jw1955buick

You shouldn't have to drill or tap anything, your head and water pump should already have plugged holes in it, pipe plugs of some variety usually exactly as in Hwellens pictures, if your water pump for some reason doesn't have the little T shaped top piece, it can be bought from DCM in Michigan and others. install a shut off valve on the one at the back of the block for summer time, also available from DCM, you can also upgrade to a cable controlled valve for the same location if you want a "ranko" type water control from inside your cabin. Run one hose from the water pump location to one nipple on your heater core and the other hose from the rear of head shut off valve to the other nipple, the model 36 deluxe heater was a common dealer add on, it functions well and would be correct for your application, used ones can be found around the interweb.

I’m with you on the bias tires and I’ve also had 54-59 caddy coupes that were original, nothing compares to that tall thin look without the “puddle pooch” at the bottom of the wheel when sitting like a radial it seems just to be a matter of preference since that was right in the transition years from bias to radials, I had that Coker tire you posted on a 68 coupe deville, drove as fine as a bias tire could and I drove that on highways in Houston with no issues, then I had a 68 Bonneville convert with cheap radials that definitely drove better but didn’t look near as good, It’s all about what makes you happy If you ever feel the desire to upgrade that Cadillac, I’ve got a factory 2x4 manifold for cheap and some Sabres just collecting dust, but you already have those...

Success! got '56 rods, installed, tuned it over many many many times by hand, didn't use those brass shims either, it all works, runs really great now, decent lope to the cam but idles pretty good, like most, it smooths out with additional rpm As i was fixing a freeze plug issue, i thought it was a good time to replace the water pump. The old one that was on there looked like it could be the original, the more I dig into this "rebuilt" engine, the more I'm disappointed with workmanship or complete lack of.....anyway, runs better than ever now which still makes me think that I bent these rods while trying to crank it over after dormancy, lesson learned.

Thanks fellas, I'll get to that bolt tomorrow, so I checked all the inner and outer springs on both banks, it all looks great, seems to be plenty of space, wasn't able to really see the guides through both of those coils, tried to wedge a screwdriver in there and peak but I couldn't make anything out, I'm amazed at how good everything looks with all the nonsense going on. Monday i'll order the rods and then we'll see.

I will Ken, after a bite and a little football, thanks for you and everyone else's input here, there's no way I would've ever known what to look for, can't wait to get this thing on the road Turning the engine over, I noticed my balancer bolt came loose, didn't expect that, what's the best way to tighten that thing in the car with everything attached?

Hmm, pumped up a lifter best I could, got a few air bubbles to come out, rods and "up" lifters measure right at 10, max height of valve tips from the valve cover lip averaged 1.49 but one or two were as high as 1.52 I have at least seven straight rods so I installed those on the right bank, removed the shims and installed the shaft assembly, this time installing just the seven that were low down towards the base circle of the cam, everything went smooth, turned it all over and it all looked great, seemed to rotate perfectly, watched springs for binding and found nothing even close, measured one valve tip at full compress and it measured 1.26 from valve cover lip (pictured) even fully compressed, you could get a screw driver in the outer spring and wiggle it a little, my next test will be to install the shaft assembly on lifters that are at the top of the lobe, see if I have to crunch down the rocker assembly like before then observe. I think what's most likely taking into account my skill level is that I messed something up, either bending them upon start up or when I installed the new shafts the first time, but then the mystery of the shims still remains. I feel better knowing the adjustable push rods can install short, then be run on out to length, a little progress.

I canceled the '56 push rods, come Monday, i'm going to call Centerville about the adjustables, might need something even shorter than the 56 rods, going to do some tests today.

I’m hoping that I just tweaked them when I first turned it over, either way can see what happens here when they come in and I can always fall back on adjustable I guess, not too stressed about it I tried to push on one of the lifters with a rod, I couldn’t get any movement, it felt solid as a rock, same with another randomly chosen example, how much give should these have as far as being able to depress by hand?

5 issues going at once with this thing, working on the brakes, the valve train issue and a freeze plug that’s welded itself to the head, you can definitely tell that I strayed from my own rule of buying something already running and driving good, ugh!! Anyway, the brass shims seem to be cut from the same stock and have the same thickness, definitely not machine cut edges, they’re some home garage stuff, I have the 56 rods on the way but I’m thinking I should got adjustable, while I’m waiting on those, I decided to pull the weeping, rusty freeze plug, it’s not having ANY of it!! There’s no pulling anything out, I had to punch everything in so far and fish around the water jacket with a magnet, the outer lip is still there and has pretty much become part of the head, it’s kicking my backside for sure, I’ll have to grind or drill the edges out to hopefully end up with a clean surface to put in the replacement Anyone know the size to order?

KAD 36, what lifters and rods would be chosen for that aftermarket cam of yours? The washers under the shaft bolts are mismatched on mine, a few weren't even there but I'll see if i can come up with something. I guess when install the rods, I'll leave the shims in there, see how it all works, then try without. How would i pump up or preload the lifters?

Photos back from the crime lab, you can clearly make out CWC on one section then 8-57 on another and a number 2 on yet another section, put a straight edge over the valve tips, most are even then a few are 1/32 off and one or two are 1/16 lower, very random but that doesn't seem too alarming to me, idk, hit each one with a mallet and they all seem to pop back up with about the same spring rate, nothing looks crooked. I'm worried about installing the new rods then when trying to tighten down the shafts, I have to crush them down with the shaft bolts again and I'm right back where I started, there's one brass shim under each stand, does this sound like what it should normally have?

Some beginner mistakes were made by me, I’m pretty sure, looking back, knowing this sat for 7 years, I should’ve pulled the valve covers, lubed everything up and pop each valve with a mallet to make sure it moved before turning it over, the learning curve has been steeeep and unforgiving the oil looked brand new so I grabbed the fan and starting turning, then tried to start it, I’ve learned a lot since then, since I got it running, it’s always been rough with erratic compression readings so I think I bent these rods or they were already for some reason I’m not really sure how to tell if a spring is binding, I guess I don’t know what that would look like on this engine, all I know to do is measure each stem top, at the top and bottom of it’s travel and compare, I guess when the valve is completely seated, that should be a standard measurement regardless of cam, hoping they just come in equal meaning the valve job was decent, if it’s a high lift cam, then the compressed measurement would seem to be the wildcard, are my ideas correct on this? Then again, I’m just looking for uniformity to confirm that they’re opening the same amount because cam specs are unknown and it’s pretty much all I can do, does that seem right?

There's no telling with this thing, it was pulled from a '55 super, I ran the numbers a year ago when I got it and it checked out for that year and model, a local old car guy rebuilt it and he was not known for his quality, just his price. Is there a way to look at the cam and tell if it's cast or steel down in there? Between the lobes maybe? At least it seems like an easy fix

Well...Hit a big snag, the rods I received from Fusick are very different, they're about 3/16 longer, have no oil holes in the ends and are much thicker in the middle, the head is perfectly round where mine is more like a dish. I ordered part # PR48004 for 53 to 55 322 and 264, called them and they said it's correct for the application and didn't know what to tell me. Now I have to somehow confirm exactly what I have and hopefully find them someplace, now back to the UPS store which I just can't stand to do. I sent an email to Fusick detailing the issue and asked if they could provide the specs of the '56 push rods, does anyone have a picture and the details of a '56 push rod??

If the noise is not starter related, it could be valve train related if it's been sitting, have you done a compression check? The nailheads seem to be known for stuck valves when they sit, I know it's been rebuilt at some point but it wouldn't hurt to check.