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When restoring a 47-55 1st Truck and moving over to a newer style 235 engine to replace your tired worn out 216, there are a couple of fitment issues. The engine will fit right in and mount just like the 216 did, however the biggest problem to overcome is the fan being too close to the radiator or won't fit at all. Here in Kansas, alot of guys just cut out the top radiator support bracket and stuffed the radiator inside the channel instead of on the outside. While that works, it's not pretty and there are better ways. The best way is to get a 1953/54 water pump, use your 216 fan and install the radiator in the correct location. You can find the part numbers on how to do that here:
http://devestechnet.com/Home/Project1959235
There is another tempting way to keep the engine cool, installing an electric fan. I do not personally like this idea because the cast that was used back in the day is not as strong as engines built today, the fan is not cooling other items under the hood all of the time like the stock solution, and the fan only comes on after 185 degrees. When it does, it sounds like a military drone! But if that is your thing, there is another problem you will need to resolve. The biggest one is where to put the Water Temperature Sensor that comes with the Electric Fan kit. You already used the only water temp sensor spot on the engine for your gauges. Since that is a mechanical gauge, there is no way to use the same one. Now, you have to find another location for a similar sensor inside the water stream. After running some tests of my own, there is no place to do this without doing some modification. One way is to have your Radiator Shop install a Bung in the top tank on your Radiator. The other is to get a radiator hose adapter that is the size of the upper radiator hose and has a built-in bung for this purpose. Either way makes your truck look heavily modified and/or ruins the stock look of your Radiator. There is a better way...
To fix this problem, we look to more modern technology and go with a Thermistor circuit. This $6 circuit available on Ebay senses the temperature on the outside of the Thermostat housing. Since it is adjustable, you can set it to go off anywhere between -40 degrees through 257 degrees! This sensor activates a relay that causes your fan to engage at the set temperature, and off once the temperature falls below the set temp. The only problem with this $6 circuit is the relay is a 10 amp relay. According to SPAL, the makers of quality Electric Fan kits, the kit requires a 40 amp relay and a 30 amp slo-blo fuse. So, to make our 6$ circuit work, we need to wire in a standard Bosch Type 5 Pin automotive Relay that is rated for 40 amps. The 40 amps is merely surge current and doesn't run that hot all the time and that amperage only happens for a few milliseconds then drops below the 30 amp rated fuse, but it is relatively easy to wire the higher rated relay in. Since they cost less than $5. you will have less than $12 in the entire system. This is something I plan to write a How-To Article on in the near future, but if you have questions before I get to it, email Deve@speedprint.com and I will do my best!
http://devestechnet.com/Home/Project1959235
There is another tempting way to keep the engine cool, installing an electric fan. I do not personally like this idea because the cast that was used back in the day is not as strong as engines built today, the fan is not cooling other items under the hood all of the time like the stock solution, and the fan only comes on after 185 degrees. When it does, it sounds like a military drone! But if that is your thing, there is another problem you will need to resolve. The biggest one is where to put the Water Temperature Sensor that comes with the Electric Fan kit. You already used the only water temp sensor spot on the engine for your gauges. Since that is a mechanical gauge, there is no way to use the same one. Now, you have to find another location for a similar sensor inside the water stream. After running some tests of my own, there is no place to do this without doing some modification. One way is to have your Radiator Shop install a Bung in the top tank on your Radiator. The other is to get a radiator hose adapter that is the size of the upper radiator hose and has a built-in bung for this purpose. Either way makes your truck look heavily modified and/or ruins the stock look of your Radiator. There is a better way...
To fix this problem, we look to more modern technology and go with a Thermistor circuit. This $6 circuit available on Ebay senses the temperature on the outside of the Thermostat housing. Since it is adjustable, you can set it to go off anywhere between -40 degrees through 257 degrees! This sensor activates a relay that causes your fan to engage at the set temperature, and off once the temperature falls below the set temp. The only problem with this $6 circuit is the relay is a 10 amp relay. According to SPAL, the makers of quality Electric Fan kits, the kit requires a 40 amp relay and a 30 amp slo-blo fuse. So, to make our 6$ circuit work, we need to wire in a standard Bosch Type 5 Pin automotive Relay that is rated for 40 amps. The 40 amps is merely surge current and doesn't run that hot all the time and that amperage only happens for a few milliseconds then drops below the 30 amp rated fuse, but it is relatively easy to wire the higher rated relay in. Since they cost less than $5. you will have less than $12 in the entire system. This is something I plan to write a How-To Article on in the near future, but if you have questions before I get to it, email Deve@speedprint.com and I will do my best!