help needed with my 59

[chevy1938]

hello
i recived my 59 apache from vergina . daily driver he sayd . mmmmmmmmmmm
the zylinder head is blown oil in the radiator .
i want to build a v8 in there is a straight 6 in now . wath motor would work with out chainging my gearbox . ans wath do i have to change on my truck or can i just put a v8 in .i dondt need 500 horse power i want one to cruse slowly around
thanks
gregor

[mylow53]

i think most of the straight sixes will fit from the 60's. i would replace the head gasket first since it may be a quick cheep fix for the oil issue. not 100 percent sure but oil in the radiator usually means head gasket.. they should be cheeper than a new engine
GT (gregor-y)

[OrrieG]

oil in water is much better than the opposite. Does it run? blowing any smoke or puffing on start? I'd at least pull the head and see how worn it is. Gasket kit is relatively cheap. A search will reveal couple of threads in the last month on "what engine fits my original trans" issues. Good luck and keep us posted.

[chevy1938]

hi
it smokes .it runs not nice.
thanks
gregor

[a55togo]

probably need the v8 motor mounts and a v8 bell housing and the throttle linkage think you can get away with using the 6cyl radiator set up
Ed

[StinkyDogCB]

You might look into getting a 283 v8 out of another truck. Make sure you get the bellhousing, motor mounts and carb linkage from the donor vehicle. That's probably your easiest route if want to keep your truck looking original without having to worry about major modifications. Please note that the bellhousing for a 235 six cylinder will not work with the V8s.