JohnD1956

Welcome. Another early 50s being resurected.. hard to imagine but good to see. As for problems to expect, assume the Dynaflow will leak from both ends. Know that the simplest fix to try first is driving it a few hundred miles. Then know that the 50 grill bars can be troublesome in that they have numbers on them but do not fit on in numerical order. But I have no recollection of 51 or 52 guys reporting the same. 6 volt systems require the thickest battery cables, And these cars have an awesome shape. Good luck

Isn't there just one arm? And Isn't everything replaceable located under the two end caps? I'd leave the arm in place. And I would look at the manual to see if there is a picture of the arm against the lobe of the camshaft. I am not certain but that lobe is usually attached to the front of the camshaft and will be in the "lift" position once for each camshaft rotation. I say this with reference to the various V8s I've worked on and assume that is the same for the straight eight. But if at all possible I would want to rotate the engine so that lobe is not in the lift position, as that will make installation easier. Also, I vaguely remember a critical measurement associated with the installation of one side of the pump. Can't recall if it's the vacuum or the fuel side. This was from the one time I did this back in the late 80s. I am not certain if that is a valid concern or just someone's advice in trying to sell me a rebuilt unit. Good luck

@195354 which rear axle was in the convertible? There could be two. The 56 has no rear cover on it. It is a one piece unit with no drain plug. That is a one year only rear axle. The 53 will have a rear cover bolted on. This was a multi year application ending in 55. The reason I ask is just to determine which output shaft the trans has and there for where to cut the torque tube and drive shaft. The 56 drive shaft to 56 axle end would be fine splined and is not pinned. The earlier version is coarse splined and does have a pin. In your mix obviously your car had some combination or just a complete change out.

So sorry to hear of Bill's passing. That is an early BCA#. I hope he rests in peace

I am surprised to see the wood. I was under the impression that 38s were all steel?

welcome!

Be careful of the temp guage. Don't jostled that too much. If you can you may want to remove that from the instrument panel, and you should uncouple the oil pressure line at the back of the guage

You have to remove the trims, not just the screws

A long time ago, probably a decade or more, an aluminum appearing lawnmower carb bowl rotted thru, which I suspect was the result of ethanol fuel use in it's first 5 years. Since then I have only used non ethanol in it and have not had any indication of a similar problem. I am sure fuel formulation has changed since those days but I have no proof of that. But since non ethanol fuel is still readily available in my area I went strictly non ethanol in all my vehicles. Last year I used ethanol fuel in the 56 untill late in the season and then refueled with non ethanol for the winter. This year I have been using ethanol in the Buicks all the time. But with a month or two to go I am again filling with non ethanol. But I am still using a can of non ethanol I bought last fall for the lawnmower. If I don't over prime and flood it, the engine will start on the first pull. And there is no water in the bottom of the non ethanol gas cans. Obviously everyone has the best alternative that works for them. I believe the key factor is to keep the tanks full during storage or non use periods, and if possible to run them on occasion.

That assembly looks odd to me. Isn't there a pusher shaft that goes from the rear shoe to the front shoe? It should have a oblong spring on it on the front shoe side? And the link front the top of the self adjuster may go to the same location as the upper spring on that rear shoe. But also the shoes look to be the same length in the material? I think the front shoe should be shorter?

Took in a small car show in Corinth, NY today. It was promoted by the area train enthusiasts. Peobably around 25 cars all together. Among the festivities was a food vendor, a local winery vendor, and optional train rides. There were some very nice cars there. And the train ride was nice too. Just about an hour and we rode on the open car with the canopy. Very pleasant time

Found that there was this last Hemmings Cruise in tonite, in Bennington VT. I went over with the Electra. Several nice Buicks there. Was pleasantly surprised to hear so many owners already have the 2026 National meet on their radar.

I'd put the caps for the mains back on and then level the engine to trans alignment