Repair And Fix it

home» 235 » a » chevy » how » identify » to » How to Identify a 235 Chevy

---

How to Identify a 235 Chevy

The Chevrolet 235 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine -- successor to the 216-cubic-inch -- entered full-production during the 1940s and continued until the 1960s. Identification requires locating and comparing the vehicle with 235 serial numbers. Any difficulty in identifying 235-cubic-inch engines is because other Chevrolet six-cylinder vehicles used the same block and the numbering system changed in 1954, requiring an alternative decoding process. If the serial number does not match any found on a listing, the stroke must be measured.

Instructions

1

Find the engine serial number. According to Old Car Manual Project, all 235-cubic-inch engine serial numbers are on the passengers side of the block, either near the oil dipstick or to the rear of the distributor. Pre-1954 engines have a two- to three-letter pix followed by a six-digit assembly number. Later engines begin with a seven-digit assembly number followed by the plant designation, model year and type designation; for example, 0123456 F 55 Z.

2

Decode the pre-1954 engine number. Old Car Manual Project decodes the example JAM 123456 as follows: "J" is the code for 1951. This year identification system began in 1941 with the letter "D" and continued in sequence until 1953 with the letter "L." The second letter, "A," is the vehicle designation and "M" is the plant code. The following six digits are the production sequence number. To decode the model designation and plant code, consult a listing similar to the one found on Old Car Manual Project. This listing has specific pixes identified as belonging to the 235-cubic-inch engine.

3

Decode the 1954 and later serial number. According to the website, 1954 and later serial numbers follow a different system, 0123456 F 54 Z, for example. The first set of numbers is the assembly sequence number, "F" is the plant designation, "54" is the 1954 year designation. The final set of letters -- in this case, "Z" -- are engineering codes. "Z" represents a standard 235 engine.

4

Remove the valve cover and the cylinder head to measure the stroke. Crank the engine until one of the pistons is at dead bottom. According to Museum Stuff, the 235-cubic-inch engine has a stroke measuring 3.9375 inches from the top of the piston to the top of the cylinder wall.