The Old Guy

The rear end design was changed in 1956. the gears from 1940 through 55 bolted on the carrier, and the later ones are riveted. The complete center section will interchange , but you have to use your drive shaft and torque tube. The drive shaft removal can be tough. I knocked out the pin and made a wedge that fit between the splined coupler and the housing and beat it off. The biggest problem i found was making sure that the drive shaft ran true . there is a section in the manual that tell how to do it

You aren't stuck with the 4.1 gears! you can use a center section from a 55 and it will bolt in and give you a 3.4-3.6 and all you have to do is use your torque tube and drive shaft. 40 through 55 are interchangable

Thanks Jeff! I just registered the 40 for their meet. it sounds like a very nice show ,and the CCCA always does a nice job. <P> Joe T

I remove the heat riser in all my cars and have never had a problem. It does occasionally stall at the first stop ,but in my GS which I race ,it seems to make more power,as the cooler the intake ,the denser the charge.

If all the shims have been removed from your rods and mains , the machining of the rods is a fairly easy remedy. I am not sure about the mains ,as I have never had to replace any.An engine with 90K should be able to have shims removed unless it has not had the oil changed regularly

The bolts are probably rusted to the point that the heads are under size. If you can get in with a hammer,beat on the head of the bolt to loosen it and beat on a 13MM socket. If that does not get them,you will probably have to pull the engine up where you can get at the bolts.

If you like all those dream cars, you might be interested to know that I drove the Buick Bug at the first and third BCA national meet in Flint back in 1971 and 1973.I also work at the Sloan museums Buick archives and just recently had a chance to drive the Wildcat II. We were getting it running so the Buick Motor Division could take it for a display ,and I was allowed to drive it back in the building.

Is this an upgrade on the list I got from you last year? if it is ,bring one to the next meeting and I will purchase it . <BR> Thank you <BR> Joe T

The number for the neoprene front seal is: National 450446

I would check the bores ,and if they are round within .002 and have no more than .005 taper ,I would put in new rings,grind the valves,replace the timing chain and gears, pull enough shims to bring the rod and main bearings into spec ,and drive it another 90K

I think it is a 1932 Model 97 . It is definitely a 32,but I am not sure whether it is a 87 or a 97 . I am leaning toward the 97 ,as that was the biggest ,and the most luxurious.

John53,the dynaflow by 1959 was a very dependable unit and when they started using the variable pitch converter they became much quicker. Thay were not as quick as the 400 TH ,but for towing they were great ,as the power was applied very smoothly.blackcat you are right about the article ,but the67 was not a nail head engine, so it was practically a bolt in operation. they did make stick shift nail heads ,so you should be able to find a bell housing and use that as a starting point.

Are they accepting Buicks other than full classics? I would like to bring my 40-56C <P>Joe Taubitz BCA 1308<BR> BDE 001<BR>

I didnt think of that. It,s a great idea ,and will save me trying to replace the vacuum unit which is on top of the AC . I,m getting too old to lay on my back under dash boards

If I still had the straight 8 in my 37 ,I would run the vacuum wipers, but the 455 I installed does not have a vacuum booster on the fuel pump,and under acceleration I lose the wipers completly

I just tried to contact parrautomotive.com ,and I got a book store! either I did something wrong three times ,or the E-mail address is wrong. Do you have a Phone number?

I forgot to mention that TA ,I don't think makes dual plane intakes. Their single plane makes lots of HP ,but it doesn't work well on the street. The Offenhauser 360 is a very old design ,and I would go with the performer unless you are building an all out race car

The only difference between the B4B and the performer is the placement of the carb. The B4B has the carb centered between the runners and the performer has the carb repositioned to the rear like the stock manifold.Ihave run both ,and i find that the B4B Might be worth 1 MPH in the 1/4 mile .but with the performer I can run the stock air cleaner on my GS and with the B4B the snorkels don't match the hood openings. The Poston manifold has been knocked by some racers ,but I have had no experience with one ,so can't say one way or the other.

Thank you Sir! I will contact them today. <BR> <BR> Joe T

Do you have an address for the place ? I would like electric wipers on my 37

Martinsr, I'm with you !!! I went to a lot of extra work to put a Buick 455 in my 37 coupe, but the final result was what I wanted,a unique car with all matching components.I think the mystique of the SBC is that anyone can build one ,and every catalog lists enough in the way of components ,that you don't have to do any engineering at all ,because there are literally hundreds of the same car already on the road.The first rod I built was a 32 Ford 2dr with a flathead ,and the second was a 51 chev with a 331. Cadillac, but at that time the SBC was a brand new engine ,and I couldn't afford one ,so I had to go with the Caddy

I have a 200-4R in my 72 GS convert that weighs 3990 and I run 26X10 X15 BFG drag radials and I haven't broken it yet and it rns 13.0 at 105 .I run a 3.31 axle

Brian is correct! There will be no host hotel for 2003. The tourist and convention center will be handling all reservations ,but the hotels will not book this far in advance. The tourist group is aware of the numbers coming for the meet ,so they will steer any other groups coming to Flint to a different time ,so it shouldn't cause a problem. There are 3500 rooms available in the Flint area. The show will be centered around the College and cultural center ,with the swap meet and hospitality room adjacent to the Sloan Museum.

perhaps you should ask the person who owns the car what they think it is worth, and use that as a starting point. It may be that you can arrive at a number that is mutually agreed upon and is fair to both.

If you look at the mounting place for the strut rods that locate your rear axle ,you will note that they are attached to the torque tube. when you remove the torque tube , you lose your rear axle positioning and support. The only way to go to an open drive is to put in a late model rear end ,complete with the four link unit that holds it in position