Thread: What Kind Of Motor Was In A Stock 1948 Chevy Stylemaster?

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Most of the people here are telling me if you're going to rebuild a classic why not go with something more sporty that down the road you may be able to make a profit off of. That's not the purpose of redoing this car. I'm doing it to learn skills that I can use on builds later on. This 48 will be my learning car. Hey, I got it for free. If I mess the whole car up, it doesn't cost me a thing. On the other hand if I do go with something more collectable and I mess it up. There's thousands of dollars down the drain. This car was free and probably the only thing I will get out of the car is the skills I can use on future projects.

My two cents worth---- a 48 chevy is not all that rare, and 216's are a costly and lousy engine. You'll learn a lot more, and end up with as much or more value, by rodding it. 350/350 combos are cheap and plentiful. Buy an old Caprice or some such and strip it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Just had to get that out...
Sure the 350/350 is cheaper and more common...but it's so COMMON!
If you do a little hunting, you can find a nice 216 that some rodder discarded in favor of a 350.
Better yet, search a little harder and find a 54 or later 235. These are pressure-oiled (216's are not), and will fit your car with just a few easy mods. I spent around $1800 on machine work and parts for my 59 235, and assembled it myself. If it wasn't the original engine in my truck, I would have looked for a decent used one.
the inliners.org site has a bunch of info, and a bunch of old-tymers that will do a better job of convincing you to stay inline that me.
Stoveboltengineco.com is a neat site to look at too.
Don't go V8 just because it's cheap and flashy! Be different!
Well, really, do whatever will make your ride what you want it to be. If you want original, find the right 216. If originality isn't too important, but you want to stay inline, go for a later 235, 261, or a GMC 302, if you can find one.
The classified sections of inliners.org and stovebolt.com usually have a few 216's and 235's pop up here and there.
Good luck!
p.s. why is this in the flathead forum?