1955 Buick general questions

[Kosage Chavis]

Is there anything special you need to do or look out for when removing a Carter 4 barrel carburetor?  Thank you.

[old-tank]

1 hour ago, Kosage Chavis said:

Is there anything special you need to do or look out for when removing a Carter 4 barrel carburetor?  Thank you.

Not really, just be sure to retain the nuts holding the carb to the manifold (hard to find 5/16-24 with 7/16 head with internal star washers)

[Beemon]

On 9/15/2019 at 1:56 PM, old-tank said:

Not really, just be sure to retain the nuts holding the carb to the manifold (hard to find 5/16-24 with 7/16 head with internal star washers)

 

They came with special nuts? I've just been using nut, lock washer and washer combo.

[old-tank]

11 hours ago, Beemon said:

On 9/15/2019 at 3:56 PM, old-tank said:

Not really, just be sure to retain the nuts holding the carb to the manifold (hard to find 5/16-24 with 7/16 head with internal star washers)

 

They came with special nuts? I've just been using nut, lock washer and washer combo

On 55 for sure, yours may be different.  Check your carbs for marks from the star washers.

[Kosage Chavis]

Anything important or special that I need to know when removing the engine and transmission from the car?

[old-tank]

Service manual  + just do it and learn as you go.  Easy to pull engine and tranny together with the front end parts off.  Leaving the engine and tranny together is easier to store until you get around to working on them.

[JohnD1956]

Disconnect the torque converter from the flywheel plate first, while the engine is in the car.  Provides more space for the process and saves you from having to roll it around later on to get those bolts out.    

 

And by way of space savings, if you are going to pull them together as a unit, make sure you have a space out of the way.  A long space.  Otherwise for storage challenged locations it may be more convenient to separate them now, rather than afterwards.  

[Beemon]

If you separate them, you will have to get the car 36" off the ground to wheel the Dynaflow out with a tranny jack.

[Kosage Chavis]

The engine and transmission are ready to come out as one.  Any suggestions on where to mount the lifting chain.  It will be mounted at 2 points.  Thank you.

[Kosage Chavis]

17 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said:

The engine and transmission are ready to come out as one.  Any suggestions on where to mount the lifting chain.  It will be mounted at 2 points.  Thank you.

Anyone?

[old-tank]

Try the back of the engine...may have to move the points to adjust.  Just do it!

[Bloo]

7 hours ago, Kosage Chavis said:

Anyone?

 

I held back on this because I thought you would get pages of responses from people who have pulled this exact engine and trans. I haven't.

 

The traditional way to pull a v8 engine is with a piece of heavy chain strung across the engine from an intake manifold bolt on one side of the engine at the rear, diagonally, to another at the front of the engine on the opposite side. Use big fender washers so the bolts cant pull through the chain, and no iffy bolts. Get grade 8 if theres any doubt.

 

Remove anything that could hit the chain when the engine tilts, or hit on the car, like carb, distributor, coil, etc. Hook the lower hook of the engine hoist, gantry crane, comealong, chain hoist, or whatever you are using to the chain that is across the top of the motor. Put bolts through the chain so theres no way the hook can slip! You will need to deliberately unbalance it so that the front of the engine comes up.

 

One or 2 links forward is probably about right if it were just the engine. Since there is a trans too, you might need to go a little further back than that. Maybe not. You will just have to find a spot that makes the tail drop the right amount. It probably needs to drop a lot.

 

Get the car up in the air a bit because the tail will come down, but you will need to be able to lower the car when it is partway out, and roll it back. You might have to lift a bit on the tail by hand to swing it over the core support.

 

Devices exist that have a screw and a crank to balance the engine, and save you from trying different links and re-bolting the pulling chain. I don't know what they are called. A plain chain was more common back in the day, but less convenient.

 

Don't even try to do this by yourself. Two people is the minimum. You need at least one friend who can follow instructions. Three people total is safer but slightly more annoying. Four is probably too many.

 

Have fun!

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Bloo (see edit history)

[old-tank]

54 minutes ago, Bloo said:

Don't even try to do this by yourself

Never did it any other way😀.

[Bhigdog]

9 hours ago, old-tank said:

Never did it any other way😀.

 

Roger that.......bob

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

9 hours ago, old-tank said:

Never did it any other way😀.

 

 Me too. But then, I AM from Missouri.

 

  Ben

[Kosage Chavis]

I attempted to remove the engine and transmission today with no luck.  Turns out that it is much harder to separate the torque tube from the transmission by pulling on the engine from the front.  Matt told me I should separate by pulling back on the rear end.  Is there any post on here that has some photos of this process?  Thank you.

[old-tank]

Rocket science secret:  come-along from axle to rear frame.

[JohnD1956]

Don't the rear shock links and panhard bar  have to be removed before the come-along trick? 

[old-tank]

4 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said:

Don't the rear shock links and panhard bar  have to be removed before the come-along trick? 

not unless you are going to remove the rear end.  in this case you're just stabilizing it so you can pull from the front

[JohnD1956]

@old-tankGot-cha! 

Thanks.

[Kosage Chavis]

Anything special I need to know when separating a dynaflow from a 322 nailhead?  Thank you.

[Kosage Chavis]

Anyone know of the specific tool that removes these huge Phillips head bolts?

[old-tank]

"hammer impact driver" with appropriate bit.

[2carb40]

"plumbers torch" small pointed flame, high heat. Large phillipes bit.  Flutes on tip broke right off.

[JohnD1956]

I used a #3 phillips head bit with a 1/4 socket on a ratchet driver.  I have a 3/8" breaker bar and 1/4 inch six point socket.  Strike the back of the breaker bar drive head while loosening with a decent sized hammer.  That helps keep the point deeply embedded while the shock waves help to break the grip of the rust. 

[Kosage Chavis]

Trying to remove the steering shaft from the steering gear.  I read the manual, but it's not clear.  What did I miss?  Looks like it wants to come out, but still stuck on something.Thank you.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Kosage Chavis (see edit history)

[JohnD1956]

In 55 the steering shaft is directly connected to the steering gear.  You have to remove the column from the steering shaft and I thought the shaft had to stay with the steering gear..  

[2carb40]

1 hour ago, Kosage Chavis said:

Trying to remove the steering shaft from the steering gear.  I read the manual, but it's not clear.  What did I miss?  Looks like it wants to come out, but still stuck on something.Thank you.

Suggest you bolt that back together, (if it will), and unbolt the sector from frame! When you pull steering wheel, column will come out of firewall/cowl when sector is loose from frame. In the field I take the steering arms loose from brake backing plate, unbolt idler arm from frame and take the whole works out the front. Suggest lifting help to maneuver assy. Pitman arm puller removes it from bottom of sector and makes two less difficult assemblies to wrangle. Couple methods to use. Carefull not to "strain your stuff", none of it light! Good luck!

[EmTee]

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/BK_7769059?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=422aa17e8821ce9642bc02b0e59141f51e699b74-1620561432-0-AZjpTsNpJPqlIrSmTxiKaZt1q9XEMpmFzX-GQBJWfO1RmZJ9zECiVJG7CXc2kobRopUzhP0onBj8c8OufbCGb_9IrL6QSHP8Z4JpsDKK_iPtvXThPc9TCvP1DbmhUbrQBeaDp1ho4Xj12_3k7GgV6Rz3Qj4zeXaiAuk6XsJPSI6vL8JlTxlW35zLF2Sxxkoc0nB6alI0awJ1F_JA-JVdtLhk0N89eAHRpOde6iHlgsv0bnk1FSy11SqnRRdKextsx4T-MSF7-sPVQcjsrRr2eQI5S0l6nfAj4lSuNL9WkGtYEUhOgS-y2c2Xup2rFpzSibjEb4D9Pv4oKCPaMUHS27ewIM0maY5tkzEQVnO3AVdCCcXzsexyPkBPXU62AqEE_SyvdHZGuQFgm5nOza2VI2idH3DVd5t35UXoIQApAX3OOv136mrdxGHo3UGgaSEsFBBh4ueJTcwzhLW3kibpfGRXP9qGCHU6TXA3qQr6CDQ2

 

[KAD36]

On 5/6/2021 at 7:39 PM, JohnD1956 said:

In 55 the steering shaft is directly connected to the steering gear.  You have to remove the column from the steering shaft and I thought the shaft had to stay with the steering gear..  

Yeah the shaft stays with the gear. Easier in 56 with a rag joint. Get the steering wheel and all that jazz off the interior.  If you’re just trying to pull the gear as a unit put that thing back together from your prior photo and pull the pitman arm and unbolt the gear from the frame. I can’t recall off the top of my head where the steering column (jacket) loosens from the gear - think it is that clamp in your photo just to the left of the wires.  Take off the column clamp under the dash.  Get your beer muscles warmed up, and lift the gear straight up so the column tips down in the interior and pull it out of the column.  When you are ready to put it back in a 2x4 on blankets on the fenders with the gear hanging from a rope helps if you are solo trying to get it back into the column.  Went through this 3 times, once for the money and twice fixing lessons from the school of hard knocks (horn connection).

 

On the Phillips head screws, mine were just about stripped after failed attempts with biggest screwdriver in my shop.  That tool Emtee shows above worked great to shock it loose, and then go to Harbor Freight and get one of these, put an adjustable wrench around the shaft, push in on the end with everything you got to keep it seated and it will work its way out.  Trying to recall where I got the new screws from, may have been on a tri-five site.  Good luck.

 

** Check out Danchuck 55-57 Chev door hinge to pillar screw set item 970

Edited May 9, 2021 by KAD36 (see edit history)