1955 Buick Century

[lancemb]

On 9/27/2019 at 5:27 PM, Sean Batiz said:

Thank You VERY MUCH for including the picture of that starter splash guard in its mounted orientation! I found mine just lying in the cabin area of my Buick and, this same part was always missing on my other Buick. I was never able to find a single image of it in ANY of the mountain of literature I have, to show it’s correct orientation! Also, I hope that you’ll find the fallowing shop “Pin-Up” chart handy. Something I’ve had for quite awhile; shows the exact length that each section of heater hose needs to be.

This is so cool!  Do you know if these were made for 57 and where to find?  I've never seen a chart like this!

[Sean Batiz]

Lancemb, I really don’t know much detail about the specific literature & other associated publications for Buick during 1957. I’ve tried very hard over the years to sticking to only collecting items that are from 1955, as much as possible. As per these “Pin-Up” Charts, I have 3 different ones, all slightly soiled from someone else previously handling them. Got these several years ago & have NEVER seen any of these ever pop up on eBay, in any condition!

[Kosage Chavis]

I had more small tasks to take care of before I am able to remove the engine and transmission.  I disconnected this wire harness shown here that leads to the starter.There are 3 connections to the starter as shown.  Disconnect.

 

Next up was the carburetor.Remove the insulated tubing shown here.As you can see, this should probably be connected at the bottom somewhere.  Unfortunately, it burned off and I have no clue where it connects.  That leaves me with the top connection shown here.  Disconnect.Disconnect the fuel line shown here.Then, disconnect the capillary tubing at the bottom-front of the carburetor as shown.Remove the part of the linkage shown here.Unclip at the rear end of this linkage as shown.Once unclipped, slide the rear out of it's socket.  Just be sure to grab the clip as you slide out.  The clip falls off easily and is very easy to lose.  Once the rear end is free, you can unscrew at the end that connects to the carburetor.  Leave the jam nut in it's place.  Finally, remove the 4 nuts and washers that hold down the carburetor shown here.Once removed, lift the carburetor up and out.  If the carburetor is stuck on it's surface, grab with both hands and jolt it back and forth till it breaks loose.  Showing site after removal.Showing carburetor after removal.

 

Next, I removed the air conditioning compressor brackets as shown.There are 3 pieces to this assembly.  Starting with the rear bracket.The bottom mounts to the flange of the exhaust manifold with the manifold bolt shown here.The top mounts to the top of the intake manifold as shown.The rear bracket is now free.  Next is the tubular brace that connects to the front bracket from the intake manifold bolt as shown.Showing how the other end of the tubular brace attaches to the top of the  front bracket.Once both ends are unbolted, the tubular brace is free.  That leaves the front bracket as shown.There should be another 2 ended threaded bolt that helps mount the front bracket.  You would remove both nuts in front and then remove the larger nut on the side.  The front bracket is now free.  Showing the bracket assembly for the air conditioning compressor removed from car.

 

Next, the bundle of air and fuel lines as shown.  Undo both fuel fittings from the top of the fuel pump.  Do the same with both air lines that come off the bottom of the same pump.Remove 2 brackets that holds on the fuel line onto the cross member of the frame as shown.  Remove.  Unscrew this flared fitting on top of the intake manifold as shown.

Showing the fuel pump after all 4 connections disconnected.

Disconnect this flared fitting from the distributor assembly as shown.2 other connections were already disconnected previously.  The bundle of lines that sit on the valve cover valley pan are binded together with a metal strap and can now be moved from the car.

 

Next was the ignition coil shown here.

 

Removed the wire shown here.Remove both nuts shown here.The coil is now free.  Remove.

 

I then removed both spark plug wire braces held down only by 1 single nut on top of the valve cover as shown.  Remove.

 

Next is the oil pressure capillary tubing shown here mounted to the firewall.Simply loosen the screws to the hold down clamps on the firewall as shown.Finally, disconnect this flared fitting that feeds into the transmission as shown.The line is now free.  Carefully remove from car.

 

Next, I removed the rest of the accelerator-to-carburetor linkage assembly as shown.

Disconnect the connecting rod from the linkage as shown here.Removed the upper arm of the linkage by removing the bolt shown here.I then removed the labeled connecting rod shown here. The bottom connection is shown here by the car frame.  Disconnect and remove.Remove this spring at both ends.The rest of the linkage assembly is held on by 2 bolts behind the part I am pointing to shown here.  Remove both bolts.Then remove both bolts here that mounts this part of the linkage to the firewall.Slide accelerator rod from this firewall penetration as shown.  The entire linkage assembly is now free and can be removed.  Showing the area after removal.Showing the accelerator-to-carburetor linkage assembly removed from car.

 

Overall, all of the tasks in this post were easy.

Edited September 30, 2019 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Kosage, do you know if this engine was ever repainted after leaving the factory. Reason I ask is that I know many distributors received overspray at the bottom but have never seen a vacuum advance with this much overspray on it.   Great that you're taking so many pictures, you won't regret it upon reassembly.

[JohnD1956]

@Kosage Chavis  FWIW  I would recommend that this piece of linkage be revisited:

 

 

That rod should be reinserted into that fitting on the carb, back to the depth of it's original point of adjustment.  Then the nut holding the piece to the carb can be removed to disassemble the entire rod in one unit from the carb.  I recommend that because upon reassembly you may find this to be the optimum adjustment for your particular car.  This adjustment not only impacts the carburetor action but also the switch pitch action in the transmission torque converter.  The least that relationship is disturbed, the easier reassembly and adjustment will be at the appropriate time in the future.    

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

2 hours ago, MrEarl said:

Kosage, do you know if this engine was ever repainted after leaving the factory. Reason I ask is that I know many distributors received overspray at the bottom but have never seen a vacuum advance with this much overspray on it.   Great that you're taking so many pictures, you

won't regret it upon reassembly.

 

  Only if he forgets to look as I did!  

 

  Ben

[Kosage Chavis]

13 hours ago, MrEarl said:

Kosage, do you know if this engine was ever repainted after leaving the factory. Reason I ask is that I know many distributors received overspray at the bottom but have never seen a vacuum advance with this much overspray on it.   Great that you're taking so many pictures, you won't regret it upon reassembly.

Hey Mr Lamar.  I was wondering the same thing lately with the engine.  The color seemed just a bit too light blue to be original, but it was hard for me to tell.  Tonight, I happened to walk by the spark plug wires on my work bench and looked at them more closely and I noticed this...There seems to be a more original looking color engine paint underneath the bluish paint.  So, it seems that this engine had been repainted at some time before.  Of course, I have no knowledge of this.  The question I now have is, how can I tell if this is the original engine to my car and is there such a thing as a numbers maching engine for 55 Buicks?  

[MrEarl]

9 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said:

Hey Mr Lamar.  I was wondering the same thing lately with the engine.  The color seemed just a bit too light blue to be original, but it was hard for me to tell.  Tonight, I happened to walk by the spark plug wires on my work bench and looked at them more closely and I noticed this...There seems to be a more original looking color engine paint underneath the bluish paint.  So, it seems that this engine had been repainted at some time before.  Of course, I have no knowledge of this.  The question I now have is, how can I tell if this is the original engine to my car and is there such a thing as a numbers maching engine for 55 Buicks?  

 

Yea I suspected that wasn’t the original Buick engine green and was seeing the different colors you mention. No real way to tell if it is the original to your car. Next best thing would be to just check the serial  number to see ii it matches the series. Yours should end with a 6 it being a Century.  

Still though, try and pay attention to what got painted at the factory and document  with pics so you can replicate. 

[KAD36]

On 10/2/2019 at 11:24 PM, Kosage Chavis said:

Hey Mr Lamar.  I was wondering the same thing lately with the engine.  The color seemed just a bit too light blue to be original, but it was hard for me to tell.  Tonight, I happened to walk by the spark plug wires on my work bench and looked at them more closely and I noticed this...There seems to be a more original looking color engine paint underneath the bluish paint.  So, it seems that this engine had been repainted at some time before.  Of course, I have no knowledge of this.  The question I now have is, how can I tell if this is the original engine to my car and is there such a thing as a numbers maching engine for 55 Buicks?  

Here is some info courtesy of Buick.net.  Helped me figure out what Matts 56 engine was.  

 

NAILHEAD Codes 'til '56

The engine serial number is stamped on a machined surface on the top outer edge of the left cylinder bank, between the middle branches of the exhaust manifold. The last digit of the engine serial number is 4 for Series 40, 5 for Series 50, 6 for Series 60, 7 for Series 70. According to some sources, a 100 suffix is used for the Series 100 Skylark of 1954.

A stamped 1/4" long dash after the production code number indicates a .010" O.S. production engine. It is not unusual to find the letter I used in place of the number 1 in the id numbers (this makes alteration more difficult). In some cases the letter I is intended, as in the case of year identifier character for 62. The VIN is the same as the engine serial number for 1957 to 64.

The red * indicate "NAILHEAD"

YEAR	SERIES	DISPLACEMENT	SERIAL NOS. START AT
1953	40	L-8 263	6950620-4
	50	V-8 322*	V2415-5
	70	V-8 322*	70 V2001-7
1954	40	V-8 264*	V273956-4
	50	V-8 322*	V273956-5
	60	V-8 322*	V273956-6
	70	V-8 322*	V273956-7
	100	V-8 322*	V273956-100
1955	40	V-8 264*	V720080-4
	50	V-8 322*	V720080-5
	60	V-8 322*	V720080-6
	70	V-8 322*	V720080-7
1956	40	V-8 322 2bbl*	V1460023-4
	50	V-8 322*	V1460023-5
	60	V-8 322*	V1460023-6
	70	V-8 322*	V1460023-7
1957	40	V-8 364 2bbl*	4D1000989 (NOTE 1)
	50	V-8 364*	5D1001001
	60	V-8 364*	6D1001001
	70, 75	V-8 364*	7D1001001

[Kosage Chavis]

More things to remove before I am clear enough to remove engine and transmission.  Here, I am removing the steering column to transmission shift linkage.  Remove the cotter pin at the top as shown and then slide the rod out of it's socket.Remove the cotter pin on the same rod at the bottom as shown.  Slide out of the socket to remove.Be sure to label top and bottom ends.  Then remove the rod that links the transmission to the frame mounted linkage.  Remove the cotter pin at the linkage as shown and then slide the peg out from the fork.Remove the cotter pin at the back where the rod meets the arm of the transmission as shown.  Slide rod out of socket and remove.Remove this linkage from the frame by removing both bolts as shown.Showing the steering column to transmission linkage assembly after removal.

 

Next, I removed the transmission fluid dipstick assembly as shown.  You should unbolt the tubing at the top bracket, but mine already was bent open and missing the bolt.Loosen both clamps as shown and slide tubing from the hose.Remove upper bracket by unbolting 2 bolts on the backside.Showing area after removal.Showing the transmission dipstick assembly after removal.

 

Next, I unbolted the cross-over exhaust to straight exhaust flange as shown.  There are 3 in all.I then unbolted the exhaust hanger to transmission bolts as shown.  There are 2 bolts.This will give you a little more room to remove the draft tube while taking care of a step necessary to removing the engine. 

 

Next is the draft tube as shown.Unbolt at the tube about half way down here.Go to the top and wiggle the draft tube from the valley pan cover socket as shown.You will need to finesse the tube a bit to remove and you will need to pull it up, out away from the engine.  I also had to slightly turn the distributor because the vacuum advance was in the way.  Showing the area after removal.Showing the draft tube removed from car.

 

Next is the transmission cooler as shown.Unscrew both hard lines on the top as shown.  Connection on each side.Crowfoot wrenches are a must to loosen these flared fittings or you could damage them.  You will then unbolt the most outer pair of bolts as shown.  Remove.Removal of the transmission cooler will give you better access to the speedometer cable where it connects to the side of the transmission as shown.  Unscrew the knob, pull out and move to the side.Showing area after removal.Showing the transmission cooler removed from car.

 

Next, remove the transmission to cross member bracket and thrust pad as shown.  Remove the 4 bolts that bolt into the bottom of the transmission.Remove the 2 bolts and plate.  Remove the 3 bolts and plate shown here.Remove the bracket and thrust pad.  Showing area after removal.Showing the transmission to cross member bracket and thrust pad removed from car.

 

Next, remove the 4 bolts here that mounts the torque tube to the transmission as shown.

 

Next, remove both nuts from the bottom of both front engine mounts as shown.  Found on each side of the engine block.You can do this underneath your car as shown.  This cross member has holes that allow a clear path to both of those nuts on each side.

 

Finally, I removed the transmission mount and cross member as shown.Grab a 2x6 and wedge it between a car jack and the transmission pan.  Jack until the rear of the transmission is supported as shown.Remove 4 bolts on each side of the cross member as shown.My car had a very thin spacer on the passenger's side that is wedged between the frame and cross member flange.  Also, on the driver's side, one of the cross member bolts mounts a heater hose clip just on the other side of the frame as shown.  It is on the top forward bolt.  Remove all.Showing the area after removal.Showing the transmission mount and cross member after removal.

 

Overall, all of the tasks in this post were easy.

 

NOW, THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE READY TO COME OUT.  I CAN'T WAIT!

 

 

[Kosage Chavis]

Here is the engine number stamped onto my main Buick...

 

Then the one stamped on my parts car...

 

What does this tell you.  I see the 6 on the end of both, indicating a Century.  Anything else maybe? 

[Sean Batiz]

Although these old Buick’s were notorious for fluid  seepage from the cork type gaskets of the Nailhead and Dynaflow’s, not to mention the oily blow-by from the road-draft tube, this all really does us a huge favor in leaving a nice rust preservative coating over EVERYTHING underneath! Otherwise, you’d been at that job a bit longer, trying to get very dry & rusty fasteners freed up! You’d be very much happy to invest in your own decent sized solvent wash bay and good sized sand/glass bead-blaster.

[Sean Batiz]

As per your engine numbers, at least those identify them both as having been made for the 55 model year and for Century specifically. Other than that, I do believe that I once read somewhere that at some point during the 1970’s, the Buick Division tossed out or, had destroyed (sadly), a HUGE amount of documentation in reference to exact assembly build sequence information for the cars & engines of passed made vehicles, possibly due to all of those documents taking up too much space? We may never know. DOES ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW??? 👀

[Sean Batiz]

I also vaguely recall having read something somewhere about one of these number identifiers having an “X” or maybe three x’s, stamped at the end of the series run digits, to identify that the car was Factory equipped with A/C. For the life of me, just can’t remember where this bit of info was written to confirm (thus far, I haven’t found any X’s stamped anywhere on my 55 Buick that did come with the A/C), I at least do know that if you’re nomenclature plate on the cowl has a “-1” at the end of the paint code, this identifies that the wheel rims where painted Cherokee Red.

[Kosage Chavis]

Had no luck with pulling the engine yesterday.  I thought the torque tube would slide out of the transmission with a little pull from the front.  I was wrong.  Looks like I will need to pull back on the rear end assembly to pull apart first.

[Sean Batiz]

Great patients is REQUIRED for those considering taking on this sort of project! When knuckles get smarted & tools start flying, just take a breather, relax over a nice cold beer 🍺 and, reassess the problem from a different perspective. This method generally seems to help my madness. Not trying to scare any new comers to this hobby; just a “heads-up” on what to expect. Driving around in a Classic Car that’s been meticulously, if not obsessively, restored by the same person, is just icing on the cake! Personally, I get the most enjoyment out of the whole restoration process, more so than stressing or worrying about the end result. It’ll naturally be reached, in due time.

[Kosage Chavis]

In my previous post, I mentioned failing at my first attempt to remove the engine with transmission.  In this post, I will go into more detail of what happened and what I did to correct it.  Last Friday was my first attempt and my 2 youngest had asked me several times about helping me with removing the engine.  Here's the first video...

Not to worry everyone.  I only let my 2 youngest do the initial hoisting of the engine until the front end came off of the front engine mounts.  Once that was done, I took over the rest.  Here's the 2nd video...

Shortly after removing the exhaust cross-over pipe and after a few subtle attempts to pull the driveshaft from the transmission, I realized that I was doing something wrong and that I shouldn't force the issue.  That's when I texted Matt and asked for his advice.  Pulling backwards on the rear end would be the way to go using jacking straps.  At this point, it was getting a little late and I had other responsibilities to take care of.  So, I rested the engine in place and called it a day.  The next day at about noon, I am back at it trying to figure out if anything would restrict me from pulling the rear end backwards.  The only thing I saw that might restrict this was a rear diagonal round bar shown here...I removed this by unbolting 4 bolts, 1 nut and a bracket, all shown here...On the other side, I removed this nut...and then removed 2 bolts and bracket shown here.Tap the threaded shaft out on this end.  This side is now free.  Go back to passenger's side and pull off of the threaded shaft.  Showing area of removal here...and then here...Showing the rear suspension cross bar removed from car.Overall, easy task.  Now, time to pull the rear end.  I didn't have any jacking straps, but my kind neighbor let me borrow his.  Here is a video of what I did...

The jacking straps worked like a charm and the torque tube slid out of the torque ball very easily as shown...Once it was totally separated, I reinstalled the rear suspension diagonal bar and then I get back to removing the engine/transmission.  The only other foul that popped up was the oil filter housing.  I removed it from the engine and I was now in the clear.  Here's the last video that I took...

At this point it's dark and getting late.  So, I left the engine outside over night while it sit covered in plastic and on a couple of 4 x 4's.  On Sunday, I cleared an area in the garage in front of my work bench and moved it in there.  Here's a couple shots after all of the work...Overall, this task was a moderate and timely one when doing it by yourself.  But it is very doable!

[Kosage Chavis]

On 10/7/2019 at 6:21 AM, Sean Batiz said:

Great patients is REQUIRED for those considering taking on this sort of project! When knuckles get smarted & tools start flying, just take a breather, relax over a nice cold beer 🍺 and, reassess the problem from a different perspective. This method generally seems to help my madness. Not trying to scare any new comers to this hobby; just a “heads-up” on what to expect. Driving around in a Classic Car that’s been meticulously, if not obsessively, restored by the same person, is just icing on the cake! Personally, I get the most enjoyment out of the whole restoration process, more so than stressing or worrying about the end result. It’ll naturally be reached, in due time.

Not a beer guy Sean.  Just everyone's designated driver😉.  My patience, so far, has been holding up well throughout this process.  During the times where I may become stagnant in the process, I will just sit and admire the car and all of the craftmanship of how the car was put together.  I suppose the only thing that tries my patience is not having enough time in a day to do more work.

[Guest]

Closely inspect the roof posts on either side of the rear window. It is a sneaky spot where Ive seen more than one rust, as I dont think Buick thought to coat the metal at all, (bare metal)! I saved a nice piece cut from a 55 Century b4 it left this world after I discovered this area of potential rust. I believe its passenger side. If you find you need it contact and Ill send it if you pay shipping. Im watching closely your excellent job of documenting the disassembly of your 55 Century. Bravo young man! Its a veritable memory substitute, especially for us at 170 yrs old! Abuse that youthful energy, then you can talk smack like me about how tired I am now becuz I did that as a young man. Now, what were we talkin bout?

Edited October 11, 2019 by Guest (see edit history)

[sebastienbuick]

great job  

[KAD36]

Nice job persevering and getting the engine out.  My finding was that load leveler made things easier when removing/installing solo.  Hopefully you won't get a lot of practice at this with the same engine unless you are upgrading. I get sore just watching you crawl around that car. 😀

[Kosage Chavis]

1 hour ago, KAD36 said:

Nice job persevering and getting the engine out.  My finding was that load leveler made things easier when removing/installing solo.  Hopefully you won't get a lot of practice at this with the same engine unless you are upgrading. I get sore just watching you crawl around that car. 😀

Good morning Sir.  Yes, I agree!  The load leveler made things a lot easier on me and I am happy that I got it.  Hopefully, I will never have to upgrade the engine.  I do have a parts car with the correct entire engine that moves freely.  But if I ever did, I would go the same route as you by looking into nailhead from a 56.

[avgwarhawk]

I see you removed the rear to allow removal of the engine and transmission. Just as well. You knew that rear was coming out eventually!  Just the way it is. One shining new rebuilt part calls for all shining rebuilt parts! Nice job! 

[Sean Batiz]

So, what’s left? Body from Chassis now? I can’t remember if you’ve previously stated wether or not you wanted to attempt a “frame up” restoration for your ‘55 Buick Century? There’s several YouTube DIY videos on how to fabricate your own car body rotisserie setup; just requires MORE SPACE! Maybe store the Chassis on the roof of your house in the meantime? Excellent progress, thus far ‼️‼️👍🏻

[Kosage Chavis]

1 hour ago, Sean Batiz said:

So, what’s left? Body from Chassis now? I can’t remember if you’ve previously stated wether or not you wanted to attempt a “frame up” restoration for your ‘55 Buick Century? There’s several YouTube DIY videos on how to fabricate your own car body rotisserie setup; just requires MORE SPACE! Maybe store the Chassis on the roof of your house in the meantime? Excellent progress, thus far ‼️‼️👍🏻

My Daughter was asking me the same question.  We both looked at the car and couldn't really figure it out.  Probably the steering column and wiring harness.  The engine too.  After that...that's probably it.  Nothing else can be done with the body until I can get another garage.  

[RivNut]

I have a friend who did a frame off in a one stall garage.  He built some sturdy saw horses and put 4x4's across them. The body sat on the sawhorses and he could roll the chassis in and out of the garage. Work on it in the driveway during the day and roll it back under the body at night.  

[Kosage Chavis]

33 minutes ago, RivNut said:

I have a friend who did a frame off in a one stall garage.  He built some sturdy saw horses and put 4x4's across them. The body sat on the sawhorses and he could roll the chassis in and out of the garage. Work on it in the driveway during the day and roll it back under the body at night.  

That's a pretty good idea!  The reality for me is this...I have limited space and means.  I will have to improvise a lot to complete this project in the manner that I want to.  Good news is that my Wife and I are already talking about building a detatched garage.  It won't be huge, but I will maximize it's use.  Just got to be smart about how I design it.  The existing garage that we have now won't do anymore.  Quite frankly, I redid it too pretty.  It looks more like an extension of our house instead of a work area.  Now, my Wife gets a little upset with me when I bring in more car parts.  My workspace has shrunk to one corner of the garage.  So, pray for me.  I have already talked to my Dad about possibly teaming up to build it.  We shall see what happens.  But please, any ideas are a big help in terms of making the best of limited space.  

[RivNut]

I had 2x12 rim joists on my last deck. They were doubled and a couple stout 6x6's were pretty close to each other.  Pulled a few motors with a chain hoist bolted to a steel bracket using the deck. 

 

Put some heavy beams and joists in that new shed.  Use it instead of an engine hoist.  Lift the body and suspend it till you get it on a dolly or some supports.

[Sean Batiz]

Not sure how expensive building permits are in your neck of the woods for altering existing structures but, maybe opt for altering your existing garage by “simply” making just that portion of the garage portion, reframed to “accommodate a boat” with a double height garage door AT BOTH ENDS! Also with the inclusion of the new joists above, being amply suitable for the above mentioned ideas! Who knows, maybe way down the road after your car is fully restored, you’ll then WANT a boat!

[Sean Batiz]

On the topic of boats for a second, if by chance you DO end up wanting to eventually tow a boat with your boat (I mean, your Buick! Lol), then you will indeed find the fallowing original leaflets information to be priceless! The eBay seller that I acquired this from about half a year back, I believe has one more of these available and is original! And priced very fairly.

[Kosage Chavis]

Last weekend, I didn't do too much with the Buick.  I had car parts that needed to be boxed up and stored...so I did that.  Also, I forgot to get some good shots of the engine compartment with the engine removed.  Here are a few...Afterwards, I put her back in the carport.She rolls around without too much effort now.  We'll have to see what else I can do this weekend.

[Kosage Chavis]

On 10/16/2019 at 5:15 PM, Sean Batiz said:

On the topic of boats for a second, if by chance you DO end up wanting to eventually tow a boat with your boat...

I don't ever plan on towing anything with my car, but I love what you shared.  I have never seen this before.  Thank you Sean.

[Kosage Chavis]

Worked on the car some more last weekend.  I didn't get a lot of time to work on it...and the day that it did, it poured down all day long.  So, I decided to start breaking the engine down.  My 2 youngest wanted to help.  My Son removed the thermostat housing as shown.Just remove both bolts.  Remove air cleaner/silencer front mount.  My Son used a rubber mallet and tapped on the housing to break the seal.  Remove thermostat and housing.  Showing the site of removal.Showing the thermostat housing assembly removed from engine.

 

Next, my Daughter removed the fuel pump as shown.She removed just 2 bolts while I held the pump in place to keep from falling.  Remove.  Showing site of removal.Showing fuel pump removed from engine.

 

Next, I removed the coolant manifold as shown.The set of bolts on the right side were previously removed.  I only needed to remove 2 bolts on the left.  Make sure you have a pan beneath to catch any coolant.  I had to tap on both sides with a rubber mallet to break the seals.  Then, grab both ends and pull up as you slightly wiggle the part.  Remove.  Showing the site of removal.Showing the coolant manifold removed from engine.

 

Next, I removed the water pump as shown.Remove 10 bolts.  I tapped the spindle end with a rubber mallet to break the seal.  Pump is also kept in place with 2 dowel pins.  Slide off and remove.  Showing site of removal.Showing water pump removed from engine.

 

Next was the crankshaft pulley assembly as shown.Remove 3 bolts.  Tap lightly with a rubber mallet till pulley moves a bit.  Wiggle and pull pulley till it slides off.  Do the same with the spacer and 2nd pulley if necessary.  Remove.  Showing site of removal.Showing crankshaft pulley assembly removed from engine.

 

Next was the timing marker as shown.Remove 2 bolts.  Remove.  Showing site of removal.Showing timing marker removed from engine.

 

Finally, I removed the harmonic balancer as shown.Remove bolt and hold down washer with an impact.  This is not a reverse thread.  Install a puller.  Again, nothing fancy.  Just a cheap Pittsburgh puller works well as shown.Engage puller till harmonic balancer slides off crankshaft.  Showing site of removal.Showing harmonic balancer removed from engine.

 

Overall, all of the task in this post are easy.

[Beemon]

On my original 322, the balancer had a hairline crack going down the inside. Make sure you inspect it if you plan to reuse. If you get a new one, you'll have to have it balanced with the crank and flywheel.

[old-tank]

10 hours ago, Beemon said:

Make sure you inspect it if you plan to reuse.

One more time:  clean, inspect, restore, refurbish or replace parts as you take them off; then store them.  This saves so much time doing all this when reassembly starts and you are not searching for parts at this time.  But then what do I know?

[Sean Batiz]

Old-Tank, seems like sound advice! I wish someone would’ve told me this over 40 years ago! Oh and, like I mentioned some time ago, Kosage, you’ll be VERY WISE in obtaining/acquiring your very own solvent wash-bay and bead-blaster! You’ll be spending many countless hours on getting those parts all cleaned up. I suppose that one of the key elements that anyone considering the challenge of restoring a classic car, is SPACE & patience!

[Kosage Chavis]

15 hours ago, Beemon said:

On my original 322, the balancer had a hairline crack going down the inside. Make sure you inspect it if you plan to reuse. If you get a new one, you'll have to have it balanced with the crank and flywheel.

Thank you Ben.  I will make a note of that.

 

5 hours ago, old-tank said:

One more time:  clean, inspect, restore, refurbish or replace parts as you take them off; then store them.  This saves so much time doing all this when reassembly starts and you are not searching for parts at this time.  But then what do I know?

You know more about this process than I probably will ever know Mr Willie.  However, given my circumstances, this is the best method I can come up with in term of order of operations.

 

1 hour ago, Sean Batiz said:

Old-Tank, seems like sound advice! I wish someone would’ve told me this over 40 years ago! Oh and, like I mentioned some time ago, Kosage, you’ll be VERY WISE in obtaining/acquiring your very own solvent wash-bay and bead-blaster! You’ll be spending many countless hours on getting those parts all cleaned up. I suppose that one of the key elements that anyone considering the challenge of restoring a classic car, is SPACE & patience!

Sean, I do plan on getting both of these items at some point.  A garage comes first though.  Got to get the car out of the weather.

[Kosage Chavis]

Got this in the mail today.  A battery hold down bracket...compliments of Mr Spencer.It is solid.  I will just need to repair one of the metal straps.

[avgwarhawk]

18 hours ago, Sean Batiz said:

 I suppose that one of the key elements that anyone considering the challenge of restoring a classic car, is SPACE & patience!

 

And money. Lots of it. 

[Sean Batiz]

For me, it’s been small amounts of dough spent, MANY MANY COUNTLESS TIMES over the years. I really try not to ever think about how much in total that I’ve spent in total thus far; and to think that my Buick is still only in about the exact same state as Kosage’s Buick currently is in!