DonMicheletti

What you found is pretty typical on an old engine, and a potential problem waiting to happen.

If you havn't already put the pan back on, one alignment trick that works well is to use a couple of pieces of 5/16" threaded rod about 4" long in the block. One on each side toward the rear of the engine That will help align both the gasket and pan as you manipulate them back into position. I got the trans and clutch out this morning - falling down easy with the rear end out of the car. My grinding in the clutch was exactly what i thought it was. One of the release lever tension springs broke and got ground up. Fortunately the flywheel and disc are OK. I have a spare pressure plate so I am set for getting it back together. The photos show the source of the spring and grinding. You can see one of the springs missing from the left hand release finger. The second photo shows some of what was still in the clutch. I'm happy the newish disc wasn't ruined.

Well, I started on the clutch and differential gear ratio change today. I pulled the differential assembly (by myself) and removed the ring gear carrier (it looks good). I hope the switch to the 3.90's wont be too difficult. I'm getting to old for this stuff - I'm tired!!

Lets see, this engine has run 94,000 miles for nearly 70 years on oil, when it was new, was crap by today's standards. Why waste the money on a synthetic. Almost anything you can buy today is far superior to what was available 70 years ago.

Many years ago before owning any old cars, my dad told me about the need to run with the headlights on to keep the old unregulated generators from boiling the water out of the battery. Also about 3rd brush generator balancing output to draw. That served me well when i did get into the hobby years later.

The flywheel / timing mark thing was carried on by Buick for many years. If you dont know about putting the flywheel on correctly, it is very easy to do wrong. It is a real PITA.

Are the engine bearing clearances correct? I got my '38 for $135. Reason? The previous "restorer" had never worked on a babbit bearing engine and he installed the mains and rods with no shims. He didn't check clearances. Naturally it wouldn't turn once he got it in the car. He had treated the bearings like modern ones where you can just slap them in. Trying to start it, he towed the car with no luck - but he did manage to blow both the transmission and rear end. He gave up at that point.

No glue required, just clean the area thoroughly. Are those patches available these days? The stink like heck when used.

Checking spare parts, you are right - that part i showed is for the trunk handle. The door lock pawl is round - however, I havnt found that part. Do you still need the information?

They are not '38 Buick hinges.

I have put "booster" pumps in all my old cars. The mechanical pump had sucked the gas through them with no problem.

I'm not sure if the '18 6 cylinder flywheel is similar, but several years ago a friend was building a speedster from a '18 chassis and engine. I machined the flywheel to lighten it up. It was definitely cast iron.

It is just stuff like that which makes restorations such a PITA. Way to much trouble for such a little part. I guess we are all idiots for doing it though. Dave is a great guy and resource

This is from a '38 Buick special locking door handle. Maybe it it the same. The edges are slightly rounded. I hope it helps. Handle Pawl.pdf

What year and series car?

Interesting. The '38 Buick manual says to drain the rear end every 10,000 miles and replace the oil. It also says the axle bearings are lubricated by the differential oil - nothing about grease. Pretty sure that this was rarely actually done. As far as greasing the axle bearings, you'd have to tear into the differential to get the retainer clips out so you can pull the axles to grease the bearings. Your dad is right. Not uncommon an engine would be burning oil at even 60k miles. Never heard of a 100k original engine back then. (I can hear the comments on that). My '41 lightly used Plymouth was burning oil and needed rings at 49K miles and had a hell of a ridge. (No not 149K)

Also, on oil pressure. While you can take up on the mains and rods, the cam bearings are in the picture too, and other than replacement, there is nothing you can do about those.

Did Dawn have any ideas of what might be your problem? Or any suggestions?

If the pump cover is pot metal, resist the urge to shim the spring to increase the oil pressure. That will put additional stress on an already marginal part, causing additional flexing. The stock 45psi, running is just fine. Some pumps have a steel cover and aren't as likely to deflect. The folks at Hastings are really helpful. I spoke with a really knowledgable woman there - Dawn Hill (x 1359) at Hastings

Assuming the engine turned before installation, it has to be the bolts used. Once on my '32 -56, I had to change the starter. I found that then the engine then wouldnt crank at all. It turned out that when installed the mounting bolts, one was too long and was hard against the flywheel, preventing the engine from turning. Easy fix. It is unlikely the lockup has anything to do with the clutch unless you really made an error with the throwout bearing. I agree with you, getting the engine back in with the trans in the car was a real wiggle job. I had rebuilt the engine several years before the starter issue.

Years ago I had a friend with a '17 Twin Six. He had the carb heating problem. Our solution was to make a asbestos / aluminum "sandwitch that fit beneath the carb to shield it from the heat. It worked great. You could "cheat" like heck today to fabricate something similar. The car was a fantistic drive.. provided you werent too serious about stopping!

The clutch job isnt a strange one for me. I replaced the clutch on my '38 Roadmaster a couple of years ago. That was even tougher since the trans on it is about twice the size and weight of the Specials. With the cheap clock at least you dont have to worry about messing something expensive up. I'm all for making one good thing out of several bad things.

Maybe you have answered this elsewhere. Was the engind rebored? And, if not, did you check the bores for out of roundness?

I'm a firm believer in dropping the pan on an engine that hasnt run in a long time. Gunk can accumulate and block the oil pump screen. I have seen more than one engine that has been ruined because of a blocked oil screen after sitting for years. A gasket is cheap insurance

I found that when the clock magnet winds, it doesnt go very far, but it cycles every few minutes as described in the manual. I expect the there may be some adjustment on the toggle mechanism that moves the points, but I am reluctant to experiment on a clock that is otherwise OK. I'm dragging my feet on that clutch job.