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new 1956 Super owner


ddiaz396

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finished rear axel restoration....sand blasted, wire wheel, oven cleaner and pressurized washer......waiting for torque seal and I will replace the differential gasket.Loosed three of the transmission bell housing( the one in the top in the driver side will be difficult)I will take a little time off.....been working hard!.

 

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finished rear axel restoration....sand blasted, wire wheel, oven cleaner and pressurized washer......waiting for torque seal and I will replace the differential gasket.Loosed three of the transmission bell housing( the one in the top in the driver side will be difficult)I will take a little time off.....been working hard!.

 

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This is the time to grease the splines on the driveshaft at the differential end. Mark the location of the two radius rods then remove the bolts at the differential. Then remove the bolts at the torque tube to differential. You also need to remove one end of the brake line. Then slide the torque tube forward enough that you can access the drive shaft. Slide the drive shaft off the pinion shaft, clean off the old grease, and then put some new wheelbearing grease on the splines and reassemble. 

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John, the torque tube at the differential have a gasket? I know the differential has a gasket.....I'm looking at my service manual and does't mention a gasket at the end of the torque tube at the differential..... I will follow your advise to grease the splines. Thanks, Daniel

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The manual says no gasket at the torque tube to carrier joint.  Further it says to disconnect the strut rods from the torque tube, not from the rear axle.   The manual shows disconnecting  the strut rods  at the torque tube and connecting the strut rids together under the torque tube by putting all the parts back together the way they came out.  At this point the assembly should be supported by one horse under the torque ball end of the tube, and two horses at the axle end. The two horses at the axle end would be parallel to the torque tube and run from the rear axle to the strut rod on each side of the assembly. I'm going to try and post a picture of that in a few moments. 

 

Do you have the manual?  I am looking at page 6-9, figure 6-9

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By the way, page 6-11 of the manual is where it says to pack the rear driveshaft spline with heavy wheel bearing grease, level with the "inner end of the splines."

 

Take excess care with this process, as the manual also says it's easy to bend the drive shaft while doing this process.  I'm sure they mean if the rear  axle carrier should slip and fall off a horse while the torque tube is disconnected from the axle carrier. 

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Thanks John, I got the pictures in the manual......I will follow the instructions....thanks for the advice about the brakes, Done!.Yesterday started to "practice"  with the bellhousing bolts and I managed to loose three of them...the one at the top in the driver side looks difficult....maybe when I will drop the transmission it will tilt a little?. I purchased a book about "rebuilding Dynaflow transmission"(also is a video in Youtube, of a 1955 rebuilt transmission instructions)....I'm thinking about open the extra transmission and start to learn the rebuilding process(very careful!)do you think this is easy....how you rebuild a Dynaflow before? Nothing to loose..... Daniel

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I have not rebuilt a dynaflow or any other type of transmission myself.  But if I had a spare one or two now I would certainly open one up to try. 

A good friend who did do this work once told me that the tube the converter rides on is the main part they found subject to wear. He said that he would weld extra metal on the tube and then turn it down to size on a lathe. Now this was told to me a long time ago and maybe I remember it wrong? But for me it points out that the inspection process must be thorough.  With no experienced teacher by your side the first time, one just has to make sure you will be putting serviceable parts in the unit.  

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2 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

I have not rebuilt a dynaflow or any other type of transmission myself.  But if I had a spare one or two now I would certainly open one up to try. 

A good friend who did do this work once told me that the tube the converter rides on is the main part they found subject to wear. He said that he would weld extra metal on the tube and then turn it down to size on a lathe. Now this was told to me a long time ago and maybe I remember it wrong? But for me it points out that the inspection process must be thorough.  With no experienced teacher by your side the first time, one just has to make sure you will be putting serviceable parts in the unit.  

Before taking a Dynaflow apart it is best to do a function test in a running car, followed by doing the pressure tests as outlined in the service manual.  Then with a service manual for YOUR car, follow it closely.  BUT if the transmission was ever worked on before there may be surprises like parts from different years mixed and incorrect assembly and without experience you may miss those changes.

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Thanks to JohnD1956 advise and help I removed the torque tube and grease the splines at the differential, wired wheel, sandblasted "rust converted" and painted. The rear axel looks like new!! Did same thing with springs, shocks absorbers and brackets. Took some pictures in case somebody else need this information.

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Today I received the "stop leak" torque kit (I'm waiting for the transmission front seal). With the kit are included two "o" rubber rings....Those are not for my 1956 Buick Super , correct? Also included is a gasket for the front tube torque.....I didn't have one in my car....I guess is an upgrade, right? Thanks 

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Just for the record.....35 years ago(October 1982) a young me was arriving to Fl from Argentina,to work, with a visa for a year, at the Mexican pavilion in Epcot Center, Walt Disney World. one day, driving across Orlando, I saw "Danny"!!(that's the name, my wife, Janice{remember about her} gave to the 1956 Buick Super) after an inspection and $2200 less(we didn't have a lot of money at that time!) we drove the car away. We were very happy!! our first car in USA.....after my visa was over they(Disney) offered me a job, as a manager, at the French Pavilion in the restaurant Chefs De France, were I worked all this time until retired in 2015,after 5 years (1987)dating Janice (she is from England and  also was working in a year visa at the United Kingdom Pavilion) and I got married !! we kept the car all this years and now that's the car I'm restoring.....that's what I call "sentimental value". The pictures showed how the car look in 1982. We got to know each other for a "mouse"(Mickey Mouse that is!!).Daniel

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Great story Daniel.  Fun fact, my first 56 , the Roadmaster, was the same grey 4 dr sedan, only mine had a maroon roof.  Right after marrying my sweetheart I got my current 56 and I've kept it all these years, since 1975.

 

Hope you get your car done soon so you and Janice can have some more happy days traveling in it!

Edited by JohnD1956 (see edit history)
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Coco is very tired!!! She been working with me all day.....yesterday(before I got sick with a cold) I replaced the transmission in my car....Itook the spare transmission to rebuild, and the mechanic told me that the transmission looks like new......he will rebuild it for $1500 and them he told me " if was me, I will put this transmission in the car....if it doesn't work, then I will rebuild it, this transmission look like new".......so I took the spare transmission back home and installed it.....tomorrow, when I feell better I will finish the job. I hope Ididn,t make a mistake and the transmission, like he said, is good(he been working in dynaflow transmission for a long time)....anyway, is done....this weekend I will try it....need to reconnect shocks, brake line and linkage. Wish me luck!!

PS. He told me" if something goes wrong ,since you have pulled the transmission once...the second time is very easy....but you could save $1500....."

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If you noted in the picture, the original transmission that was in the car, not working in reverse, has the old seal in the retainer.....that was one of the reasons that they changed for a new seal already glued in place(see picture of the kit I purchased). When I looked in the spare transmission, not only the fluid, screen pickup filter and the bottom of the transmission pan were clean but the retainer  already had the new type of seal installed(I didn't use the one purchased)(I did used the new gasket!!)......somebody, recently, rebuilt or worked on the transmission. Anyway, almost finished.....only need to replace the fluid and tomorrow morning will try the transmission.

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Edited by ddiaz396
wrong part description (see edit history)
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Well , good news and some bad news....... god news is that transmission is working! run the car a few minutes to warm it up and try shifting from parking to drive to low to reverse and works fine....but(always something!) the transmission is leaking...not a lot, but leak. I suspect that the cause is the seal at the torque ball or the retainer...anyway will have to do!! I can live with it( I will not do all that work again....at least no just now). Also (don't know how is call) the little plastic at the brake pedal and power brake rod broke ( I glued with "weld it" but...) . Can one buy a new one?.Tomorrow i will use some "Stop transmission leak" staff.....will see

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I would not put the stop leak in there.  I would run it every day for 20 minutes or so and see if the leak stops on it's own after about a week or two.

Indications are, you did not use the new Torque Ball Seal.  But you did install the new Driveshaft Seal in the transmission end of the torque tube, right?

If not, monitor the rear axle end of the torque tube for transmission fluid leaking.  If you find any, you will need to go back and pull that rear axle out again to drain the torque tube.  It is not a good idea to drive the car with the drive shaft sitting in trans fluid.

If you need to pull the rear axle again, at that point you could install the new torque ball seal.  The transmission can stay in the car for that operation. 

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I concur with old-tank, many times they need some use and then they'll stop leaking (mostly). If it gets worse, then you will have no choice but to tear it down again.

I was also told that the modern fluid is a lower viscosity than the fluid which was used when these cars were new, so they tend to leak more. I don't know if this is true or not, perhaps a more knowledgeable person can add to this.

Keith

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Big day tomorrow, I finished the fuel line today, but it was a little late....I didn't want to have a fuel leak in the dark.....so tomorrow morning I will drive the car, for first time in a long time....I can wait!!. The car is in four wheels....in the ground!. Check brakes, power steering fluid, radiator level, oil, differential fluid...so far, no leaks (I put the rear wheels up in a ramp and the nose pointing down....I read in some place than that will help stop the transmission leak...will see tomorrow if this will work). I started to organize and sort the parts for the reassembly(noticed the clock....sometime ago the clock stopped a 3.00) . This job is the fun part! I will do as JohnD1956, old-tank and Buicknutty advice....I will drive the car for a few weeks to see if the leak stop, if not.....well will see then. Thanks everybody for the help and share of experience and knowledge. Daniel

PS if you were in Fl, you could get some of my organic strawberries or tomatoes.....sorry

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Good news....transmission works fine!!....after filling the fuel tank(found small leak on the line but I fixed) the car was running smooth....i used the car for about 30 minutes....brakes need adjustment....but oil pressure was good and temperature was normal....after the run , stopped the car in a clean area to see if there are any leaks.....so far so good. Also parking the car with the rear wheel up in a ramp and nose down really minimized the leak when parked. 

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No, no show car......I decided to go "original as is"....I will preserve what can be preserve and fix what I can't....I regret had painted the engine so shiny...I will respect his personality as much I can..... he will be a good driver!! the new trend  of keeping the car as original"barn find" is what I'm looking for....of course the paint , the seats, carpet, new tires, battery need to be done new....but the rest I will save as much originality as I can(that it's not much left). Thanks for the advice old-tank....I will look into group 31......searching the computer I found that group 27 will do fine (Walmart XXX) 

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Group 27 is a good choice and I have used those in the past, but the original hold down if present will not fit right.  But those truck/tractor batteries have lasted longer than anything I have ever used (6 to 8+ years) and it is good thing because those things are very heavy!

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My "gosh" .....what nasty job.....worked all day to just finished one part of the front seat. Tomorrow I will finish the bottom part. Started to put the fenders back in the car. Found an Exide battery in Tractor Supply for $99, group 31 for heavy duty truck.

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3 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

Follow Willies advice. Group 31. Got mine at Napa. Fits the spot and has extra cca.  I am not a fan of the batteries at Walmart. Prior experience showed they only lasted a year. 

 

I'm surprised, I could only find Group 27 batteries at NAPA. Do you have a part # by chance?

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3 hours ago, JohnD1956 said:

Follow Willies advice. Group 31. Got mine at Napa. Fits the spot and has extra cca.  I am not a fan of the batteries at Walmart. Prior experience showed they only lasted a year. 

 

I'm surprised, I could only find Group 27 batteries at NAPA. Do you have a part # by chance?

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