The "stovebolt six" is a real piece of history . .
so is the small block V-8, but more isn't always better and there is something good about an original looking engine compartment.
I'm not sure about the trucks, but in '53 I believe non-Powerglide sedans still had splash lube to the rod bearings which was never one of Chevy's bright spots. The 235 is a better engine, and very much what a farmer in period would have installed once the original 216 got tired. My father grew up on a large farm in east Texas and his father owned nothing but Chevys. My dad remebers that when a stovebolt six would wear out, his father would just order a new engine from either the Chevy dealer or Sears and they'd install it. After the second engine wore out, he'd go down to the Chevy dealer and buy a new car or truck and start the cycle over again.
Last night I went to a get-together at a local car musuem. This museum specializes in high end pre-war stuff, with lots of Packards (even a Packard Darrin!), Pierce-Arrows, Cadillacs, etc., but they have some postwar cars. One of them is a red '65 Mustang fastback, with a 200 cu. in. six and four-speed trans. The engine had a period Offy intake manifold with three downdraft carbs on it. This is a rare but interesting combination, what with the optional four-speed hooked to the six rather than a 289. No doubt it was custom ordered by someone who really loved inline sixes, and with the triple carbs it probably moves quite well.
