Beemon

My factory original rear springs I removed had black paint on them below where they were held to the rear axle with the hold down plate. I can get a picture for you later today if you're interested.

The reservoir is also meant to be self purging. The lid should have a vented cap to clear the line once the car starts. Glad all is working now. I hope you made sure to inspect the pump when you got it back. When I had gotten my pump back from a vendor that had similar instructions, it was assembled wrong and led to my pulley and shaft being destroyed.

Shop manual says the mufflers are made with asbestos, too. So if they're original mufflers, they need to be replaced.

This reminds me of when I tried rebuilding my pump, and I could not get the flow control valve to work despite "moving it in it's bore". There is a very small ball check valve in the flow control valve and if it gets hung up or contaminated, it needs to be taken apart. If rebuilt properly, it shouldn't matter how the bleeding process goes. This is from the 1956 shop manual and it states to start the car to begin bleeding. I would check your shop manual, but I would imagine it would be the same.

I think you'd enjoy the Facebook group Willie, you'd probably shake your head a lot.

Do you mean where is the nailhead Facebook group or where did I post it specifically? It was posted back in September, I can find it for you but it's the same tech sheet I posted on the forums.

Since you brought it up, I dropped my cam specs in the Nailhead Facebook group a while back and they admitted that all 264/322 cam grinds are the stock 56 Dynaflow 322 camshaft. Could have saved you some time if they told you what it was when you bought it, but then people would know it would be pseudo false advertisement. Just like piston domes not being correct, then later replying with "lower compression is better for using modern pump gas." Okay, we understand that, but that's not what we wanted...

Wow! Could you imagine putting a photorefractive screen on your windshield with a mini projector for a science fiction looking heads up display? Thanks for the link, no I'll be on another tangent for a while.

I don't know how old it is, but my grandfather have it to me when I started. He said its one of the most important tools in the box. It's even helped me through my first semester at the University.

If the bearing failed, it would have broke the plastic carrier most likely. Even then, it would still be in the hub - your shoes look like they were gouged with foreign contaminate. What do the drums look like? Grease seal? It could be an indication of poor linings. For the record, I have been using the National Bearings from RockAuto (the bakelite/plastic carrier bearings) and have had zero issue with them. No spindle wobble or play is present. Even drove some of the worst highways on the west coast with them (I5, I405, Highway 26) and still going strong. Just keep them packed with fresh grease like the shop manual says and they'll last.

The manifolds being a heat sink itself doesn't sound reasonable. Both the head and manifold are made from cast iron, their heat capacities are the same so heat transfer would be very minimal, especially considering the exhaust manifolds are hotter than the cylinder head it would most likely be the other way around. The water inside the block is the main heat sink, that's why it's there. I just don't see an exhaust manifold that sees 1000 degrees Fahrenheit as an acceptable heat sink for a cylinder head that sees 220 degree Fahrenheit surface temps. Materials science has been around a long time, but it wasn't until we could analyze the grain structure at a microscopic level that engineers really understood what exactly was going on in terms of heat transfer and flex. This, coupled with complex transient flow analysis programs at the turn of the century has given an in depth look at what is actually going on, as opposed to a lot of the theorized and "close" approximations of before. Also I just read through the entire product service manual and shop manual that is pertinent to using exhaust gaskets. No where does it caution not to use them. If it were a huge issue, I would think there would be a caution note at the bottom of the section, as there are in other sections when they advice you not to do things a certain way.

I mean that could do both ways. Cast iron flexes under heat. Being mated to the block limits expansion. After 60 years, they could be warped by now and unless resurfaced, mating warped exhaust manifolds to a rigid surface will surely lead to a crack eventuality. Soft gaskets would allow them to naturally flex against the block, and take up any minor irregularity. Others argue that by allowing to flex is what cracks the manifold, but the flexing is a natural occurrence and isn't an abnormal process.

I would be interested to see what you've got! When you've got time, just shoot me a pm with the different shifters. Been looking up the ansen shifters online and they don't seem too complicated, and I have access to a water jet so it would just be a matter of bending after the panels have been cut, then find a good spring board to keep the stick on the right side. Everything else can be had at the hardware store, I looked.

If for some reason they don't want the floor shifter, let me know!

I would think you'd be able to see a problem with the front or rear pump when disassembled. I understand your pain, though. I had my Dynaflow rebuilt by the local transmission shop. Good guys, weren't eager to turn me away and did a pretty bang up job. Unfortunately, they didn't replace the torque ball and the repair and replacement service was free because of my warranty papers, so I had my carrier at the time torn apart and rebuilt with no installation fees since they had to remove the rear axle to replace the torque ball anyways. As long as they're honest and honor their work, you know you're in the right spot. If they charge you for labor to remove the transmission and rebuild again, then there might be an issue with paperwork, because it should have been done right the first time - engine running or not.

I have found that generators and starters can be brought back to life quite easily if you dismantle, clean any corrosion off the copper contacts with a light abrasive sponge, and add new brushes. Very rarely in my digging have I found a bad armature because they were dipped in some type of plastic shrink rap that does an excellent job of protecting the windings. Field coils, too.

I highly recommend a set of progressive springs. On my move out to the University, with a full load in the back seat and trunk, she still wasn't squatting. Also gave the car a really nice stance with the stock coils in the front. I think it was even avgwarhawk that turned me onto them in the first place.

For the squeaking linkage, you could also take a bit of wiper vacuum tubing, cut a slit in one side and then press it on around the edge of the hole where they linkage goes through. That way it's rubber on metal instead of metal on metal if/when it chirps against the firewall.

Yep that's factory set up. The hoop in the brake vacuum line is to clear the throttle. This is for a 56, so it may vary for 55 but I think the steel line part is the same. I've got two weeks left at the university before I'm back home, so I'll get the pictures then.

This is exactly what I do, but sometimes if I put too much foot into the pedal, it bogs and dies. So I just lightly feather it under load. Once moving, it's no issue, just that first drop into gear. What I meant is that the computer gives throttle enrichment at idle for cold start up until warmed to temp, there isn't a choke to obstruct flow into the plenum so throttle response is more forgiving - in my limited experience between the two systems. I noticed this, too. My thermostatic choke, the original one, would not function properly without a postive heat source I assumed. Under normal conditions, it would take a very long time to unwind, and even then the choke was still unloaded. And this is with the choke lightly shut at 75 degrees F. My issue was fixed with an electric choke from an Edelbrock.

I remembered reading this a while ago and just remembered, having seen in another thread posted by Greg, the T-fitting. Here it is, both from my car and his thread: On the end of the line is a really big one way check valve where the vacuum tubing hooks in. I don't have any pictures of it, unfortunately. I do however have a spare, and I may have a T fitting. When I go back for the holidays, you can have them if you want for the cost of shipping. The vacuum check valve is pretty corroded and would probably need to be taken apart to have the rubber piece replaced.

I'm guilty of this occasionally. Always get weird looks at my girlfriend's apartment. She lives in the ghetto so I would never leave the car alone and it usually dies two or three times as I try to finesse the throttle while backing out this fall. At my place, I usually give it three to five minutes and the car is always happier for it. With fuel injected cars it's not really a necessity because the computer does all that work for you and in a world of ever growing impatience, auto makers are making their cars to go at the turn of the key. Everyone says majority of wear is at startup but modern cars last much longer than their predecessors, to some degree.

Your Century is the same color as mine, except mine is supposed to have white under the sweep spear. I can't wait for it to look like yours.

It just needs a good spray of white lithium. The WD-40 stuff is the lube I used and it helped most of my squeaks.

Did you replace the springs when you did your brake job?