KAD36

While trying to figure out how to get my Buick 'cross country to a tranny rebuilder, a local Ryder Truck rental center gave me a good price for a truck and trailer to haul one way with. If you're into hauling it yourself, give them a call. I went in and gave them the specs on the car; length, width and weight. I tried U-Haul - they apparantly didn't have any equipment they claimed could haul 4500 lbs of Buick. <P>Haven't done this yet - its still in my "wild idea" phase.<P>Good luck.

Doug<P>Like Brad, I'm happy with the purple stuff (Castrol Super Clean)and have used it successfully on suspension, steering gear, brake linkage, axle, shocks, engine, and other heavily gunked, unrecognizable parts as I was rebuilding. I soaked them in an old broiler pan overnight after scraping the heavy stuff, then brushed with a scrub or tooth brush depending on what the part was. Sometimes a wire brush on a drill wheel - If that didn't loosen it, I soaked outside in some kerosine, then sprayed with the Castrol and wiped with rags to get the film off. Rinse and scrub with HOT water (I turned up the water heater up as high as it will go). For rinsing the Castrol off, I used a utility sink in my basement with a plastic garbage bag liner. If it was on the car (like the rear axle housing) I just blasted it with the garden hose hooked up to the hot water tank. Coat parts you're not painting with oil (I used some 3 in 1) and cover/wrap in wax paper. <P>The Castrol won't fume up the garage, and the few times I accidentally torched my trouble light I didn't have to worry about blowing myself up and possibly scratching the paint on the car. Make sure you wear gloves - it eats skin! <P>If you put the Castrol full strength on a painted surface of the engine, it will suck up the oil out of the paint and discolor it - I'm assuming you're going to repaint whatever you're cleaning. <P>I haven't tried this product on heavily varnished internal engine parts or carb parts, however. For those parts, in lieu of a Parts Cleaner System that I wish I had, I used a Loctite parts cleaner solvent - I think it was cold soak product and came in a jug, that was some time ago. Check Loctites home page - they have aqueous products now but I have no personal experience with them. A local parts store near me carries their product line so the brand is just convenient for me. I've also used laquer thinner on varnished parts - I'm sure theres tons of other products. <P>Have fun!

Try Apple Hydraulics - <BR> <A HREF="http://www.applehydraulics.com" TARGET=_blank>www.applehydraulics.com</A> <P>I have had better service, promptness of work, and assurance that the shocks valving was matched left and right for rebound and compression from Apple. Pricing was competitive. If you choose them, I reccommend sending in a pair of shocks so they can ensure they are matched after the rebuild. I highly reccomend them.<P>Good luck!

Well, after reading this, curiosity got the cat so I went out in the garage with a flashlight and scrutinized the knobs on my 55 Super. No white rings on the top of the knobs, no white inside the little "divits" around the circumference of the knobs. Just the word "brake" embossed in white on the emergency brake handle. Car was built in Wilmington in Feb of 55. Interior, except for carpet, is unrestored original.<P>Regarding engine chroming - didn't Buick offer an engine dress up kit in 55? I thought I remember reading about that somewhere. The pictures of the engine in the sales brochure look cool - wouldn't mind copying that some day.

Duane<P>Do your leaks occur while the car is sitting or when it is running? <P>I have a similar problem on my 55. I had 2 leaks - one on the power steering pump and one in the rack. I at first thought that the slight leak at the pump was due to the hoses - replaced the hoses and still leaked but at least on my 55' pump, there is a pressure and return fitting that screws into the pump housing. The pump hoses screw onto the fittings. Each fitting had an o-ring on it that seats into a recess in the the pump. I took both to a local hydraulic shop to match up. I cleaned out the seats really good, replaced the o-rings and that fixed that leak. I didn't use rubber o-rings - I believe they were neoprene. This particular leak happened independent of the car running or parked. <P>My second leak, which is driving me totally bonkers, happens only occasionally and squirts up at the flange/seal between the gearbox and the power rack and leaves a big splash mark on the hood. This leak only happens when the car is running. I rev up the engine with the hood open and rock the wheel, sometimes violently, to see if I can see the leak, but it only happens when I take the car on on a 10 - 20 mile ride. I couldn't tell wether it was gear oil or power steering fluid. I sucked out the gear oil with a turkey baster, replaced with fresh oil. Upon later inspection of the gear oil, I realized that some PS fluid is leaking into the gearbox tinting the gear oil red. In my case, I suspect the o-rings on the power piston are shot. I can attest to the tip on the laquer thinner; I have also heard of that trick and put about 1/2 - 3/4 oz in mine; it slowed down the leak but in my particular case didn't fix it. I also tried various brands of fluids in the unit after mistakingly putting Dexron III in lieu of the Type A required (I depleted my Type A stock!). I ran the laqeur thinner mixed with GM Power Steering Fluid for a few weeks and about 100 miles to swell the seals, then put in 1 1/2 botles of Lucas Power Steering Sealer fluid in the unit. This is a thicker viscosity fluid that mixed with the existing oil. <P>The leaking has reduced considerably to something tolerable when I drive it, but in my particular case I believe my seals must be beyond hope and I am going to have to pull the unit out of the car to fix it right. Never pulled this unit before so it should be an interesting fall project.<P>Another place to look is at the Pitman shaft - see if any gear oil is seeping past that seal and check the color of it. If your gearbox has cover and end plates bolted to it set internal tolerances of the Pitman shaft and rack (check your shop manual) those seals can also be sources of leaks.<P>Hope this helps you and good luck!<p>[ 09-11-2001: Message edited by: KAD36 ]

Another 55 Buick comes out of hiding! You will find alot of "bench depth" on this site to help with your project. We all learn from each other and everyone is very helpful and responsive. <P>By the way, my 55 was also my first car - sat in my grandfathers shed for nearly 15 years before I hauled it out and resurrected it in '83. Welcome and look forward to hearing about your project. Enjoy!

1955 Buick Super 2 dr Riv, Cherokee Red/White, 98K miles, been in family since purchased used in 1956. Have been driving it since 1983. Waiting on final paint/bodywork, rear bumper & door handle chrome, tranny rebuild, and my stubborn power steering leak fix (fall project).<P>1992 Chevrolet Astro, white with burgandy trim, 115K miles, runs like a top. Family workhorse. 4.3L HO V6 with a couple of tricks added to pull..<P>1997 Jayco Camper - used to get some quiet time in the Adirondacks reading the Buick shop manual to figure out how to fix my power steering leak. <P>1991 Ford Taurus - rusty no paint left broken coffee cup holder oil leaking useless air conditioning tape deck chews my tapes black interior/exterior 110K mile dependable paid for daily ride. Just add gas and oil and it goes - would run it on kerosene and vegetable oil if I could. Everyone is allowed a lapse in judgement. <P>Past cars<P>1970 Cutlass, 455 Auto, W30 something option as I recall (it had the hood scoops) <P>1976 Chevelle, 350, 70K miles, midnight blue<P>1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS - Loaded, Burgandy, T-Tops, 305HO with mild hop up. Traded in for kid hauling trailer pulling hot rod midi-van (see Astro, above). Would like to find another one of these when the Buick is done!

Thanks!- I checked the web site you posted and there isn't anyone too close to Syracuse. There was a dealer in Lindenhurst NY I'll give a call to. Maybe there is someone closer or I can work out a mail deal.<P>I took some of the old oil out of the steering gear box, replaced with fresh, and drove the car for about 30 miles. In going through the Buick shop manual and extracting some of the gear oil from the steering gear, I think those 2 rubber O-Ring seals in the power cylinder are seeping. The gear oil had some light red discoloration to it and the only way I can figure power steering fluid is coming up through that seam between the gear box and power cylinder is if it is getting past the o-ring on the piston in the power cylinder. I'm surmising when I turn the wheel after some seepage accumulates on the other side of the piston, it squirts up through the seam. So its find something to condition the seals or out that gear box and power rack come. Does that make sense?<P>A local parts dealer has a product made by Lucas Oil for sealing power steering units and swears by it. I'm skeptical. Looks like just a thickening agent to me. Anyone ever try or hear anything regarding Lucas Oil?<p>[ 08-13-2001: Message edited by: KAD36 ]

Hi Ken - good to hear from you.<P>I'll add my nickles worth on POR<P>I've used POR 15 on most of my vehicles and other "things" around the house. I've had mixed results. The best results I have had occured when I sanded or wire-wheeled the surface, brush scrubbed it with a cleaner (like Castrol Super Clean), rinse and rescrub with HOT water (crank up the domestic hot water and get a garden hose), let it dry good, hit it with a metal prep (I used Bill Hirsch metal prep), paint with POR 15, then topcoat or prime the POR when it gets tacky to the touch. Do the job on a humid day, preferably in the garage. If you let the POR dry hard, you will need to sand it before you topcoat it or the topcoat will eventually peel.<P>I've used this on everything from my 55 Buick, 76 Chevelle, 92 Astro rocker panels and doglegs, 91 Taurus, and even my snowblower attachment to my tractor.<P>On the blower attachment, it has held up very well after 6 nasty NY salty winters, even inside the chute where the gravel can hit it - I only topcoated with 1 coat of finish color. Topcoat on the chute is gone but the POR survives. It worked well on the Astro and Chevelle, but on the trunk and door seams of my Taurus I can't get it to stay put for more than 6 months! I did the gas tank on my Buick, I foget how long ago - more than 5 years at least. The front half is still bulletproof, the back half is flaking and dull. I attribute it to possible UV degredation or poor prep on my part (although I doubt the latter). <P>In my experience, if you put the time and and sweat into the prep and topcoat of the product, you maximize your chances of getting good results (like with any painting project). I can't explain why recently I've had some problems - maybe quality problems across different lots of the product??<P>I did the front suspension components this winter on the Buick while I had it all apart - came out pretty good although not a long term test item yet. I topcoated with 2 coats satin black paint (not POR) just in case to protect it from UV.<P>However, I too think I will try the Eastwood product when I complete the rest of the undercarridge details (after I get the tranny fixed!). Friends of mine have used Corroless on their projects and said it is less labor intensive, have gotten more consistent results, and anyway I'm ready for a change. <P>Maybe we can all get a group discount?<P><BR>Cheers!

Hi everyone<P>I embedded this question in another post on a different topic - thought I would re-start clean any maybe someone can latch onto it and share their experience.<P>I sprung a PS fluid leak in the Power Steering gear on my 55 Super. I just switched from Type A to Dexron III to GM Goodwrench Power Steering Fluid. The steering gear looks tough to R&R, so I'm looking for some inputs.<P>1) Although I am not a believer in Miracle in a Can products, I'll blink on this one. I figure its broke already, and I've checked the torque on all the connections. THe leak is intermittent and as best I can tell is coming from the flange between the steering gear and the power rack. It shoots up, hits the hood, and gets all over the engine I just wiped down! A fellow poster recommended RedLine PS fluid, but I can't find that anywhere. Any good power steering sealer products out there anyone has tried? <P>2) Anyone ever pull out the steering gear on a 55 or equivalent and get it rebuilt? I have a manual - tips and gotchas on the R&R and any recommended vintage PS power rack and steering box rebuilders appreciated. Or - can a DIY'er tackle it? <P>3) Any other ways out of this mess?<P><BR>thanks!<p>[ 08-10-2001: Message edited by: KAD36 ]

Hi<P>Just wanted to follow up in case anyone does a search on this topic for a similar problem - I finally got around to finishing this job today. Those new power steering hoses really made the radiator hoses and all the 36 feet of heater hose look ratty, and they were about 10 yrs old, so.... Funny how that works.<P>I fired up the car, thinking maybe if it sat awhile without antifreeze and radiator hoses in it the steering pump noise would go away - nope. So, I flushed out the Dexron III and replaced with GM power steering fluid. BIG DIFFERENCE!! My steering pump is back to being nice and quiet. <P>However, my new intermittent leak between the steering gear and power rack persists, however, and has me stumped.<P>Anyway to remedy this without pulling the steering box? Has anyone ever pulled a steering gear assy from a 55 and how tough is it? I read the manual and it looks like one long shaft right to the gearbox and no split coupling on the steering shaft. Ugh!<p>[ 08-04-2001: Message edited by: KAD36 ]

Brake fluid leaked out the back of my master cylinder similar to what COMPACTBC explained. It apparantly seeped out during the "off season" period on my car. I took off down the hill to my house one day, rounded a corner and hit the brakes. The fluid was low and the master cylinder took a slug of air as I went downhill and rounded the corner. The pedal bottomed out. Had to pump them back up to get pedal back (all of about a half inch worth), slap her into Low gear, stand on the emergency brake and lay on the horn while my wide eyed neighbor saw 4000 lbs of Made in the USA Buick Iron bearing down on him and his lawn tractor. It would have been no contest - I think he still has nightmares about those 2 pointed bumper gaurds targeting his head.<P>The back of the master cylinder on these cars is a pretty subtle place to think of checking for a leak, and without a sight glass its not readily obvious if the fluid is low. Get under the car, reach up by the frame and peel back the rubber boot from the cylinder body that goes around the push rod and make sure its dry inside. You can also squeeze it and make sure nothing bubbles. You can't validate its integrity from looking through the access hole in the floor pan on this model. In my case, I put a new Master Cylinder kit in, checked the level over a 2 month period and was all set. There were no other leaks, seeps, sludge or wet spots on any lines, hoses, seals or wheel cylinders to give away my problem. Upon close inspection of the master cylinder boot, there was a sticky stain on the outside where the fluid would eventually drip out as the boot filled up. It just slowly seeped onto the garage floor and the concrete sucked it up so I didn't even have a puddle. During braking, my brake pedal was always good and firm as the pressure side (cup) of the piston seal was just fine, the back seal was letting the fluid out.<P>I make it a point before I drive my car to give the brakes a good solid boot and hold pressure. However, when sitting level in the garage on this occasion, it passed this test. Now at the start of each driving season I pull all 4 drums, check all my seals and fluid level independent of mandatory inspections. Low gear and the emergency brake will eventually stop the car in a brake fault condition but don't cut it in a panic situation. With proper care and attention to detail, the system will provide dependable service. <P>Keep your eye on the fluid level in your master cylinder until you find root cause or convince yourself that something you changed fixed the problem. <P>Hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks very much Jyrki and NTX5467 <BR>for the replys and information!<BR> <BR>The fluid was nice and red - no foam in it as the engine ran so I assume all the air has worked its way out. I also checked that the vent on the washer on the cap of the pump was facing the right way and it was.<P>I made another subtle observation last night after driving the car a few miles - okay - so it was after I stared at it for an hour wondering what the heck I did to it this time and if I could rebuild this pump myself - there was a big wet splash mark under the hood of the car. I traced the source of the splash to the mating surface of the power rack to the steering gear. Looks like a shot of power steering fluid worked its way up through that seal. This must have only happened once or twice because it doesn't leak now, but that mating surface is a little damp, and the whole gear has been good and dry prior. Nothing dripping while it was running. I swung the wheel hard left and right quickly and observed no more splashes. The hose connections are all bone dry. Maybe the thinner Dexron III worked its way through this seal and it only happens at higher RPM?? Does that make any sense? Why wouldn't it leak all the time if a seal went bad? <P>In any event, I re-torqued the 4 bolts that hold the rack to the gear. They were a few ft-lbs loose. I think I will also go and find some GM power steering fluid, suck out the Dexron and try that. Can't hurt at this point as I have no cans of Type A left in the garage and none found in my area. Is the GM power steering fluid compatible with the Dexron III or do I have to flush the whole system out?<P>thanks again

This weekend I replaced the power steering hoses on my 55. I got them from CARS in NJ. The return hose was wrong (here we go again), so I put the old one back on, the pressure line was correct and had the same diameter lines as the original at the pump and at the gear. I drained the old oil, cleaned the resevoir, and refilled with Dexron III. Fired her up, let it idle and worked the gear and waited for the system to bleed the air out just like the manual said, then took it for a ride. Now the pump is noisy and it wasn't before the job. The pump is original. Any ideas?<P>The last time I did this I could still get my hands on a can of Type A fluid, which is what is called out. Is Dexron III that much different than Type A for this purpose? The manual suggests that heavier oil viscosity could cause the noise. What do you use in a Safety Power Steering unit that calls out Type A?<P>Thanks in advance for your advice

Ryan<P>I personally don't know of any silicone sealer you can put on a gasket that is sealing up surfaces exposed to gasoline; gas dissolves silicone. Others may know of a type or blend that works. Permatex #2, the non-hardening type, works good. I had a vac leak on my carb to intake manifold when I first started driving the car - I observed that although the carb was correct and original for the car the flanges on the carb didn't quite mate to the intake manifold flanges and left a very narrow area to support the gasket. In my case, I used a thin metal reinforced gasket between the carb and manifold to give enough support strength and make a good seal. I tried one of the thin fiber/paper ones and it used to leak. My car was built in Feb of 55; maybe they fixed this later in production, or maybe this is just how its supposed to be, or maybe I just had a run of bad luck that day! <P>As far as the air in the carbuertor goes, my uncle set the compresser to about 15-20 psi, put the nozzle up to the opening, and gave one quick squirt on the trigger into each hole. That was it. I can't say if it works on every carburetor (he probably could) but it has worked on mine whenever I got some crud in the orifices or saw it on the needles when I inspected them.<P>I have a Carter 4 bbl on my Buick and do this regularly whenever I do a complete tuneup, also used to do it on my 70 Cutlass and 76 Chevelle, both had Rochester Carbs - hasn't ever hurt a thing.

I just did the under-side of my Buick this past winter and the front suspension while it was completely disassembled. I've used POR numerous times and have had mixed results after a wire brush job. My recommendation: Make sure the surface is REALLY REALLY clean. You can buy a special cleaner from POR 15 or Bill Hirsch - I found Castrol Super Clean to work fine however. I wire brushed first - definitley get all the loose stuff off and scrape it if you have to, hit it with Castrol and a scrubber, rinse it off with hot water (I hooked the garden hose up to the laundry sink and cranked up the hot water heater to "meltdown" while the "boss" was out) Then I hit the pieces with a zinc phosphate metal prep. The POR literature recommends this and I tried it this time around to see if I would get more consistent results and I did. POR adheres real well to this - it does not go on evenly and fisheyes like mad on shiny or relatively smooth surfaces, like radiator trays. POR sells the metal prep but Bill Hirsh has the gallon size for a better deal. I would also recommend using the satin finish - the glossy is way too shiny.<P>I'll go one more on the upside down can idea. POR has a shelf life, I think 4-6 months if I remember right, and cures fast under humidity - it doesn't take much of an air leak to skin it up or get a thick layer of gunk inside the can even if you think you cleaned the lid groove out good. Do your job on a humid day, put a piece of saran wrap over the top of the can, put lid on, store upside down in a refridgerator or freezer on top shelf if possible. Also, if you are not using the whole can, take out what you need (with like a medicine cup) and put it in a seperate container, seal the can up again ASAP. Don't keep dipping in the can if you can help it as curing residue from your brush will act as a catalyst and reduce the shelf life. Following these steps, I've been able to get about a year shelf life out of a quart can. Remember to keep it out of sunlight (being urethane based its UV sensitive), not much of a problem for frames and floorpans, but I got surprised on the back half of my gas tank I did a few years ago - didn't stay stuck on so good. I think I'll try Eastwood next time - their product is UV resistive. I will say that if you prep the surface good, POR brushes on smooth and self levels nice. Oh - wear gloves too - the stuff is like iron on the skin. <P>Remember the safety glasses and have fun!<p>[ 06-29-2001: Message edited by: KAD36 ]

Willie<P>I'm certainly not the most religious bearing packer - I've probably done mine on my '55 every 10K to 25K depending on the mood I'm in and what I feel like getting into at the time. Don't have any experience with the Valvoline product you mentioned; I've been satisfied with Kendall Super Blue, High Temp EP type L 427. I find it sticks well to both needle and ball bearings. I use it on all my vehicles and trailers for bearing and chassis service.<P>Hope this helps.

The fact that it ran fine then started acting up suddenly hints at an electrical problem or a fuel flow/contamination problem, and I agree the points and condenser are a good place to start. The misfire and shake you speak of at idle also sound like they may be electrical - if you listen back at the exhaust pipe, is the misfire regular or intermittent? If you load the engine down by putting the car in drive, hold it with the brakes and briefly run the engine up to about 1200 - 1500 rpms, is the shake/misfire same, worse, better? If its more pronounced and regular, I would also suspect your wires and cap. Lastly, your vacuum gauge fluctuations indicate you may have either a sticky valve or an ignition miss - .5 inHg is pretty small fluctuation and my 322 engine runs about the same readings as yours - 17.5 +/- .5 - my fluctuations coincide with a lifter tick I have but its pretty minor and I have a steady tone at the exhaust - no puffs or misses at idle or in drive. <P>Occasionally, my '55 will act up and stutter unexpectedly at idle. I empty out and clean the glass filter bowl and the screen in the carb. Then I clean all around the base of the carb, unscrew and remove both mixture screws, and put a quick shot of the compressed air into the openings to clean them out, and reinstall the screws and reset the mixture. My uncle taught me this trick - he was a factory trained Olds mechanic and did alot of work on late 40s-early 50s model Oldsmobiles. He never seemed to have much faith in the glass bowl fuel filters at catching dirt and always bypassed/replaced them or put an inline clear paper type on his cars. Not sure about your situation, but this has worked for me. <P>If replacing the ignition components doesn't fix it, and thats the first place I'd put my money right now, the only other thing that comes to my mind is the float in the carb - running rough at over 20 deg throttle position makes it sound like one of the circuits in the carb may not be working right; just a hunch so that may be the next place to look.<BR> <BR>Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Yeah - whats a SPRAG and whys the one from 56 make a difference? Can it get put into a 55 (like if you were going to rebuild it?) My Dynaflow has always whined from startup to about 10 mph then quiets down. Only does it in Drive. My buddy had a 56 Special and in drive that thing used to jump off the line in Drive. Whys the 56 Dynaflow so much better at startup in Drive?<P>I also only use Low when starting out on a steep hill or if I need to pull out quick into traffic.<P>thanks

That would be a sight. A 4-holer garden tractor. Remember to get the little wagon to pull behind it.<P>BTW - ditto on the hydraulic oil. Used it for years - no sweat!

Hi<P>Just wanted to give an update and say thanks to everyone for the advice on R&Ring the axle seals. All your advice was right on the money. I sailed through the job no sweat. As usual, one thing led to another - one of my axle bearings was a little chewed up and I had to get a new one - the other was just fine. <P>A couple of tips I'll add in passing:<P>1) The manual shows a special tool to get the clips off. After about 10 minutes of chasing the little lock clip around the axle shaft with my mallet and brass drift, I lost my patience and got a 15/16 inch open end wrench, wrapped some electrical tape around the ends (to not mar the axle) and put the ends of the wrench up against the c-clips. 2 taps and it came off. Necessity is the mother of invention!<P>2) When reassembling, put the brake backing plate on first, then install the axle. The backing plate does not fit over the axle after you have re-installed it into the differential. Just when you think you are done and saying "thats not so bad" - whoa whats this extra piece on the workbench? I also verified the driver side backing plate doesn't fit over the installed driver side axle either (in case anyone was wondering) <P>thanks again!

Bruce - <P>I have a 55 Super that I literally blew the dust off of and drove out of my Grandfathers shed with 50K miles on it back in 83. It had been sitting since 68 when he stopped using it. He started it a couple times a year to "keep it going". It smoked a bit and leaked a little and the lifters all sounded like gattling guns.<P>Well, I needed a car bad and I didn't have a whole lot of money at the time (you can smell a deal coming up). I did the basics. Changed all the fluids and replaced the important show stopper accessories. I changed the oil and put about 250 miles on it. Then I changed it again, threw in a quart of detergent additive and a new filter and changed it after 250 miles. Did it again with the detergent additive and changed it after next 1500 miles. Then I changed religiously every 3000, no more additives ever and proceeded to rack up another bulletproof 45K on it over the next 6 years, both long distance (300 mile one way) trips and short trips, year round, in all kinds of ugly weather with all kinds of loads in it and to this day that 322 has never let me down once. <P>The comments about detergent additives I believe are true on an older engine. As the rings on mine reseated from use with fresh oil, the smoking stopped, the lifters quieted. After the "additive" treatments, I remember noticing more fumes coming out of the breather cap and thinking it never did that before, but it still runs so that must be a good thing. Now, thats just from my observation of whats coming out of the breather tube (with a cleaned up mesh in the cap). I never took a before and after compression check so I can't prove it, and I'm sure there was wear from all those dry starts over the years. The lifters didn't change much in how much noise they made. Value added putting the detergent additive in my particular engine? Zero. <P>If I had to do it all over on a budget and knowing what I know now, I would pull the oil pan, valve covers, galley cover and wipe out all the sludge, dirt and rocks (yep, I had little rocks in my oil pan - car worked the coal country in its early years), clean the screen on the oil pump, toss 10-40 in it and just run it and enjoy it (I still run 10-40 and Wix filters). Even after the additive treatments, I still had a bunch of sludge in there when I pulled the sheet metal. If your compression is good and the idle is smooth, accept the lifter noise. If you're nervous about lifter/cam wear, you can pull the lifters according to shop manual instructions and see if they are rotating or wearing even or not and go from there. <P>Many years ago I disassembled and cleaned up some of my old lifters that were still noisy and put them back in - this also helped quiet some of them out but not totally. In one case for kicks, I used the old housing to keep the match to the camshaft (Toms point) and put a new ball/retainer/spring assy from a new lifter into the old one. Now, in retrospect I really don't know how smart that was for the long run and I was kinda experimenting, but the lifter got quieter, the wear pattern looked good on the housing so I left it in there. Maybe I just got lucky that time. I remember it was a pain to do and I got a little stressed out because I couldn't get it back together. I also didn't have a shop manual then and didn't have a real clue to what I was doing. Lets just say I didn't do any more of them. Someone smarter than me can better advise you if its worth rebuilding a lifter and how to properly do it. <P>I agree with John, Tom and the others. If there is nothing major mechanically wrong, clean out the gunk, keep the oil fresh and let it alone. All my Mikey Mousing and tinkering sorta kinda quieted it but it never sounded anything like my buddies rebuilt 322 in his 56 Special. If I don't see the fan spinning and feel the engine heat I can't tell its running. Now THATS quiet.<P>I would stay away from the Go-Go juice you pour in the crankcase to quiet an older motor - its not a fix all and Johns point about the sludge going all through the engine is well taken. I would also advise you to stay away from the motor flush products for your engine. <P>My philosophy:<P>If you decide to rebuild part of an older engine that runs fine, either for looks or quietness or because it "seems tired", one thing leads to another on these cars, pieces and parts of the engine and engine compartment keep coming off every night and you might as well pull it and buy an engine stand on sale and find a good machine shop and paint the mill all up with new decals and replace the motor mounts while you're at it and gee, where can I get a new Delco Remy tag for my generator? If you get in this mode, save up budget and do it right - its worth it. <P>If you like to take it apart and tinker with parts of it because you like to tinker with it and thats what you like in the hobby, do it within the guidelines of the shop manual and what others have experienced.<P>If part of it is really busted and you have limited budget, its a daily driver (i.e. the car is a necessity, not a hobby), fix whats broke and leave the rest of it alone.<P>Gene also had a good point on the rocker shafts - I never thought about that nor about wear on the rocker arms. Maybe I'll pull a valve cover on mine later and....<P>First I gotta get my axles and differential back together!<P>Enough rambling - back to the garage - Good luck and enjoy your "new" 54!

Thanks guys for all the detailed information!<P>Seals and gaskets are on order - should be here in time for the weekend. I held out on the bearings - figure I'll see how it looks when I tear it apart and go from there. Sounds like the slide hammer puller is the tool of choice - will hunt that down too. <P>Willie - in your post you said to warm up the inner race and it drops right in - I'm confused - did you mean the race that presses on the axle shaft and seats against the shoulder? Will send you an e-mail.<P>Bill - if that bolt snaps when I lay into it you'll hear me hollerin' all the way to Texas.<P>Ken

Tom<P>I went with steel basically for the reasons Willie said - it fit my budget at the time I needed to do the job and I had been told by some other people it was quieter. I have never installed a stainless system on the car to compare the sound so personally I can't say for sure - maybe next time. I do know that I like the sound of the straight-through muffler that came with the system. I think the muffler was aluminized because its still pretty shiny and the rest of my pipes look like they took a dip in the Atlantic.<P>Also - I do remember that if I were to return the Y-pipe to them to get them to refit it, I would have to pay shipping back to them. I thought that stunk since it was Kepichs mistake. I have had mixed experience with paying shipping on incorrect items. CARS in New Jersey enforced a similar policy on me for a pair of lever shocks that were incorrectly valved and I had to pay shipping to return to them for correction, yet a Coil Spring shop I used to fit springs for the car offered to cover all costs in correcting an error and supported me until I was satisfied. <BR>All I ever paid was the initial advertised price. I guess in general the lesson learned is to ask your Parts Supplier ahead of time what their policy is if there is a mistake so there are no surprises.<P>It is interesting that another person had a problem with the Y pipe on a 55 Buick from Kepich. Maybe they better double check their tapes!<P>Ken

Hi<P>Just got my 1955 Super out in the nice weather and within first 100 miles I sprung a leak - rear axle seal looks like its seeping down the rear brake backing plate.<P>I looked in the shop manual and this doesn't seem to be too tough a job - haven't done it before though so I have a couple of questions-<P>1) Do I need that special removal tool to get the axle clips out or will a set of pliers/screwdrivers/small brass punch work okay?<P>2) Does the pinions, spacer and side gears all come out or do the side gears stay in there? Can I re-use the lock screw for the pinon shaft or do I have to get a new one?<P>3) The rear bearings seem fine (no noise), the end play is good, should both oil seals in the axle be replaced or can I just replace the outer one? If I pull the bearing and race from the axle to get at the inner seal, I will probably have to replace the inner bearing and race (not sure I can get it out of the axle housing in one piece without damage) and I don't want to fix what isn't worn out. Seems that newer vehicles only have outer axle seals - whats the benefit of an inner and an outer?<P>5) Any gotcha or "surprises" that anyone had doing this job I should watch out for in advance or is like all other jobs on these glorious old cars: straightforward, went exactly as planned the first time through, job finished ahead of schedule, on-time arrival to the supper table. <P>Thanks alot for your help<P>Ken