Beemon

The ballast resistor is the resistor by the wiper motor, the fan resistor is the resistor on the air box plenum. Hope that helps!

I have two of them, it would be interesting to see how these carbs perform with all the little mods you need to make to have them actually work right. I'm going to have to pull the aluminum valve covers off, too. They have a lip that goes around the gasket and I think it's not letting the cork seal. It will most likely need to be planed because I don't think there are regular gaskets that don't have the fat edge. I'm not going to do that on the club mill by any means. When I did the intake, the chuck was out of plane 3 degrees somehow. It's since been zeroed, but I think I'd rather have it done professionally. I'd also need to make a jig and find some aluminum soft jaws. I can't wait to be done with school and have my own mill.

You should really try Low. Hold the brake, wait for the hood to raise and then hold on.

All the pumps here say "contains up to 10% ethanol". Doesn't really matter what you put in, it could be 2% or it could be 10%. There aren't any ethanol free pumps near me that I know of. But i gotta say, my plugs are never fouled, even after the carb has ran rich.

3.23 gears. I know it's supposed to be 3.36, but I couldn't find workable 3.36 gears. It actually worked out because the 225/75R15 tires I run are calibrated spot on with the 3.23 gears.

This one is leaking from the passage plug and accelerator boot.

I gotta stop doing this to myself. You guys ever seen a slobbering 4GC before? The WCFB is back on... lol. For good... until I get my carb switch mocked up.

Chrome also retains a lot of heat, so going original stamped steel would be better than painting over chrome. FWIW

This is my favorite time of the year. Unfortunately no orange leaves where I'm at. Looking forward to all the amazing photos John and others snap this year! (though hands down, John snaps the best photos, lets be real for a second)

The odometer rolled over again, so I'm about 3000 miles this year. I still have another 250 projected, plus some unknown street hours, by the end of the year. What is everyone's gas mileage (if they're counting)? I've been getting 15-18 mpg on the highway, depending on conditions (driving 80, going up and over the pass, driving across a long valley, etc).

Your idle is probably too high because you're running rich. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but you're supposed to set your mixture screws at the same idle you set timing, so about 350 or thereabouts. That way, your idle is predominantly based on the idle speed screw and not the idle mixture at say 600 RPM. 1956322, my Buick shifts fine at 25 mph. Not rough or bumpy at all. How do you think I made that Lexus smoke its clutch? lol Sometimes I take my foot off the gas, sometimes I leave it on. It's a little softer without the throttle at WOT, though. For the record, I can get an idle of 450 out of my 4GC, but not really out of my WCFB (worn throttle shafts so idle mixture screws don't do a whole lot for me). When I was using an Edelbrock, I could get it down low, too. If you idle low, be sure to use the dashpot, otherwise the engine will bog when you snap the throttle shut. Also, Ethanol needs a little more kick to fire, so idling low on Ethanol can lead to its own problems... I only set the idle to 450 going into cruise meets where I want it nice and quiet, but otherwise re-adjust to 600.

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/modernizing-1954-buick-updated-transmission-rearend/ Get a load of this garbage. 1956322, my Buick idles about 600 RPM and its a slightly rough shift. I get a rough shift into reverse, too. These engines are supposed to idle at 450 in Drive from the factory, but I've never gotten mine so low without rough running. That being said, after a good drive around, the shifting gets easier. The Dynaflow can be quick. I made a Lexus smoke their clutch at a light once, though racing a Lexus isn't much to brag on. It's a good transmission, but I wouldn't say its the greatest by any means. I always have reservations about future transmission swaps. It took 20 years to kill the Dynaflow in my car the first time, though, and after a rebuild, I figure I have 18 more years to go before I consider it... though the deciding factor will probably be swapping the rear end for something that's more available, but that's entirely a different subject (no ring/pinion so you gotta get lucky finding a replacement, not to mention there's no carrier bearings available - trust me, I looked everywhere).

Well I've been driving my car daily and I'm still using the same fuel pump. I've never had an issue other than a once in a while fuel bowl boil during a heat soak. I can understand only driving the car during the summer, but then you would just need to drain the tank during the off season and purge the lines to the carb, then during the on season drive up and get 5 gallons and be on your way in your classic. As long as you continue to drive, it shouldn't be much of an issue. There's a lot of scare hype for ethanol fuel and I have had almost zero of the issues that always come up.My biggest complaint is that the fuel is bad for the carbs in the sense that the way the fuel burns and behaves is different from the 50s, obviously. Regardless, I keep motoring on with 10%. No rust through of my original lines yet, no rust scale in the filter and my rubber hoses aren't cracking and deteriorating.

Try 87 and see if the engine knocks under load (going up a steep hill, etc). If it does, you can retard the ignition if you can, or go to 91.

Willie is not lying about a balanced engine. My first 322 was internally and externally balanced and it was smooth as silk despite destroying the cylinder walls. This stock 60 year old engine, even with new heads on it, runs smooth but rough. The difference speaks for itself. if you've got it out and end up balancing it, it will reduce parasitic drag from unbalanced internals, as well as help with rotation inertia and fuel economy. Your bearings will last longer, too.

I've got three 56 4 barrel intakes lying around. This one had the brass T broken off, so I think I'll drill it out and cap with a pipe plug since the extractor isn't working... Anyways, I wanted to experiment on the shop mill. I think it turned out alright. The casting for the adapter really sucks, and I found out its pretty porous. Regardless, it's way big on the old pattern side. I don't think I'll bother port matching here, since it doesn't really matter at the carb mouth anyways. At least, in this application, it's pretty negligible with an open plenum.

Have you reinforced your headrest yet? :P If the air cleaner is 10x3", you should be good to go.

Thanks for the info John, I did not know that. Now i'm more inclined to play with an AFR gauge. It would honestly be interesting to see where the stock carb stacks on an AFR meter. It's not like they had the technology to measure lambda values in a shop in 56. I'm sure since 4 barrels were still new, it was probably looking at plugs and reading vacuum gauges on engine dynos after the what if math was done.

Jon, the 56 4GC does have an auxiliary air valve, same as the WCFB. Unless you mean internal. I guess I shouldn't say wide open throttle, it's more like part throttle take off. Any take off, really, and it dies unless I baby it. Kgreen, yes and no. At the same time they also destroyed my power steering box by adding a washer on the outside of the front bearing. This destroyed the pulley and the shaft. I was told I installed it wrong (only goes on one way??). The steering box was another story I can't remember right now but it's supposed to have a lifetime warranty. Maybe this weekend I'll snap a photo of the sticker. I'll have to look at that steering kit again, but I don't think he'll split it since I don't want the pump at all. It's cheaper if I make it another machine shop project anyways.

That four barrel should wake it up! What size air cleaner is that?

How do you r&r a ring gear? Did you shot peen it or something?

Seconded Also, PM sent

Looks to be about where the felt washer would be, most likely a breather.

No Buick this week. I drove home this weekend because I am to attend a wedding this up coming weekend and wanted to make sure I had appropriate attire. The steering is getting pretty bad. 120 degrees of play. I'd send back but I don't have a spare or want to pay for shipping for a part that should have been done right. Regardless, the car is pretty unsafe at this point. Going home was okay until I got to I90 and the highway split into 3 lanes going over the pass. No rain going home, but taking corners, hitting a bump and having to recenter is a bit unsettling. I'm assuming it's the ball bearings, because it has 120 degrees of play before it engages the pinion gear. This is the video I took 2 years ago after getting the box back from the rebuilder. So I'm thinking about different ways to go about this. A rack and pinion system is a no go. I could mount it where the drag link is, but the A-arms are too big, the rack would have to be tiny! The most plausible option is a Jeep steering box, as I've contemplated in the past. Or go the route I believe it was VickyBlue, where a CPP box was used - however I need to find a 55 parts car (easy) and pull the pitman arm. There's a kit on Ebay right now for the Jeep box, but I really only want the box and the and the mounting bracket. Also these boxes use a universal joint and no rag joint. Anyways, the steering is not the reason why I left it home, though I am glad because it was raining on the pass when I came back. If I want to come home for the holidays, there is no way in Hell would I every drive that Buick across Snoqualmie Pass. I almost didn't make it without chains and in 4-wheel drive. There are just too many idiots, and with one-wheel fire, I would have to do the 9 hour trek through the canyon, hop on I5 and come through Olympia. So, I went home to check on the Jeep. I was told it was being driven weekly... found it with a dead battery and a flat tire! This week, I drove it back over after replacing the battery and having the nail removed just to make sure everything is as it should. The valve cover needs to be re-torqued since it's dripping on the driver side catalytic converter, an unfortunate stench after first fire up. It really needs a comprehensive fluid change on all 5 components of the drivetrain. There's also a groaning noise that's apparent on acceleration from a dead stop, what I can only assume to be a 16 year old transmission with worn clutch pads. The steering rack also clicks at full lock, and I noticed the power steering fluid was low. For a Daimler-Chrysler, it's in pretty decent shape. Regardless, it made it from Kent to Pullman on one tank of gas. Seems to be getting around 20mpg or thereabouts, which isn't bad given the age and make. I'll be swapping cars next weekend again and won't trade off again until Thanksgiving break. Back to the Buick. The ME 311 shop teacher is back from medical leave. Because I am a lead this year on the Formula team, I was going to take advantage of shop access and potentially talk about milling out the divider on the intake manifolds between the front and rear carb runners. I've done the math! Since the carb bores on the early 4GCs and WCFBs are much smaller than the AFB carbs, you get really nasty choking conditions as the air flow passes from one medium to another with an adapter spacer. However, combined cross sectional area without the divider on the stock manifold is larger than the bores of an AFB, which means there is no chance for a choke condition except at the carburetor venturi (which would approach mach conditions). This also means that I'd have to make a custom spacer to fit an AFB carb to the intake (no biggie). As a part of the class, we get to custom make a machined part. Usually materials are supplied, but you can supply your own if you wish. So I'll most likely CNC a new spacer to specs and accurate tolerances as well as throw the intake on the mill. I've also bought the materials for a vacuum operated ignition switch design I formulated a while back. Hopefully I'll get some results fairly soon. I've been working with the cockpit controls lead on some pressure calculations for the brake system. We're going with different sized calipers front to rear for a pressure difference in braking force. It's really got me thinking about disc brakes again, since my disc brake testing was with a different master cylinder. A byproduct of highway driving in heavy traffic coming home was apparent brake fade. Its the first time I've been subjected to it since putting the 12x2.5" drums on the front of my Buick and damn was it scary... Going from 75 to 35 is not something I care to repeat in the Buick because it was close. In case you guys didn't know, I drive my Buick. Hard. I've given up on aluminum drums at this point, truly a pipe dream. So, I'll be doing a few pressure calculations on different sizes of calipers, but really it'll be mainly focused around the Scarebird and the Wilwood kits. I'll use brake performance with the stock system as a basis. Without knowing the coefficient of friction of the pads, and the inherent difference between the two systems, it'll mostly be a comparison of clamping versus expanding due to pressure force (what you see at the piston face, wheel cylinders would be 2x calipers since there's two acting pistons, unless the caliper is multiple piston). Probably will stick with drums, but we will see. Next weekend I'll be putting the WCFB back on. Again. Hobby drills or not, I just can't get behind the 4GC. Do you know how embarrassing it is to stall at an intersection? I'm sure you all know, but still... I'd rather buy an Edelbrock and an AFR gauge than go back to either two, but lack of money right now. My last bit of spending money is going to a beefier anti-sway bar and some Bilstein shocks.

I was going to comment battery terminal on voltage regulator but... i'm so sorry. At least they have insurance, just make sure you get the most from them.