EmTee

Well, it took longer than I had hoped to get to this, but I finally made the resistance measurements on the sending unit in my '67 Riviera. I checked resistance between the stud on the sender and ground (engine block). I started with the engine cold, at fast idle to get the highest reading and then let it warm 5 ~ 10 minutes and checked the reading at idle in gear once it was warm and the choke had opened. Readings summarized below: 1. Engine OFF = 0 Ohms 2. Engine Cold, fast idle = 185 Ohms 3. Engine warm (~5 mins.) in PARK = 142 Ohms 4. Engine warm (5~10 mins.) in DRIVE = 112 Ohms Note that with the sender disconnected (infinite resistance/open connection) the oil pressure gauge reads full scale (HIGH) with the key on. These readings seem to align with what I see on my gauge. At startup (cold) it reads almost fully at "H", then about 3/4 scale at idle (PARK) and finally just past 1/2 idling in DRIVE. So, it seems that the correct sending unit must have a maximum resistance of approximately 200 Ohms.

Others may have additional options, but here's one: http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=211811&cc=1016255&jsn=418 CARS also has one: http://www.oldbuickparts.com/cart/camshaft-1967-76-buick-400430455-p-3380.html You should have no trouble sourcing parts for this engine.

So, now the question is what was the root cause? Since the cam sprocket was steel (not nylon) that was not a factor. From the photos provided, my guess is that the distributor bushings may have failed allowing the distributor gear teeth to climb over the cam gear. How much lateral play is there in the distributor shaft? Are there any cracks in the distributor housing near the cam gear? I would expect that you will need to find another distributor also.

It's a 4DHT -- so I like it!

Concur! I have my grandmother's '56 Chevy 4-door HT and have only seen maybe 3 or 4 others (one a '57) over the last 40 years. With the windows rolled down (as in the photo) the effect is stunning -- the rear doors seem to disappear!

The timing chain may have jumped a tooth on the cam sprocket. I'm 99% certain that your engine has the dreaded nylon-clad aluminum cam sprocket. These are notorious for the nylon cladding cracking and falling off with age and/or mileage. If that's what you do discover, then in addition to simply installing an all metal replacement timing set, be sure to drop the oil pan and clean out all of the debris (both cam and distributor gear trash). Leaving that crud will only lead to trouble later when it blocks the oil pump pickup screen...

Thanks, that all makes perfect sense. "The glass half-full" analysis of your situation is that you could have blindly assembled everything and the engine would likely have seemed to run fine until you started randomly bending push rods or breaking valve springs. Then you would either be traveling with half a valve train in your trunk next to the jack, or you'd be stripping the top end while installed in the car (much more inconvenient). One lesson I'm taking from your experience is to make those tedious measurements! As you noted, the older our cars get the smaller the remaining the stash of OEM/NOS parts, and we're more dependent on the aftermarket. That leads to the 'homogenization' of parts across broader applications and the need to account for it in a rebuild plan. Like you said, changing one thing at a time might be OK, but if you had built the engine with the 1.5 rockers and later decided to go to 1.6, you could have unintentionally gotten in trouble. Another plus in your case is that once you're finished you'll know *exactly* what you have in that motor and can evaluate any future part replacements or performance 'tweaks' with your eyes wide open.

Ken, how many Yuenglings and/or cuss words might have been avoided if you had stuck with the stock 1.5:1 rockers? I may have missed it, but why did you choose to go with the 1.6:1 ratio? Was it to increase valve lift before you discovered the 'real' specs of the cam you purchased? (Now, if only you had received that cam card... )

I would recommend performing a cylinder leak-down test while looking for bubbles/hissing from the radiator.

My 1956 Chevy also had this washer jar installed originally.

Neat car -- BIG project...

Mine looks similar, also has the terminal at 45 deg. I didn't get those measurements done this weekend, but will try for tomorrow...

Ken, did you have your damper rebuilt? If so, where did you send it? Also, did you replace your rod bolts? If so, what kind did you use? Super job with the pics! I want my name on the list for a first edition hardcover copy!

Another fake!

An informative article describing GM electric gauge and sender diagnosis: http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php?topic=25339.0 I'll wager that the sender resistance values listed in the article (0 to 60 Ohms) are the same as on the '67 Riviera. I will take sender resistance measurements on Goldie (my '67) and report back what I find. She runs about 3/4 full-scale when driving (hot) with 10W-30 Castrol GTX. When cold, she'll peg the gauge. Hot iidle is about 1/2 full-scale.

"Smells bad, makes noise and leaks fluid..." I agree, Roger & Edd -- flip a coin.

Outstanding -- aside from detailing the engine compartment and replacing any safety-related suspension/brake components I wouldn't touch a thing! How cars like this manage to languish undiscovered for so long amazes me, but fortunately they do from time to time. I wish I had the space and funds to snap this one up...

I have never personally degreed a camshaft either, but I do seem to remember that it involved use of an appropriate solid lifter. That said, I see no reason that your hydraulic lifter modification wouldn't also work; as long as the guts are replaced with shims that do not compress under load.

My '67 Riviera came with a set of wheels like those RIVNIK describes. They were able to be installed on the car because a previous owner had installed a 5/16" hub spacer. The inner bead surface just kisses the fins on the brake drums. The car drives fine, but I decided to swap them for a set of original '67 road wheels that came available a few weeks ago. My main gripe is losing that 5/16ths of an inch on lug nut thread engagement coupled with the fact that the spacers I have do not self-center on the hub, so I had to stick them in place with a few dabs of RTV. Somehow the spare road wheel was a correct '67-'70 wheel... That said, is anyone interested in a nice set of four Series III road wheels with '66-'70 center caps (and hub spacers)...?

Seems a shame to cover that beautiful valve train!

Hey Paul - does this mean that you found your 'Star Wars' air cleaner?

Yup, sounds like it was time... My son just bought me a nice compression gauge for my birthday (don't know how I managed to make it this long without one). So, I'm going to take baseline measurements on my cars so that I can detect similar degradation down the road. Great thread -- I really appreciate it when people take the time to document work like this. I am clueless when it comes to nailheads, so it's great to see the 'guts' of one of these classic mills.

Ken, just curious as to why (or what) led you to take on the engine rebuild at this time. Was it poor performance, oil consumption, funny noises, or did you just figure 60 years was 'long enough'...

Judging from the add-on 'portholes', this owner probably wishes he had a Buick! Fortunately, this one is NOT...

The picture of the car with these wheels on it looks to me as though it must be on air bags. The way the front wheels are tucked up into the fender doesn't seem to allow any room to steer left or right. It's as if the car was parked and then the air (or hydraulics) was 'dumped' to lower the car at rest. So, if the ride height is indeed higher, the look of the small wheels in the stock Riviera wheel opening may not be what you're after...