56Roadmaster

I believe you may still be able to source parts from bijur, they made all type of lubrication equipment for machinery as well as autos. First thing that comes to mind is Bridgeport milling machines. I know a fellow was able to source drawings for some of the Packard set-ups from them this, was about 15 years ago. It could be that Bijur is now a sudsidiary of some larger company. Hey why not try some industrial machinery rebuilders?

1951-52 170 six engine bored, new pistons, rings, valves, bearings etc. Car was sold to hot rodder did not want engine. This engine was never fired, comes with manifold, starter, generator, carb, head, new water pump, no flywheel or bell housing, have B&W transmission could go with it for full price. Consider this engine with all the work done, for less than half the price of staring form scratch. $1000.00/offers, located in Moodus, CT no shipping would deliver in CT email wilebill@att.net

For sale 1929 standard eight engine, probably not run in 50 years, turns over,no stuck valves, minus carb and distibutor, have a casing from a Northeast distibutor, may be right, rusty block and head but not cracked, has starter, flywheel, clutch, fan, water pump, oil filter and manifold. Asking $1000.00. email: wilebill@att.net. Located in Moodus,CT, no shipping but would deliver in CT

You need to find packing material for high temp application. This can probably be found at a heating/plumbing supply outfit. You probably want something in the range of 500-800F. The packing can purchased in rope form of square or round cross section of various dimensions. There are asbestos, asbestos-graphite combinations which were made-if they are not made still-try one of those old mom&pop hardware stores that have been around since who knows when. hope that hepls.

try northwestern auto supply in grand rapids MI, he has alot of old stock

You should use caution in applying spray welding (or any welding)to a metal of unknwown composition, while you may end up with something that "looks good" you may embrittle the material- granted they are probably some type or carbon steel-which may cost you a car or your life. Those pins are probably "soaked" with grease (on a microscopic level) grease being a petroleum product which is a hydro-carbon compund at weld temperatures hydrogen atoms will enter the weld zone and can cause lack of fusion and cracking at a much later date. Additionally without knowing what the compsition is you can change the microscopic structure (which can be corrected by heat treatment) which may cause failure as well. Best to talk to an experiecned weld shop or machine shop and pick a suitable replacement steel to machine new ones from. You really don't know the loading the pins take with out dynamic analysis. however someone very familiar with design for similar items would be a good start. I doubt Hupp engineers of the day just guessed.

This engine should have the distributor set off to passenger side bank looks like a modern set up. There should be a lock screw and slotted plate under the body, the lock screw being parallel to center line of distributor shaft and srews into timing cover. If your distributor is mounted directly on front of engine it is a pre 49 design which is set with some fixture off the car. the vacuum brake can be adjusted on the car.

The covers off a 56 322 should be the same. I imagine those covers were just as annoying to some people as the engine pans on a model A Ford and simply were not replaced after a tune up. I don't think they should be hard to find a set. In the meantime you can get a set of plug boots at almost any parts store to cover the bare ends. Original wires had boots behind those covers.

You don't need the common ground at all. Just set the 12v on the ground or table near the car and connect the timing light leads to it and the pick around the spark plug wire. The inductive pick up generates a signal indepedent of the timing light's 12v circuitry. The AC signal is caused by the rise and fall of the voltage in the spark plug wire which causes a rising and falling magnetic field around the plug wire which in turn induces(hence "inductive timing light") a current the pick up coil of the timing light. (see your favorite physics book and look up Farady's Laws) The AC signal in the timing light is then used in the timing light's circuit to turn the light on and off.

I had a 12 Buick the Schebler Carb that was supposed correct as the car was fairly original, I noted that it had a water jacket built into it presumably for better atomization. The air inlet had an adjustable check valve and vent of similar design to their marine carburators.It was brass.

It is possible, 324 is not a very large displacement. I had a tempest 326 and could average 18-22 on the highway. There are alot of factors that could vary from car to car, engine condition, gear ratios, accessories i.e. AC PS, tire size, tire width, tire pressure. Driving habits, i.e. rapid acceleration, environment, barometric pressure, road terrian i.e. hilly or flat. Remember just because an engine "sounds good and runs smooth" doesn't always mean it isn't leaking compression. You can change the cam lift and duration. In addition one would expect better milage with higher compression anyway, since the efficiency of a heat engine (i.e. the internal combustion engine) goes up as compression ration increases and with hotter temperatures (of course we don't have materials to support really high temperatures). Another issue is that most four barrel carbs are made to be very efficient at crusing speeds i.e. when you are only using the primary circuit. It is also possible for you to be in error if your speedometer is off due to a wrong gear ratio, or tires of a different size then what it was calibrated to.

You should disconect the generator while doing this, also you can burn your 6v ignition coil out. when I start an old 6V system with a 12V what I usaully do is disconnect the accessories and the generator and temporarily install a 12V coil or a proper ballast resistor in the power wire for the coil to reduce volts to 6v at coil, and use the 12v battery directly with the starter without going through the six volt at all. While I have done the 12v jump to 6v, don't forget you can get a battery explosion. Also on priming priming the engine by the screw driver method, be sure the oil pump is not driven directly from the camshaft, unlike more modern engines which utilize the distributor gear to drive the pump most older engines drove through a Non removable (without major engine disassembly) gear off the cam. so when you try to turn the pump you would think it is siezed. Best method is to force oil into the oil galleries if your pump has the "direct" gear drive.

Gary, As an after the fact tid-bit to chuck into your memory, many of the cars have a number stamped into the door, or trunk lock, or lock shaft, which is the key code. I used that to get keys for my roadmasters. (you have to pull the lock set just the same to see the numbers which are about 1/16 " tall)

Frank, Napa sells a type FA which is basically a direct replacement, I had looked this up for my 56 Roadmaster which uses the type A. Check with a local Napa dealer. By the way my step son and I did finally take his 51 Desoto out for a ride last year, that fluid drive is a funky transmisson, It did work well though after sitting for many years. We ended up completely rebuilding the engine though due to a knock, so it should be on the road as soon as I finish a little sheet metal work. Do you know of a way to adjust the hi range shift linkage? it ocassionally won't go in all the way, I have determined it to be the linkage throw, but see no obvious adjustment, or do we have to replace the rubber linkage bushings? Thanks Scott

Expansion piece? Are you talking about the throttle dash pot? A small (1 1/2") diameter diaphram operated part which the throttle settles back on. If it is just hardware you can purchase fittings at your local auto parts NAPA stores usually have a good selection, ask to look in the weatherhead catolog. I have GM carb parts and service manual which cover s your carb, it does not show any vacuum fittings to the carb. You can have a copy of the pages on the 56 Caddy carbs if it might help send me address to wilebill@att.net. and I will mail you a copy. As for the brake pedal if that has the power booster/master cylider unit that mounts on the lower firewall like my 56 Buick, the return spring is in side the vauum can, there is am adjustment on the pedal so that you can prevent binding of the shaft which would cause it to not return all the way.

Most Buick, Olds, Pontiac big cars of that time frame are interchangeable. There should be lots of info on that car. Try the Olds Club and a general web search. Also trip to your favorite salvage yard shouldland you some info.

Looks kind of like GM product early 60's?

Diz is right, old wiring has some leaks to ground not mention resistance probably being high at old oxidized connections, you can improve your connections by cleaning them, but like you say the brittle casing will generally crack when you move it. Another possible source: Rhode Island wire service, they are on the web.

I have '46 Ton and a half Dogde (WF-32) w/o the vacuum booster and I have the truck registered commercial and use the heck out of it. I have found that you can get some better performance out of the wiper by adding some light oil. It is a quick fix, but you could rebuild the wiper motor yourself, they are not that complex and kits are still available. I was comming home 2 weeks ago with full load of wood (bed is 7'X 11') and ran into a down pour, just had to let off on the throttle now and then going up hills

Look for a code on the pad between the first two cylinders below spark plugs, on driver's side. The number you have is probably on the driver's front end cylinder bank which is the serial number. Since 1966 most Buick engines have the code along a pad on the drivers side below spark plugs and between the exhaust manifolds. anyway if 1968 code is PO= 350 2bbl 230hp or PP =350 4bbl 280 hp (400 engine code is PR 340 hp) these are all GS, special, century and Regal.As well as the big cars.

If 66-67 Engine (v-8) passenger side front lower part of cy;inder head code V,X=330 cube, one is 250 hp, other is 320 hp, doesn't say which letter. V=400 cube which could be 300 or 350 horse. six cyl number on pad on block behind dist. code F=250 155hp. Source: Chilton's repair manual 1973.

The one on the right appears to be a for a truck probably 1&1/2 ton. My 46 Dodge WF-32 uses that radiator, I believe 41-47 trucks were essentially the same.

Matt, Your problem is that plate and condeser housing IS GROUNDED something IS shorted out in the distributor or cable. It When the points are open you should only have continuity between the ground side of the points (non-insulated) and everything else. It could be that your armored cable is shorting against (1) inside its housing (2) between the breaker plate and the distributor housing (3)the insulator at the plate is broken (4) it is also possible that the nut/screw at the ignition switch end is shorting against the fuel tank/cowl behind the dash.(5) check the wire from the points going under the plate for bare spots Remove the armored cable and check to see if the wire has continuity to the sheathing it should NOT, inspect the distributor end it may appear ok and then cause ground when the spring is compressed. With the cable out do your continuity checks on the breaker plates,if you get an open the problem lies with the cable or at the connection, if every side still has continuity with points open, remove the condenser wire, do the checks again, if you get an open then it was the condenser, if not take out the breaker plate and check it, check also for rubbing of insulated parts.

Matt, The "no short" condenser you show is the original style condenser and does in fact go in where you illustrate however your car has had the unitized points set installed (basically a modern upgrade) and the condenser is on that plate. Originally the old style plate had a metal strip on the bottom side of the plate which had a screw hole in it which was used to attach the brass end to, a real pain to start sometimes (I had a 31 coupe). you mention that the points plate and condenser all had continuity, that should be true only with the pionts closed (grounded). Also to index the points you don't move the distributor body because it has fixed indent for the set screw, you instead use the large screw on the top of the points cam shown clearly in your photo. Loosen the screw and move the cam and retighten. Which leads to the next suggestion (If in fact your cam gear has NOT failed) check the lobes on the pionts cam, alot of after market cams are "soft" and wear the lobes down some times unevenly or completely off( check the points gap at each lobe, if this is the case try to get an original Ford part. Also it could be that the screw mentioned is not tight or (1) the cam has lost the serated edge on the bottom (helps it grip the distributor shaft) or(2) the screw is bottoming out before the cam is tight (there should be a washer under the screw head) That would allow the cam to slip on the shaft. Finally follow the retiming procedure in a Ford book using the timing pin and setting the cam, and correct gap.

Tom, At the risk of putting things bluntly. By the time you get through trying to get $10 a set or less shoes you could have had the shoes relined and back on the car for under $80 by now. Face it the days of finding shoes for $5 are over.