brad54

Oh My God!!!<BR>That's awesome!<P>Gruvin65--If you're interested in selling that trans, I'd be interested in it. I want to put that same system behind the 322 in my '54. I've got a '56 motor.<BR>Or I'd be interested in the trans, bell housing, clutch fork, clutch and pressure plate.<BR>e-mail me at brad.ocock@verizon.net, or call (863) 858-1414.<BR>Thanks,<BR>-Brad

Norm,<BR>Mine is the one that came with my car when I bought it--a Special.<BR>I don't have that bumper bracket--it was broken.<BR>E-mail me at brad.ocock@verizon.net, and I'll send you a couple of pix to see what I've got.<BR>-Brad

Hey, I've got a very, very clean and nice Offy 2x4 intake for the 322. None of the threads are stripped out, and when it was cleaned, it was chemically dipped, so the metal doesn't have that "white" appearance--it looks like a brand new intake. <BR> <BR>-Brad

Try radio shack--see if they've got something that will step 12 volts down to six to run your gauges.<BR>Don't know how that would affect your ammeter, though.

I had the exact same problem. It squeeled on Thursday, pegged the gauge all day on Friday, and died Saturday. Smoke and everything!<BR>Unfortunately, I had just taken apart our other family vehicle two days before.<BR>There's a mom & pop parts store here in town, and he actually had one on the shelf on Saturday morning! $35<BR>He showed me something interesting: on my rebuilt unit, the windings were dirty, the inside of the case was dirty, etc. It only had new brushes put in, a new paint job, but wasn't really rebuilt. His had brand new windings, new bearings, brushes, everything. Then he showed me that he's got tons of new armetures on his shelf for rebuilding.<BR>Check around, find a mom&pop parts store, and ask them where to go to get yours completely rebuilt.<BR>The guy who did mine is Charlie Romack, and he's in Lakeland, Florida. I don't know what he charges to do a rebuild, (my replacement was sitting on the shelf), but his phone number is (863) 686-6943.

I've got a very, very nice bumper jack mast, base and ratchet mechanism for sale. No rust pits on the mast. It should be re-done and cleaned up for a show car.<BR>It is missing the part that attaches to the bumper.<BR>$25, plus shipping from Florida.<BR>If you need one, this is probably about as nice a post and ratchet as you'll find. They're very often pitted.<BR>e-mail direct at brad.ocock@verizon.net or call (863) 853-9881.<BR>-Brad

This isn't exactly the same, and take it for what it's worth:<BR>I was swapping the iron drums on the front of my '54 for aluminum drums, and removed those rivets. Before I could finish the conversion, I had to put the iron drums back on. I left those rivets off thinking it wouldn't matter, as the wheel whould hold the drum to the hub. It was definately out of balance. I threaded the rivet hole and but some button head screws in place and it held together nicely.<BR>I'd call American Racing, and see what they recommend about putting a dimple in the back of the wheel for those rivets.<BR>If they say "absolutely not," you might try knocking the rivets out and tapping the holes in the drum, and install some button head fasteners from the back side (I don't like threads in aluminum, but they hold when you put an engine hoist on intake manifold holes, so...).<BR>Also, later drums (late '60s) with 90 fins don't use rivets: the wheel studs hold the hub to the drum. That's another option--either swapping drums, or going to the later style studsd.<BR>Let me know what happens.<BR>-Brad

Moon,<BR>Don't tap that balancer back on with a hammer: Use a bolt through the balancer puller. Bolt the balancer solidly to the puller "foot" with the three bolts mentioned earlier, and then draw the balancer down into place using a bolt through the center of the puller foot that's threaded into the crank snout.<BR>It'd be a darn shame to screw up that NOS balancer.<BR>-Brad

I've found another way that has worked for me in the past. If you can comfortably get under the car to work, use a very thin screwdriver and pry the "nail head" away from the backing plate. By "nail head", I mean that little nail-like thing that holds the brake shoe retention springs in--That little coil spring with the hat that keeps the brake shoes tight against the backing plate. (Yes, I'm too lazy to find the correct tech words for these right now!)<BR>Cut that head off the nail, and there's nothing keeping the shoes locked to the backing plate. Then you can work the whole drum off, shoes and all. What's frozen is the shoes to the drum. by disconnecting the shoes from the backing plate, you can remove the drums.<BR>It worked on a WildCat I was getting the front drums off of in a junk yard.<BR>Craftsman used to sell a small (like 6 inches) pry bar that is about the best 95 cents I ever spent on a tool. It's perfect for this job. Otherwise, sacrifice a screwdriver.<BR>-Brad

They're like less than five bucks.<BR>I didn't realize the clips went in opposite the handle! I always just put the tool between the handle and the plastic disk, and then turn the handle until the clip pops out.<BR>Anyone think this is a little too trivial for a one page tech article in a car magazine?

THere's a special tool for removing those clips. It's flat, fits between the door panel and handle, doesn't hurt anything, and is dirt cheap. Get them at just about any auto parts store.

9.5x2-inch rear aluminum drums:<BR>Buick: '80-84 LeSabre, '85 RWD, '78-81 Century, '78-87 Regal, '81-85 Riviera<P>Chevrolet: '82-92 Camaro, '86-89 Passenger, '78-81 Malibu, '78-81 Monte Carlo<P>Oldsmobile: '78-82 Cutlass, '80-85 Delta 88<P>Pontiac: '82-92 Firebird, '78-85 Grand Prix, '78-81 LeMans, '80-81 and '83-85 Bonneville, '86 Parisienne<P>GMC: '82-84, S10/S15, '78-81 Sprint/El Camino, '83-84 Blazer/Jimmy ST models.<P>Hit the junk yards!<BR>-Brad Ocock

Using ROL-brand gaskets will greatly improve your gasket life. Pay the money to buy Stage 8 Locking Fasteners, and you'll NEVER have a bolt loosen up. I installed these gaskets and fasteners on my '97 Dakota, and in three years never had a problem. Prior to installing them, I had to tighten the bolt several times, and replace the gaskets twice.<BR>The locking fasteners are amazing. Once you use them, you'll never go without.<BR>-Brad

If that '70 has 12-inch drum brakes all the way around, I'd be interested in the backing plates, front and rear. If the front drums are aluminum, I'd be interested in them, too.<BR>Thanks,<BR>-Brad

I had a similar problem with my '54. At first it wasn't all the time. Eventually, to get it started I'd have to dump a little raw gas down the carb to start it, but only about 70 percent of the time. Stalled at lights after driving for hours. Would chug until it was warmed up, or would chug after it was running for a while and I stepped on the gas a little bit. Or didn't chug at all but instead ran fine.<BR>This lasted a long time, and was totally unpredictable. It turned out that the problem was the fuel pump. It was completely non-functional by the end.<BR>If the carb had enough gas in it to start the car on the first attempt, the engine vacuum drew the gas through the non-working fuel pump, and the car ran. If not, I had to "prime" the carb with raw gas, then start it.<BR>At stop lights, if the fuel in the line surged (because only vacuum was drawing it out of the tank), it would break the flow of gas to the carb, and it'd stall.<BR>It never mattered if the engine was hot or cold, or what the outside temperature was.<BR>Debris in the old fuel lines and in the carb could also have the exact same effect--especially a small fleck of something in the needles and seats.<BR>While we're on the subject, a friend's dad always told me that fuel problems will often behave like electrical problems. I've found that to hold true more times than I care to think about.<BR>-Brad

Exhaust leaks are really important to take care of, because it's carbon monoxide. It can leak into the passenger compartment and that's just not good. I know a guy who totaled his vintage car because it put him to sleep on night. My dad works with a guy whose kid got sleepy and pulled off the road for a nap and never woke up.<BR>If it's just a gasket, change it. Soak the bolts with penetrating oil overnight so they don't break. Have some thread sealant on hand when you start work, in case any of the bolts go into a water passage (Mopars are like this). It's probably a pain to get the manifold on and off, so plan on spending a saturday.<BR>If it's a cracked manifold, JB Weld might work until you get a new manifold. POR-15 also has some Pyro-Putty for patching exhaust manifolds. I've never used it, but I hear it's good.<BR>Take care of it this weekend. And drive with your windows down.<BR>-Brad

In the next couple of months I'm planning on building a '56 322. I've got a good 401 that wasn't too tired when it was pulled about 20 years ago. I'm going to pirate the 401's aluminum timing cover and water pump housing and put it on the 322 (looks better and I can get a 401 water pump at Napa). I think I've heard that the valve gear swaps over. Is that right? I'd save money by not having the 322's gear rebuilt.<BR>Then it occured to me that if the stock cam and lifters from the 401 are still servicable, the stock specs to feed a 401 might be a good performance grind for a 322. Carmen Faso said the distributor from the 401 will drop in, so the cam gear is the same.<BR>Anyone have any thoughts on my idea of the cam? <BR>I might be able to get my '54 back on the road for a lot less coin than I thought! <BR>-Brad<BR>Oh yeah: I want to stick with a 322 instead of swapping in the 401. The 322 drops right in on the same mounts, and I can keep my manual 3-speed. It's a daily driver, and a stock comp. ratio of 10:1, with 322 cubes, is all I really need. I'm building another car to go fast.

Hey, I've got a pair of '56 Dynaflows that I'd like to see go to a good home. The condition of one is unknown, but the other is attached to an engine that was gone through when I got it. The engine had good head gaskets, a new cam, and water pump. Pushrods were replaced, and the rockers were gone through, too. This leads me to believe that the Dyna attached to it received at least some attention, or at the very least was deamed usable by the last owner.<BR>Can anyone use these? I hate to keep them around for a "someday" project, but I don't want to throw them out, either.<BR>I'll even deliver within a few hundred miles of Tampa/Orlando Florida.<BR>-Brad

Nice to see I'm not the only tool junky here!<BR>I agree that the Snap-on stuff is the best, but even though I use my tools a ton, I can't spend that kind of money on ratchets. Especially now that Craftsman has the Pro series with the smooth round handles. (Don't hurt the hands when used). I do wish they had a fine tooth ratchet, though.<BR>Here's a cool, though extravagant tip: Buy two of every size wrench, socket and ratchet. This does two things. Mainly, if you're wrenching with a buddy, you each have your own tools and it goes quicker. You'll really appreciate that when putting on a hood. The other thing is that if you do break something late on Saturday night, you've got a back up.<BR>I've had 12-point sockets of every make round off nuts. Use 6-points whenever possible. <BR>The lack of warranty on the Torque Wrenches is a bummer. With the click-style torque wrenches, you'll wreck them if you don't set them to zero pounds before storing them. Keeping it "loaded" wrecks them.<BR>One tool I can't live without is Gear Wrenches. The box end is a ratchet. If you shop for them, you can get them for about $45 for a full set. They're warrantied for life, and carried by Sears, Ace Hardware, and I think Home Depot. I can't live without them. They're also a fine tooth.<BR>-Brad

I'm trying to find out when Buick went from wheel bolts to standard studs and lug nuts.<BR>It's for a story I'm doing on finned aluminum drums.<BR>The first aluminum drums were in '58, and they were 45 fins. Later, they went to 90 fins. <BR>In the late '50s/early '60s, did they have bolts or studs (the hole for the bolts is a lot larger than for the studs.)<BR>If a couple of you guys with '58, '59, '60, etc. could let me know what's holding your wheels on, I'd appreciate it.<BR>Thanks a lot for your help,<BR>-Brad

Thanks for the info.<BR>Mine isn't a factory set up: I have a single 4-bbl system on the car now, and I want to put a 2x4 intake on it, using the factory carb as one of the pair. Then I have to find a second carb to work with it. Something about needles and haystacks keeps popping into mind...

Have two complete Dyna Flow transmissions for sale. One of them is supposed to be good, don't know about the other. They both have fluid in them, and no obvious leaks.<BR>I live in Florida, between Tampa and Orlando, and can deliver a reasonable distance (Atlanta, Charlotte, etc.) if you pay my gas.<BR>Anyone need them before I send them to the recycler?

Trust nothing! There are many, many instances when a major manufacturer of parts makes a blunder.<BR>What'd your old head gasket have? If that's the original gasket, I'd go with that as the template.<BR>Call the guys at TA performance and see what they have to say.<BR>I can't see Buick putting a water passage in a block and head, and not really needing it.<BR>-Brad

I can't seem to locate anything that tells me the CFM rating of the 4bbl carb for a '56 322. I'm going to use the stock carb as one of the two on a 2x4 intake, and I need to know the cfm rating so I can find another one from the era, but without the ignition circuit.<BR>Can anyone help?<BR>Also, anyone know what car from the era might be the donor for that second carb?<BR>Thanks,<BR>-Brad

Antique Automobile Radio in Palm Harbor, Florida manufactures the vibrator replacements found at most shops through out the country. They also have a warehouse full of NOS tubes, etc. The phone number is 800-933-4926.<BR>Incidently, they also can convert your entire radio over to modern electronics, with an FM band, and it looks ABSOLUTELY ORIGINAL. The stock AM face is retained, so you turn the radio on and it's on FM, click the knob off-on again, and it's AM. When he does a radio, the case, face, dials, knobs, lense, and push buttons are all restored perfectly. The cost is around $300. He can also install a hook up for a seperate trunk- or underseat-mounted CD player.<BR>I had him do the radio in my '54 Buick. It's set up so the FM is stereo and adjustable R/L, Front/Rear, and the AM only comes out the original speaker in the dash.<BR>He'll also restore your radio back to original, with new tubes, wiring, etc. if you want.<BR>He does all makes, models and years. It's the cat's as...um, it's really cool.