old-tank

Bingo, give the man a prize --->freedom to tear around the country in his old iron without worrying about the oil! When I rebuilt my nailhead (55) 80,000 miles ago I smeared the cam and lifters with the appropriate lube, added GM EOS and then used Castrol 20w-50 since, changing once a year (3,000-8,000 miles) ---no oil related issues. Most of the reports of cam wear are in performance engine with heavier valve springs... Willie

You did not mention facial products or getting a prescription for E.D.

I have heard this over and over and still do not understand how gas in the carb bowl can reverse flow up and out of the float valve. It is possible that residual gas in the line can drain back and cause the fuel pump to lose it's prime and cause prolonged cranking to fill a dry (from evaporation?) carb... I have heard of using a check valve at the tank in and effort to prevent vapor lock, but never heard of the results.

...like Ben said.

Home Some Buicks, but can satisfy your flathead needs. If you go there I am 10 miles away and you are welcome to come by and play with my toys. Willie

Now that the discussion has deviated from Dynaflow and 3-speed standard shift transmissions, my next question would be: Is Dynaflow faster than 3-speed step gear automatic. There is a local club member who has a modified '54 Buick (322 with TH350 adapted and 3.2 rear gears vs stock 3.4). I would like a few runs against that one, but street racing is out (fine for street racing in Texas starts at $2K). Is there anyone out there with a smart phone or ipad that can suggest an app to accurately determine 0-60 and 1/4 mile times? Independent runs would be safer, but less dramatic of course. I'm betting on the dynaflow of course. Willie

The darker color on the dash matches the upholstery and is probably correct. The bezels around the heater/vent controls and the radio grill are painted separately and either did not match originally or faded to a different color (just a guess). The steering wheel as pictured should match the darker green shade (opinion). Willie

Good job, Robert! Looking at those pictures makes me tired and sore all over again. For those bellhousing bolts I use a 5/8 universal (all in one) socket made for impact tools (but use hand tools) along with some looooong extensions. With enough practice the job can be done in a few hours...nobody should get that much practice. Willie

On that era assembly there is nothing serviceable at the red arrow unless you want to remove the driveshaft from the pinion. The back cover can be removed to change the lubricant and now is a good time to change the axle seals and repack the axle bearings. There should be a method to seal the front of the torque tube (55's have a seal in the end of the tube). I always drill a hole in the bottom of the torque tube 2" in front of the rear flange to check for and drain any tranny fluid that got past the seal at the front. If no tranny fluid in the torque tube you might find rear end lube instead from a defective pinion seal. I don't replace that seal unless the whole rear needs rebuilding since it is such a pain to replace otherwise and will not affect the function. Willie

It was installed in the lower glass retaining channel oriented towards the outer door skin...probably used to deflect water that ran down the glass to the front or back so that it did not get on the window lift mechanism or locking parts.

What Mike meant was: do not deal with Jenkins in any way for interior parts on a '55. His stuff is pretty, pretty expensive and pretty much wrong compared to SMS: Largest Selection of Cloth, Vinyl & Leather Automobile Upholstery - SMS Auto Fabrics and others. Willie

Keep 'em coming, Paul!

Don't even think about going to Google or Yahoo, etc...

The Rochester 4GC is junk! Our currently available ethanol laced fuel will dissolve the cement on the bowl plugs which can leak and catch fire. Also the ethanol fuel when it dries in a carb will leave a white powdery residue. That is what seems to clog the 4GC: rebuild it, install and it performs just fine; let it sit for a week and you will have poor idle, stumble, surging until you disassemble and clean again. The Carter WCFB seems to tolerate drying much better. Anyhow study the service manual and concentrate on the low speed circuit. Willie <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

Robert, as noted the shock links are shot. As far as the shocks, if you are cheap like me, you can reseal them (see my website). The rod is an easy fix: just cut off forward of any guide holes and weld some threaded rod where you cut it. If an arc welder is not handy, you can braze (flux coated brass rod and MAPP gas torch) a steel sleeve over the rods to join. Willie

Over 14 mpg in city driving is much better than most. Mpg on a road trip would be interesting (after CA gas prices go down). Willie

Most machine shops have a source for parts. Start there and if they can't get it check with NAPA, which still has alot of old parts at decent prices (stay away from Rare Parts branded items like from Advance auto parts --- 3x the cost). Egge Machine will have everything you need, but somewhat pricey, slow shipping and hard to return incorrect items. Good Luck

Most restaurants seem seat us next to the restrooms...Hmmm, maybe they are trying to tell me something.:eek:

..from a comment on another thread to avoid hijacking... Good grief Rob, now you're at it. It is bad enough that first time posters start off by asking how to 'get rid of that dynaslush' before ever driving the car. When is the last time you drove or rode in a car with a dynaflow driven for peak performance? The 55 Special dynaflow that I drove in high school and later routinely beat 55 Specials with 3-speeds. Every time the the 3-speed shifted I gained a fender length. The dynaflow was started in Low and held there until 60-65mph or whenever the points and/or valves floated. The 56 and later dynaflow had the switch pitch operational in Low as well as Drive are even faster...not as much drama as winding up in multiple gears. I like both transmissions for what they are, but the Buick 3-speed is a slow shifting transmission with the column shift. Do you need a video of a smokey burnout? Willie

Tim, if it is anything like my 55's the tailpipe was shipped in two pieces to avoid oversize shipping charges. Also the only way to install as one piece or two pieces: the body has to be jacked up with the axle hanging. I never had trouble years ago when I used a bumper jack.:eek: There is also the possibility that it is wrong. Willie

You're not that old yet...and I didn't say I was either;)

You Know You're Getting Old when...nothing or nobody pisses you off anymore.

I'm seeing something backwards...the sliding latch should be outside when the vent is open and only inside when latched.

Sounds more like a plan than a dream...

A few more points: Stainless is showy but overkill. Some pre-bent lines can only be installed intact with the body off the frame. You can not do a double flare on stainless with hand tools! The brake line armor is useful for hand bending/forming. I buy straight line with 2 flare nuts from the auto parts store in lengths close to what I need, cut to correct length and reflare before bending (be sure they don't sell you metric lines---you cannot tell visually---) John makes some great points on removing the flare nuts and reusing if serviceable. Willie