61polara

Cadillac used a V-8 engine back to the early years, while Olds and Buick used straight eights. The Olds body was redesigned in '48 to accommodate the V-8 for 1949. Buick stayed with the straight 8 until 1953. It's been my understanding that the Buick "nail-head" V-8 was designed to fit in the straight 8 engine compartment.

CCStudent, why don't you consider joining AACA? Tell us where you are and we will connect you with a region.

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I agree with keiser31. It's a great combination with parts available. If you come across a 361 w 727 torqueflite, it's a great combination also. Same basic engine, just produced fewer years.

Thanks for your comments. The engine is coming from a Commander Starlight Coupe. I plan on keeping the manual with overdrive. As I get into the project, I sure I will have more questions. I do have the shop manual and will be reviewing it before the swap.

I have a 1951 Land Cruiser V-8, manual transmission with overdrive. The engine is stuck from sitting in a damp garage. Soaking the engine in various penetrating oils for several years has not free it. I have the chance to buy an engine from a 1954 Hawk, but it is an automatic. Is this a straight forward interchange or are there differences between the manual and automatic versions of this engine? Is the manual pressure plate a direct bolt up? What else should I look out for?

Keiser31 is right on this one. There are a very few changes from 1946 to 1947 and almost no changes from 1947 to very early 1949. Chrysler lumped all of these production numbers together as one run. These cars were mostly titled based on the year they were sold in. I would call it a 1948 because I think that was the highest production calendar year for these.

Since this is not a metallic paint, clean the area with a surface prep cleaner. (You can find this with the touch up paint at your local discount auto store.) Dab the paint into the area in a thin coat. You do not want to get a run. Let it dry and dab again (drying in between) until you have completely covered the area. Let it dry completely. Sand the area down with 1000 grit wet/dry paper, keeping the area and paper wet. Compound and buff this out and you should not be able to see it.

Are you running radial or bias ply tires?

If this is the same style power brake booster as a '57 Buick, look for a housing cover on the top of the booster with a screw in the middle of the top of it. Remove the cover and drip a few drops of transmission fluid in the opening. Pump the brakes and see it they start to return. This is covered in the Buick shop manual, so check the Pontiac manual as well. I was on the road to an AACA Meet and had to drip fluid from the transmission dip stick. I don't remember how many drops, but with pumping the brakes, it returned to normal quickly and we were back on the road. Thankfully we had a shop manual in the car to research.

It's a '65 from the parking lights wrapping around the front finder.

A car evaluated for a Repeat HPOF or Repeat Original HPOF award is evaluated to the same standard as the first time award. However the judges are primarily looking for modifications since the first award that would cause the car to no longer qualify for the award. In past shows, I've see HPOF cars that have had disc brakes added or the bias ply tires replaced by radials or hoses replaced and modern clamps used rather than the original style and the car loose enough points that it did not qualify for a repeat award. If there are enough modifications (or restoration) since the certification of the car, the HPOF team may recommend that the owner move the car to DPC or class judging for future meets.

Since you are in NC, take a look at Kaufman Trailer in the High Point, NC area. I have had one of their 18' open trailers for 8 years and it has been a great one. Ordered it the way I wanted it and it was a just a few weeks before it was ready for pickup. http://www.kaufmantrailers.com/

An HPOF vehicle can receive certification with a repaint. The number of deductions permitted increases with the age of the vehicle. A complete repaint is a significant deduction and if there are other deductions, it would be nearly impossible for a newer vehicle to be awarded an HPOF badge. The HPOF Original further limits the number of deductions, so it is very unlikely that a completely repainted vehicle would receive that award. Most HPOF judges can and do spot a repaint even if it is not disclosed by the owner. The disclosure by the owner on the evaluation sheet is only a guide to the judges. It does not limit deductions by the judges or mean a deduction will be made by the judges.

Everyone considering running radials on pre 1975 rims should review this article from SEMA. https://www.sema.org/files/attachments/WTC-2011-05-Bias-vs-Radial-Tire-Wheel-Fitment.pdf

There is a vast difference between digitally converting a color digital photo and a photo shot with B&W film. Notice how the sky turned black in your B&W photo and the red and green on you car would show as different colors of grey.

Matt - If you're talking about Hershey, there is an exception to the regular field lay out there. At all other National shows, HPOF cars are placed in year order grouped by the certification they are seeking. At Hershey, due to the size of the show, HPOF cars are parked in the order they arrive. It's a staffing and manpower issue. Ballard - Batteries, hoses, clamps, belts and tires are all considered maintenance items which can be replaced with no deduction. The replacement must be correct for the year and car as in class judging.

If you have grounded the coil large wire and have spark, but no spark to the plugs, it can only be the rotor, cap or the wires to the plugs. If you see a spark at the points, your coil can still be bad. I just went through this on a 42 Desoto at Hershey on Friday.

If I were judging the engine compartment of your car and looking at the battery, here are the questions I would have on the battery: 1. Your car battery is in the transition period between in batteries with 6 individual caps and caps covering mutiple fill holes. Your shoud determine which is correct and document it. 2. The battery hold down appears to be an aftermarket piece. You should document it is correct. 3. The battery hold down "J" bolts appear long and may have come with the aftermarket hold down. I'm not saying any of these items would be a deduction, just that these are the quitions I would have to answer in judging your car and as a judge I could ask for documentation on any ofthese issues. Hope this helps.

Its been my understanding that the Society of Automotive Engineers set the standards before the Federal Government stepped in.

I hate to say this because I'll be beat up for it, but the only real solution with your current wheels is to go back to bias ply tires. An alternative is it move to later wheels that are welded rather than riveted wheels. That still may not correct your problem. Your wheels are flexing causing the rotation because of the radials. It effects some wheels more than others.

I would take your time. Check out the engine when you get the car. You may find you need more than what you have listed.

Looks like the vote is 100% no tire gloss at this point. To me, it ranks as the #3 don't do for a car show, especially on the show field. Number 2 is mirrors on the sides of the car showing the undercarriage. Number 1 is displaying all the trophies you have ever won in front or in the trunk of the car.

Try SMS https://www.smsautofabrics.com/

A repaint will not eliminate you from an HPOF certification, but would most likely eliminate you from the higher HPOF Original certification. With that said, for your age vehicle, you can only receive a maximum of 6 deductions and still receive an HPOF certification. A deduction could be made for each panel repainted. If you only repainted the hood and top, that would only be 2 deductions. The non-factory dealer installed accessories should each be an additional deduction. All components of the vehicle are evaluated by AACA judging standards for correctness. This means hoses, belts, clamps and battery will be evaluated for correctness and deductions. Hope this helps.