old-tank

If that car still has the original lacquer paint you will never get the cement off. The solvents in the cement soften the paint and become part of it when dry.

Yes

yes

You will need double pulleys for the water pump and generator, in addition to the crank/balancer. 2 single pulleys separated by 5/8" spaceer for the water pump and crank will work, but those are harder to find than double pulleys.

Leave that poor old engine alone until you are ready for it. The more you take apart, the more storage space it takes; parts get misplaced and you will forget where everything goes even with many pictures. Finish the frame and rear end/torque tube assembly, then install the rebuilt engine and transmission. At this point you can test run and check function of engine and transmission. That will light a fire under you to finish the rest of the car. What to do with the engine when you get around to it? Depends: if you are only going to drive it a few hundred miles a year, just clean and reseal if it was smooth running with good oil pressure and no abnormal noises (will last at least 50K miles); if you are going to drive many thousands of miles a year do a full rebuild and balance on it.

A point file is the tool to use. Sandpaper for emergencies only. The grit get embedded and you soon have a non conductive set again.

How do you spell road trip? (road trip?; road-trip?; roadtrip?) Anyhow, poking around the neighborhood taking pictures won't cut it; and hiding from snowflakes won't either!

Not for long if comrade Cortez and company get their way.

Rebuild or replace the master cylinder and then bench bleed it before you install it.

Did you rebuild or replace the master cylinder?

Google Search gm 20587958 and gm 20587959..found some discontinued for reatta and riviera.

Just jack up under the lower control arms.

Interesting. 55 Century 2dr sedan with spotlight; was this one of the few police cars? Displaced and deformed steering wheel (ouch!). Wonder what all the debris is inside?

One more time: clean, inspect, restore, refurbish or replace parts as you take them off; then store them. This saves so much time doing all this when reassembly starts and you are not searching for parts at this time. But then what do I know?

Nothing wrong with that. I researched and even found some examples and other than the jag rear conversion, none were satisfactory. On those the ride could be described as brutal: unexpected bumps, jolts and kicks...more truck-like than sedan. And those had noise and vibration problems too. One owner was always grinning while driving and after he gave me a ride it was probably more of a grimace. The jag conversion rode and handled well, but the experience was marred by the turbo 350 with a "shift kit". There probably is no easy way to convert the dynaflow to open drive. And even if you did the rear gears selected would work best at the original 3.4:1 ratio. 3.6, 3.9 would be more fun, but 3.2 would be a slug (like driving uphill). The converter stall, tires, engine hp/torque have been matched pretty good at the factory. Nobody can help with your noise and vibration without being there. Even then some or a lot of 'disassembly required' would follow. The original rear setup is different technology, but can be serviced and repaired. New and used parts are available and guidance is right here. If you decide to dive into the existing setup, post here or you can even PM to me for phone conversation. But always start with a service manual.

Yep.

Just open the back door and it's out of your way.😁

...and add in condensation inside the distributor cap and "dude you're screwed".

So, what is the issue with the current original set up?

Seems that the car was parked outside overnight. It was probably cold and humid in the morning. Gas does not vaporize well in those conditions (your last fill may have even been some less volatile summer blend fuel). 6V battery does not spin the engine as fast when cold and the slower it spins the weaker the spark. Add in a low compression engine... With a good battery it would have fired right up in the afternoon. If you can't wait, starting fluid and apply 12V (with those skinny cables) to the starter while cranking. Even when it starts it is hard to keep it running due to carburetor icing (internal) until hot air from the radiator is drawn into the carburetor. If driven year round in all conditions learn to deal with it like owners did when they were new.

Good work! It took me 20 plus years to cram my shop full of cars, parts and junk. You did it in only 2 years! Makes me feel like and amateur. Good work!?

if it's a bad bearing usually by applying the brakes will make the grinding noise go away.

I saw a (small series) 56 Century with an adapted transmission and Jaguar xj6 rear suspension. Might be able to adapt the torque tube since the differential like the RR and Bentley is fixed. The Jag might be too narrow for the 55 Super.

new battery and a shot of starter fluid too...

Search "zinc" on this forum for much past discussion. Unless you have a high lift cam with heavier than stock valve springs, you don't need any added zinc. Oils today have more zinc than when these cars were new...zinc level was increased in the "muscle car era". There will always be those that caress each bottle of oil or additive while mumbling ritual incantations while it flows into the engine .