Sam I am

Sorry for dropping off the face of the earth. We have been dealing with health issues and am sad to say I must sell the Buick. Really frustrated by having to do this. It is advertised in the Portland Oregon craigslist as well as the 1937-8 Buick clubs March issue. Package deal includes the two 263 engines.

Sorry, that is the one I will be looking for a crank from a manual transmission for. If I have to pull a bottom end apart, might as well do that one and keep the brand new rebuilt to put in a 50-52, and if I can't find a 50-52, maybe sell that one.

Thanks for the affirmation Ben, It makes me feel like my research and questions are starting to pay off. I gather by the layout that they will not fit under the narrower hood of the 37.

Well, I will not be able to bring anything home this weekend. Just could not everything together. So I kept plugging away at the garage. I had a squirrel moment and started sorting through bolts. I found all the head and main bolts, as well as the flywheel bolts. I thought I had all the pressure plate bolts...until I found seven. So I looked closer and saw that three of them had a small shoulder and the other five did not. I have one more bag to go through but think it is all for the front clip. Oh, and I found these air cleaners. They are not for the 37, but maybe the 50-52 engines?

I am in the process of bringing home a 1937 Buick special that came with a couple of extra 263 engines, both of which had Dyna-flos behind them. One has been completely rebuilt and the other one looks like a good runner. Not being a person who looks a potential project in the mouth, I said to myself, Sam, you need to find a car to put that engine in. So I am now on the hunt for a 48-52 (53 if it a Special) project car that either has no engine, or a bad engine, but must have a Dyna-flo. Body style does not matter, I like them all. I live in a small town near Newport Oregon, and would be willing to look at anything on the I-5 corridor from NorCal to Seattle and maybe even central or eastern Oregon/ Washington. If I am wrong about which years had the Dyna-flo behind them, or if only certain models had the 263/Dyna-flo in them, please feel free to educate me.

I see that you have the parts listed on ebay. How many looks have you had? Anyone watching the auction? You probably have local pickup only, which keeps your potential buyer list really short. I have been selling on eBay for over 20 years, and Craigslist for almost that long. Rule of thumb, if you can mail it, ebay it. Large items that need picked up, use Craigslist. If you don't live in a large city, place the add in the largest city near you with your location in the add, you might be surprised. I live in a small area, and for cars/parts that are of a more special intrest, I list them in the largest city which is 135 miles away. So far everything has sold within a few days of placing the add. If all else fails, take them to a swap meet, and after that....yard art. 😀

Not home yet. I will need to make two trips. Hopefully this Saturday for the engines and the week after for the car.

Is there a difference between the 248 crank and the 263? Reason for asking is that the po was originally going to rebuild the 248 with inserts and already had the 248 crank turned to accept inserts. He also has a brand new set of connecting rods for the 248 that are for inserts. So if the crank will now interchange, then I have a crank.

Thanks for the affirmation. Since it will take some time to do all this prep work, I am going to be bringing home both of the 263s, and car, earlier than planned. I will install the engine in my garage instead of the po shop. I was thinking about using my small trailer to haul the engines home and googled how much they weigh. Am I seeing correctly that an engine weighs about 900 lbs ?

Looks like the only thing I am missing for the 248-263 conversion is the manual transmission crank. I have the front plate, bell housing, clutch kit, flywheel, and manifold set from the 248. So I would need to find a crank, then look at my paperwork to see how much it needs turned, and swap cranks?

Very appreciated information.

Seriously though, if you know of someone in the northwest, maybe even California, that has a 48-52 project (53 Special included) with a dynaflow behind it, with a bad or missing engine, I am interested. Body style does not matter. I can put my rebuilt engine in that and hopefully trade the second 263 that I have, that looks like a good runner, to someone that has a 263 that had a manual transmission behind it, in like condition.

I guess, (if I really want to get the purists riled up) I could purchase a mustang II front end assembly, put my 5.0/five spd behind it as well as an 8.8 disc brake rear-end I also have. That would allow me to keep the third pedal, give me an open driveline, and get me 25mpg. 😅

While I understand that readily available parts is a bonus in the long run, like the jeep clutch pack and Silverado pilot bearing, and the long term use should offset the, what I must assume is a rather expensive setup, I really do not want to tear apart a brand new engine that has receipts for $5k in it. (Someone else paid that, not me)I would guess that the machine shop would only want the crank to press the pilot bearing adapter in, not the complete engine. I, personally, would prefer finding out if the 1937 flywheel can be drilled for the 263 crank, and then using your adapter for the pilot bearing and figuring out a method for pressing it into the crank while in the engine. If I am reading threads correctly, bring the engine up to TDC on number one, and line up the flywheel so the timing mark appears in the inspection cover on the top of the bell housing?

Thanks for all the help in clearing it up for me. Now I just need to rebuild a carburetor. Of course, if I cannot mate the 37 flywheel up to the crank that had a Dyna-flo behind it, I will have to put a Dyna-flo behind it so I can use my new engine, and if I do that, then new motor mounts, and tranny mount have to be fabbed up, then I will need to use the broken manifold with the new carburetor.... Why don't I just throw a small block chev in it and call it good.😂 If by chance anyone knows of a 48-53? Buick project car, with a Dyna-flo and a bad or missing engine, hook me up! 😅 Not a bad idea actually, since I do have that third engine that looks to be in good shape. Oh the squirrels...