DonMicheletti

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.

Dave & Dave, There are so many comments on this site where folks work to "upgrade" their older cars, thus missing the experiences, good and bad, of owning and driving an older car. I always tell folks who drive one of my old cars for the first time to remember that these will not be like your modern VW (or whatever). Dont compare it. Much of the fun of driving them is to put yourself in the era of when the car was built and realize that at that time this was as good as it got for the average person.

I have never seen one of those before. Obviously a commercial part and not just something someone just ginned up. Perhaps aftermarket to keep excessive oil from getting to the valve guides and increasing oil burning. It will be interesting to hear what other have to say.

If the '49 is like the '38's, be sure there is a sealed stud in the rear hole on the pushrod side. On the '38, the hole is tapped through to the water jacket. Removal of the stud allows access to the temperature gage bulb. If you put an unsealed bolt in there you'll get water in the oil since the water can get past the unsealed bolt and into the rocker are area and into the pan.

Projects: The clutch on the 46s crapped out yesterday. A spring that tensions the fingers in the pressure plate broke (I found "crumbs" in the cover ) for some strange reason and the clutch, when disengaged, sounds like it has gravel in it. Since I'll have to deal with the rear end to get the clutch out, I'm going to install the 3:90 gears too. Damn!!

Mark, your comment is similar to the "have sidemounts, not to have sidemount" opinions

Flat Top is right on. You cause more problems than you cure. Having worked around steam locomotives, he is also right on with their mechanics!

You are OK with the blocked holes in the gasket. That is normal. Rings should seat pretty quickly. That is quite a bit of oil suggesting some of the new rings may have been installed upside down (this makes a big difference, especially on the 2nd ring). This is suspicious since the other cylinders appear to be OK.

Nope. The the jump seats in the back is the only difference between a 46 and a 46s

Both the valves and seats would be ground. Any auto machine shop would have both these dedicated grinders. You'd need a pretty big lathe to machine those heads on a lathe!! I'd question whether they are flat or not first and not just go machining them.

Bernie is right!

What makes you think the head is warped? Have you checked it with a straight edge? What you should do is dependent on the measured condition of the valves, guides and if the head is flat or not. Also, the condition of the rocker arms and shaft have to be established. You'll get lots of advise here from just lap the valves to replace everything! Since you are not going to do the entire engine, you should be able to do just a valve grind. As the saying goes, "never ask a barber if you need a haircut". A machine shop will probably advise you to change everything. Step one is measure everything and compare against specifications and wear limits in the manual.

Originally the gears just slip on. Time has caused yours to try to become one piece. As michaelod says, you'll probably have to destroy them to get them off. Likely the shaft will be rusted and have to be thoroughly cleaned before you can slip new gears on. The good news is that reproductions are available these days.

Yours is a common problem. The fuel gage fitting is just a tapered piece that goes into the top of fuel gage. It is just stuck. Go easy. Perhaps soaking both with the "magic elixer" of ATF and acetone will help. The temp. gage bulb may have scale holding it.Try the above mixture and gently taping the top with a small punch and hammer to jar it loose. Good luck, both are tough

"Hooked bumpers" - a blast from the past and a real PITA! Just pushing a car to get it moved or started is real ancient history.

These cars naturally feel strained and busy with that stock rear end ratio. I wonder if someone might have installed "stump puller" rear end. However, modifying a Buick rear end is a real challenge - and then why?

If it was a slipping clutch, your nose would alert you to that in a very short while, unless the clutch was completely gone, and then it would be difficult to get the car to move at all. As a very long shot, can you actually go through the 3 gears as you accelerate? It is virtually impossible to put the transmission together incorrectly

Without a photo, it is tough to tell. I have found that Steele may have parts listed for other cars may fit yours. I had that experience recently with lower shock absorber "bushings" fot a '38 where the listed parts were wrong, but parts for a Cadilac were perfect. The guy at Steele was a big help when i sent photos and dimensions.