.
Not trying to talk you out of it, cause I know the feel of a V8 versus a six in a sports car, but I wouldn't want you to lose a fair amount of value some day since your car would no longer be numbers matching when the day comes in the future to sell it. Who knows gas prices could go up to $3.50 a gallon again and the fun of driving a V8 will decrease a little. A properly tuned L6 with powerglide will get 21 mpg as a daily driver. The 350 might get 15?
Anyway, good luck with the project. Keep us posted on how it turns out.
here are some pictures of my 230 in the '65.
Tom

Tom,

Glad to hear you're proud of your old Malibu. Cool cars. "Numbers match" may mean something to some. In the case of the 6-cylinder cars, it's not as big a deal as it is with later "SS" cars (unless yours IS an SS, as most '64 and '65 "SS" cars WERE 194s or 230s...). It's not a bad thing, though, to "save it for posterity".

The nickname "Stovebolt" refers to the old 216 and 235 design, as many of the fasteners in the original version, circa 1935, WERE really "stove bolts". Yours is the first time I've seen the later Chevy 6 refered to as such. Interesting...

Jim

I have a 65 Malibu SS convertible. I'm putting in a LT1. Just food for thought. A later 250 six with a TH350 is a bolt in for the 194 or 230.

If you take the early head and drop in bigger small block valves and use it on the 250 block it will be a good jump in horse power and look all original. Pistons for a 307 small block can be used to up compression.

(unless yours IS an SS, as most '64 and '65 "SS" cars WERE 194s or 230s...).
The nickname "Stovebolt" refers to the old 216 and 235 design, as many of the fasteners in the original version, circa 1935, WERE really "stove bolts". Yours is the first time I've seen the later Chevy 6 refered to as such. Interesting...

Jim

Hi Jim,

Yep, mine is a real 137 vin / 138 trim tag coded SS model. The 230 engine was an option that added about $27 to the sticker price. In other words, the first owner paid EXTRA to order a smaller engine than the base 283 cid SS model. Perhaps they knew that gas was to be $4 a gallon in the future?

As for the stovebolt reference, Langdon Stovebolt Company call the 194-292 series of inline sixes 'Stovebolts' too, so I go along with it. Maybe the reference is due to the generational design progression over the years. I sorta like the name :) Here's the car the engine is in....

i also had a 65 ss conver. i drop a 350 in it i replace a tried 283,the 350 fit right in and not too much looking for parts.i had it for 13 years,sold it for the 68 chevelle i am workinh on now,yes this one has a 350 too,what can i say small block "very dependable" big block very costly nice but alot of money!