The Old Guy

The 64 has a TH400 and they are a different unit and adjust differently

If your Buick has the condenser encased in a tin box, that may be the problem, even though it is new. My friend's 25 had the same problem, and we finally put a later style condenser in, and that cured the trouble.

The trans in your 55 has a linkage that runs from the carb to the trans. It should be adjusted so when the throttle is wide open, the linkage rod is pulled all the way forward. they changed the hydramatic in 56 and the shift from 3rd to 4th was made much smoother by using a different set up for shifting. The 55 had a direct lock up and the later trans had a fluid coupling. All the Hydramamtics were actually 4 speed trannies, bu the 1st gear was only good for about 5-10 MPH

I am also interested in what you consider a "fair" price, as I have a NOS one sitting in my barn. I have never used it because I bought a car with factory AC.

If the crank pins are within .0002 and the bearings show .0015-.002 clearance , I would button it back up! I have read in many engine repair books that a used rod bearing that checks less than.004 is OK I regularly set up engines for drag strip use that have .002 on the rods and .003 on the mains and they run fine. I agree that if you are going to drive the car for 20-30 years and put a ton of miles on, that you may want to redo it. I built a 32 Buick engine 30 years ago that had 100,000 miles on it. I pulled shims and scraped the original babbett to give me .002 all the way. That engine was installed in my Buick model 97, and pulled a 1935 "covered Wagon" house trailer from Michigan to California and back. The car has been redone, and I talked to the owner last summer and asked him what he did to the engine He said " I cleaned it up and repainted it, as it runs too good to tear down"

That was an engine they had for transferring rail cars at the Buick complex

They will all fit as long as you block the heat . The early 455 (70) intake will work, but the later intakes will need the heat to the carb blocked as they changed the port configuration.

I am sure you will get many different answers to this, but I will go with the 1941 Century coupe

Have you checked the timing? If the timimg is advanced too far, the engine will start fine cold. When it is hot, the starter has to fight the firing of the cylinders. You might pull the coil wire to shut down the ignition, and see how it spins hot!

I agree with Serb

The cables are sticking because of rust . if you soak them with with a good penetrating oil (PB- Blaster or Kroil) they may free up If not you will need to replace the e- brake cables.

Buick has the distributor in front, and the others have it in the rear

1,000 miles per quart was acceptable when they were new. We have been spoiled by the new technology that will allow engines to run 3,000 miles per quart. In the 50s-60s it was generally accepted that engines ran 700 miles or so , and that let you know that they were being properly lubricated. I think if you poll the general Buick population you will find that most of their cars from the 30s throught the 60s did not do much better.

Properly packed, the ball bearings will last as long as the rest of the car

Tommy 1927, I am glad you got the one with the updated driveline! the original has a 6 cylinder GMC engine, and has a top speed of about 40 MPH

You're welcome

Dan, On page 177 of the 38 shop manual it gives the main bearing dimensions as fractions. Page 127 gives the clearance ,so you should be able to use the two to figure the bearing diameters in decimals.

The torque tube supplies the rigidity to the rear axle. Without it there is nothing to position the axle. You would need to fab up either a four link or something to hold the rear axle in position. The best tption ,if you do change is a lower ratio in the rear end, and an overdrive trans.

The 72 GS 455 had a TH400 from the factory. The GS 350 and the standard Skylark had TH350s

I like the monthly format!!

CHANGING THE TRANS IN YOUR 53 IS MOT A LITTLE JOB! tHE TORQUE TUBE MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ALSO CHANGING TO AN OPEN DRIVE. ABOUT THE ONLY OPTION YOU HAVE IS PUTTING IN A 55-56 dYNAFLOW, WHICH GIVES YOU ADIFFERENT CONVERTOR , AND MAKES THEM A LITTLE QUICKER. THE DYNAFLOW IS NOT THAT BAD A TRANS,

Welcome aboard John!

If it runs half as good as it looks, I would change the oil and filter, and drive it home.

The Ford and Chev overdrives had a planetary gear set that was engaged by electric solenoid.The solenoid was activated by a centrigugal switch that kicked in around 28-30 MPH. Until thenthe trans had no positive connection to the rear axle. PS I am 72 and have played with this "stuff" forever

Keith, I think you are right! When I took the "Bug" down the track at Milan ,it was undoubtedly the oldest Buick to ever run down a drag strip. It was also the thrill of a lifetime. I have been drag racing for almost 50 years and have run many different kinds of cars (altereds,gassers;modified roadsters,stockers) but even though they were MUCH faster, none gave me the thrill of driving a piece of history like the "Bug"