Bloo

Techs of the time said "ECM" instead of "PCM"...... It is just a generic term for what some would call the "computer". PCM implied transmission control in the same box as the engine. Chrysler kept changing the name of it every couple of years or when the technology inside the box changed, driving everyone crazy. Correct terms were used mainly for ordering parts. At some point in the 90s the federal government stepped in and standardized terms. As an example, that is when "alternator" went away. You might notice alternators are called "generator"s in newer service manuals. Excluding the original late 70s Chrysler Lean Burn system that had the magic box hanging on the air cleaner, and burned fuel pump circuits in Bendix/Cadillac EFI, I can count the number of truly bad ECMs (including SMEC) I have seen on one hand. I have seen hundreds that were replaced by someone else trying to solve a problem. Just throwing that out there. The SMEC could be bad, but the odds are against it.

Packing pumps should leak a tiny bit, it doesn't take much. Run the packing completely dry and there will be a lot of shaft wear.

Late '40s International KB?

I could be wrong. Many Chryslers of that era did have two. ECM (smec) failures were relatively rare. I hope you find the trouble.

I don't know. I think you have the right ones.

Yep, that's the buckle. The other half (tongue?) looks right as well. I stand corrected on the webbing. That webbing looks like the kind still used, and will be much easier to find.

The original engine has all the bosses cast in the right places for the motor mounts and all the accessories. It has all the holes in the right places for the sensors, drilled and tapped with the right threads, and everything fits. Going forward in time, it's parts match what is shown in the factory books for your make model and year. With a junkyard engine, you don't know any of that.

To dissipate heat, thinner and blacker is better. I like Rusty's barbecue paint idea.

I would shove a cam in it. Best of luck whatever you do.

Are these drums cast iron? If so, the brake lathe will probably do fine. Stamped sheetmetal drums, on the other hand, need to be ground.

IMHO that Philco in the pictures is much older, probably from about 1930-32. Four years is an eternity in 1930s radio design. I suspect that head mounted under the dash or on the steering column or something like that. You could look for evidence of that radio being mounted in the Buick (like firewall holes). Even if it was it just isn't the right age for the car. For one of those mounting kits you would need the specific Philco it was made for.

Ok... its been a really long time since I have worked on one of these. IIRC there is no straightforward method to troubleshoot Chrysler's "automatic shutdown" circuit. I remember it having 2 relays. You mentioned you replaced the auto shutdown relay. Did you replace the fuel pump relay?

Maybe the pickup in the distributor?

Congratulations Rusty, and thank you for all your contributions here!

Me too. I drive my cars. If my Pontiac had it's electrical system all hacked up I wouldn't have bought it. The only things keeping me from taking it on long trips right now are the extremely low rear axle gearing and my distrust of tube-type bias ply tires. It sure isn't the 6 volt electrical system. People charge in and change things without understanding the car and what it's actual weaknesses (if any) are. We have had threads on this forum where someone discovered after the conversion that they couldn't figure out how to make Buick Autostart work (because it is intertwined with the voltage regulator), or discovered that the transmission (Mopar M6) wont shift. I used to do a lot of electrical system work on cars. I have seen a lot of 12v conversions. I have yet to see one roll into the shop with everything working. There is always SOMETHING that doesn't and never will. It might be the radio, the wipers, a gauge, or even something insignificant like the clock. I am obsessive over stuff like this. I need everything to work.

An alternator should work ok, but it is probably unnecessary for reliability, and is going to cost several hundred dollars that I would enthusiastically spend on something the car actually needs if it were my money. You can most likely fix the ammeter issue by adding a shunt. If you increase the current capacity of the alternator much over original you should also replace (enlarge) the wiring from the alternator to the ammeter to the battery, and to the main accessory feed. That wire could get really hot under some conditions. On most 1940 up cars, the stock stuff is entirely adequate. IMHO hit the books and set it up. Don't buy new stuff, adjust and or rebuild. The old regulator, for instance, is going to be 10 times the quality of a new one. The generator might need bearings and brushes. Parts don't cost much Sealed beams came along for 1940, and they drew more current. Most manufacturers were forced to abandon the kludges they had been using and make a real charging system.

Battery terminals clean? I don't mean just on the outside, but the surface where the terminal actually squeezes the post, both on the terminal and the post. Never assume a battery terminal is ok. Cables good? Is the battery charged? Sure it didn't get run down by accident? Some cars can fool you and be pretty dead, make no click, and still have lights. I think the Riviera is capable of this but I am not sure. If all that is ok, does your starter solenoid look like this one? If it does, clip the lead of a test light to a good ground, and poke the poker at the terminal marked "S" in the picture. Have someone turn the key to start. If the light lights, but no click, there is likely a problem with the starter. If it doesn't light, look at the ignition switch (or the wiring).

I would hope he would add a ground wire. On a system that relies on a perfect ground to get to "E", I wouldn't want to trust tank straps for a ground. That sounds like a good way to run out of gas. I am not arguing in favor of insulators, honestly I don't know if they are a good idea or not. I am arguing in favor of a good ground.

This won't be definitive, every 50s GM I have seen with "factory" (dealer installed?) seat belts looked like the same ones. The buckle looks like the one in this picture. Only the buckle, I don"t recognize anything else here. The seat belt webbing had a much coarser weave, more like burlap, but silky smooth.

If the sending unit works, great. I think we were just trying to save you from pulling the tank another time. I need to pull mine one more time.... Regarding the pinion seal, if it is the right size it really should work, unless it is made of the wrong material for gear oil or something. If you are getting these from a bearing store or something make sure you tell them it is for gear oil. I don't have a pinion seal (1936 with torque tube) so have not dealt with that. If you have a vent, make sure it is open. If you don't have a vent, and you are using modern seals out at the axles too, you are going to have to add one. If there is a groove where that seal is running, look into a "speedi-sleeve" to get rid of the groove. If there is no sealer on the outside of the seal where it drives into the bore, put a little indian head on it and drive it in. And as Tinindian said, don't fill it all the way to the plug.

No silicone sealer is very resistant to gasoline. Whatever the gasket or o-ring is, get a new one. I hear hylomar is ok with gas but I don't really believe it. The only thing I ever found that held back gas at all was "seal all". Now that there is so much alcohol in the gas, stuff that worked back in the day may not now. I don't know. The gasket has to work without sealer on a gas tank or you are going to have a really bad time. Over and over. Don't you have an o-ring and a lock ring on a Riviera? If not, and there are screws, with threads that could seep, and they aren't individually gasketed consider some weak loctite on those, like purple or maybe blue. Copper washers might be another option.

The sending unit is 0-30 ohms and can be checked with an ohmmeter. It should get as close to zero in the tank is it does on the outside. If it reads higher in the tank, the float is probably hitting bottom (it shouldn't). Flip the tank upside down, and it should come up at least 30 ohms. If it fails either test, but is ok outside the tank, the arm is bent. If the floats are cork, the old ones may not be reliable. We have a thread going about that elsewhere on the forum. California Pontiac may have them, if not, the Buick ones on Bob's Automobilia are the same as Pontiac.

Yeah, I don't get it. That should be plenty.

You don't, but maybe the factory took a belt and suspenders approach? The tank has to be vented somehow, through a vent hose, or through a vented cap, or through a charcoal canister (newer models). It needs some kind of a vent. If there is no vent, as it uses fuel a vacuum can form in the tank, eventually preventing the fuel pump from delivering more fuel. The hose the OP refers to isn't really a tank vent at all, it is a fuel return hose. It is a completely separate issue from how the tank is vented. I thought I completely understood vapor lock, but things I have read in these forums recently have led me to question all that. Nevertheless, here is how I think the return hose works: If the fuel boils in the fuel pump, or the line leading to the carb, and the float valve is closed, the vapor has a place to go, back to the tank. Hopefully it will be replaced with non-boiling gas. When nothing is boiling, it just leaks a little gas back to the tank. The amount of gas leaked back is controlled by the orifice. It isn't a lot.

Wait a minute... You added the three port filter where there wasn't one originally? Does an a/c car have a different fuel pump? I still wouldn't expect a problem, as I have added these "return lines" to various cars over the years that couldn't deal with hot weather, and never had to upsize the fuel pump. Still, if the non-ac car uses a different fuel pump, that would be an interesting bit of information to add.