49 Roadmaster Start Up

I purchased this car in 1994. Used it in our wedding as a Limo. Ran well, looked good, interior was fair but I decided to make it perfect. Removed the hood, fenders and rebuilt the engine & trans ( profesionally done ) shocks, new tires, gas tank, rebuilt the radiator and replace the wiring harness. At this point it is 1998 and I lost interest in the car. My interests went to brass cars. Can't sell it so I will begin the restoration process. How do I prep a rebuilt engine that has never run in almost 17 years? Is it possible to produce oil pressure without running the engine? It is easy with engines that have external oil pumps but the 49 pump is in the oil pan.

it will very easy on the Buick straight 8 to build up oil pressure. You must remove the distributor and once your do this you will see the top shaft of the oil pump. I used a gator grip with a drill. it fit right over the shaft and formed to the slot in the shaft. make sure you mark the distributor and block so you can easily put back in, if it had already been set up, or after you get pressure use the mark on the flywheel to TDC etc.

What type of oil should I use? What is a gator grip?

What type of oil to use is like discussing religion, so you can get many differing opinions. However, many folks use Shell Rotella, with a weight like 10-30, or 15-40, others use a single weight 30, though I believe these engines were made for multi grade. The main issue that people are concerned about these days is the less zinc used in the oils which suit modern engines, but can cause quicker wear when used in older engines.

With a rebuilt engine, you would not want to use a heavy grade, a 10-30 should be fine. Also, oil rated for use in diesel engines is supposed to have the proper additives for older gas engines. But the bottom line is that any of today's oils will be much better than what available 60-70 years ago, and many stores carry an special zinc additive that you put in with the oil.

Also, when you do get it running, change out the oil very soon, perhaps after an hour's worth of running, so that any debris will removed before damage is done.

Just my few cent's worth, I hope it helps.

Keith

I have the shop manual and it recommends Special Buick Oil for the Dynaflow trans. What might that be?

They have the Gator Grip at Home Depot, thanks....

Dynaflows used Type A fluid which is no longer produced. I used the latest Dextron in my '63. I don't know what anyone else is using.

Ed

The newer formulation of Dexron are fine in the Dynaflows. The only point that was made to me be a experienced rebuilder is that the viscosity of the new Dexron is a bit lower than the old, as this reduces pumping losses in modern transmissions, so it might leak a bit more readily, but this is only choice we have now, and the new is compatible with the old. I've run the new Dexron many thousands of miles in my '56 without problems.

Keith

Dynaflows used Type A fluid which is no longer produced. I used the latest Dextron in my '63. I don't know what anyone else is using.

Ed

Type a tranny fluid (accelerate brand) is available at Amazon.com. Joe

Hi Ed ,

I found a company over here ( Holland) that still produces the Type A fluid , when they sell it here they should sell it in the US too ..

Paul

You can also just leave the distributor alone and build yourself an air compressed "pre-start engine oiler". Look them up on youtube as there are various ways to go about building one. When completed, attach it to the port that the engine oil pressure gauge attaches to in the head for example. Use shop compressed air at around 20 psi with a tapped inline valve to control psi and flow. Your setup should hold about a quart of oil. Use a straight weight 30. Yes, drain the oil out of the pan after about an hour or so of running. Change to a new fiber and refill. Get yourself some DZZP oil additive to cushion the impact on the valve train and cam since all the new oil formulations do not do. They have drastically reduced the historical amount of DZZP due to the now use of Catalytic Converters as they claim it damages them which by the way has been proven incorrect but facts and science have never stood in the way of political intent and interests.