Beemon

I'm not sure the quality but reproductions do exist.

Is it aqueous or liquid?

Thanks for the thread Willie, I found a ton of NOS chains under C491. I was curious so I ran the number through NAPA and the same chain was used in the late 60s all the way through to the late 70s on Fords, Lincolns and Mercury's. I'm surprised the new stuff is junk, I would think the Ford guys would be on top of this.

Because preliminary searches don't come up with anything and I don't have the original chain. I'm not actual sure what's in the car, all I know is it is loose. About 3000 now I would say. I did the rear main in the advent of the fourth oil change. I'm thinking the rebuilder slapped a loose chain on there - either that or the original chain was loose from 20 years of hard labor. The delay between the crank and rotor wasnt too bad but it's there.

I had a run in with misfortune today. My pertronix module fried in the parking lot at school so I swapped my points back in. While doing so crudely, I had to turn the crank by hand to get a lobe to line up with the rubbing block and noticed that there was a delay with the rotor spinning when I turned the crank. I remember when John did his, he diagnosed a worn chain the same way. Does anyone know of a reliable source for a timing chain that isn't NOS? Will a 364-401-426 chain work?

Thanks for the info! On top of my rear main leak, I've had ATF fluid accumulate at the bell housing inspection plate for some time, so this is in my near future.

I'm not sure, it was just hard cranking over for the first 10 seconds. The car wouldn't start, but I think that's because it's cold out and the battery was weak. I had to jump the car to get the starter to spin the engine over fast enough to fire off. I did have to re-tighten all the main bearing caps back to spec since I loosened them so maybe the crank was re-seating itself? After the first 10 seconds, the car was fine.

Sometimes I have to remind myself I have a girlfriend when cruising the college parking lot...

Willie, thank you so much for being patient with me and answering questions. I drove the car to the gas station tonight and there wasn't even a hint of oil on the transmission inspection cover or the oil pan or anything. Getting the car to start was a little bit of a bother, as I'm assuming it had to work itself into the rope seal even though it had been pressed pretty good (in my opinion, the car didn't care for it I guess lol). With the tach, it only got up to 2000 rpms, but it behaved at the gas station, whereas before it would have just left a quarter sized puddle. Not a lot I'm sure, but a significant improvement. I'll continue to monitor the rear main, but if it leaks again it's someone else's problem lol.

MrEarl, I do not believe this setup will fit a 56. The clutch linkage is supposed to bolt to the engine block and based on the shop manual, the bracket isn't in your photos. The equalizer also has a 3rd arm in 56. Still a beautiful setup, hold on to those bellhousings. I was doing some research and the 56 3 speed was the same as the Pontiac 3 speed, the only difference was a lack of a torque tube. Someone could swap to open drive with one of those bellhousings if they found the right Pontiac 3 speed.

I think the next time I do this job, I will pull the engine out of the car. I started Thursday in what time I had between school and work and now I'm just cleaning up the oil pan. It started raining Saturday so I didn't even bother, but Sunday I tried to make a makeshift lean-to and I ended up just getting soaked. I had the day off today and knocked it out following Willie's advice. I just pray it doesn't leak, because at that point I'll just give it to someone else. On a scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being the hardest and doing this completely on your back, I'd rate this a good 11. Thanks for the help, Willie! If it doesn't leak, the next thing I'm going to do is take the valley cover off and clean out that road draft filter.

Do I need to seal the ends when bunching more seal into the top seal or will it be fine separated but pressed together? Sorry again for novice questions!

Maybe contact the huge scrapping yard in Vancouver then? I know they buy cars. All American Classics LLC. Some 40s, mostly 50s. Lots of GM, some mopar. I've only ever looked at the row of 55,56,57 Buicks but he has a 53 as well. Very small yard.

Willie, I've already damaged the upper seal under the impression it wasn't sealing properly... novice naivety strikes again! Both the bottom and top seals are not flush with the block so I had just assumed they were installed incorrectly. That being said, I'm having difficulty pulling the top seal out. I loosened all of the bearing caps for the crank but I can't get the crank to sag down to push the seal out with a brass punch. I should have just waited for expert opinions but it started raining and I was trying to get it done. For the side seals, you used regular gardening twine, correct?

Contact Matt Cooper at Trust Salvage LLC in Auburn if you're planning on saving them. I don't think he'll buy them but I'm sure he'll take them if you'd rather them not go to the crusher.

After sourcing bearings, removal, rebuild and install was $800 for my 1956 Buick. Did they machine a new ring and pinion? That's the only thing I can think of that would have that steep of a price tag.

So I got the rear main cap off and I'm having a hard time figuring out where it leaked from. It was a rope seal, but the rope seal looks to be cut flush with the cap. I thought a little bit was supposed to protrude from the sides? Also I found out the two seals on the side are indeed the same, they're the rubber caps and it looks like oil was seeping past those as well. Here are some pics. The back of the cap looks dry but there was some oil there. I don't think it was leaking from the sealed part but rather the top of the cap where the rope seal was cut. I was also under the impression that gasket sealer should be used on the top of the cap to seal the two together, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. I want to do this right, so I'll be following Willie's website religiously.

You can buy them brand new with gaskets for about $60 if I recall correctly. They are reproduction of course.

I did check Willie's website, he said you need to know how to remove the cap, which I don't. I didn't think about threading into the oil pan screw holes, thanks for the heads up!

John, You were right, removing the flywheel cover did help. I just had to keep working at it to break the seal, twisted and it popped off. Now I'm stuck with the rear main cap... I can already tell this was a poorly done job because the two edge seals are different - one is rope and the other I'm guessing is rubber? There doesn't seem to be any oil on the flywheel, but I still want to pull the cap to be sure. Any tips on dislodging those seals and getting the cap off? Thanks guys.

No I didn't, but I don't see how that would keep the oil pan from coming off.

So.... any advice on removing the oil pan? Got all the bolts out, can't get it free. Hit it a few times with a rubber mallet, tried using a puddy knife but there's really no room under there.

I'm thinking about it... Will the clutch linkage fit with power brakes?

Isn't the 3 speed syncromesh the true way to awaken the 322? This looks like so much fun but being a poor college student and being on the other side of the country throws in wrench in anything.

The only time I can say I experienced any pulse or vibration was right after I installed it. The pump took a few days to properly purge all air from the system, even after a thorough bleed. Afterwards, I have had zero issue with it. Also, the bypass does send fluid back to the reservoir. Take a look at your old pump, the manifold has two openings - one for in and one for relief out. If you feel adventurous and decide to remove the manifold and reservoir, you can get a clean look at the pressure relief valve in the hole closest to the pressure out line.