Diving Off the Deep End: My 1956 Buick Project

Get the shop manual! The rockers are toast I'd bet, disassemble them and look for scoring where the rocker rides on the shaft. Ive never seen a set that wasn't rebuilt that didn't need rebuilt trash them and get the aluminium sets off a 401 they will need to be rebuilt also if not already done but they have a larger ratio for more lift.
Use Crane valve springs part # 99891-16 they are good to .475 lift on a 322 and will rev more before float.
The gears are an H patern, pull to you and up reverse, to you and down first, away from you and up second, away from you and down third, in the center of the H is neutral.
12 volt system


Do I need to replace the springs? Would just de-rusting them be enough?

Again with my ignorance, on the front of the engine the bottom pulley is the one that would turn the crankshaft if turned, correct? How hard should it be to turn it, just reaching down past the fan I can't turn it by hand, should I be able to?

To try and turn it over with a wrench do I need to remove the radiator first?

How do you tell what gear your in? I cant see any indicators on the dashboard. Logically I would assume it would go Neutral -->1 -->2 -->Reverse, top to bottom, is this correct?

How is this for a shop manual: 1956 Buick Shop Manual

And the last I can think of right now is, is this a 12 volt or a 6 volt electrical system. I thought it would be 6 but I saw some stuff saying 12... Which is it?

Thanks,
Ryland[/QUOTE]

 

Get the shop manual! The rockers are toast I'd bet, disassemble them and look for scoring where the rocker rides on the shaft. Ive never seen a set that wasn't rebuilt that didn't need rebuilt trash them and get the aluminium sets off a 401 they will need to be rebuilt also if not already done but they have a larger ratio for more lift.
Use Crane valve springs part # 99891-16 they are good to .475 lift on a 322 and will rev more before float.
The gears are an H patern, pull to you and up reverse, to you and down first, away from you and up second, away from you and down third, in the center of the H is neutral.
12 volt system


Do I need to replace the springs? Would just de-rusting them be enough?

Again with my ignorance, on the front of the engine the bottom pulley is the one that would turn the crankshaft if turned, correct? How hard should it be to turn it, just reaching down past the fan I can't turn it by hand, should I be able to?

To try and turn it over with a wrench do I need to remove the radiator first?

How do you tell what gear your in? I cant see any indicators on the dashboard. Logically I would assume it would go Neutral -->1 -->2 -->Reverse, top to bottom, is this correct?

How is this for a shop manual: 1956 Buick Shop Manual

And the last I can think of right now is, is this a 12 volt or a 6 volt electrical system. I thought it would be 6 but I saw some stuff saying 12... Which is it?

Thanks,
Ryland[/QUOTE]

 

I've gutted my share of rusty engines. Most had no rust below the rings. I pull the heads, run a ridge reamer to cut off the little lip at the top of the cylinder where the rings come up to, stop, and go back down if it's bad enough. sometimes you can feel it but it wont stop the pistom from coming out. The rings hang up on it when you try to pull the piston out the top of the block if the ridge is bad.
So anyway I'll clean the cylinders out and work off the surface rust from the cylinder walls by hand with some 180 grit Emory cloth. Then I lube the cylinders with Marvell's let it soak a bit and pull the rod cap for that piston. and tap it out with a hammer and a piece of wood against the bottom of the rod or the piston. do not let anything touch the crank but the soft side of a bearing.
as the pistons come out it will get easier and easier to turn the crank and pull the pistons you couldn't get to at first. Don't try doing them all unless it looks like you can pull the crank without dropping the pistons. I've ended up with pistons shoved partways out the bores and in a place where the rod jammed the crank from turning and I had to torch the rod because it wouldn't cogo back. Some engines will let you pull the crank before the rods, others won't.

 

here's a few buick sites with lots of info.

www.v8buick.com
www.buicks.net

some buick parts sources

www.buickfarm.com
www.buickpartsdirectory.com
www.buick-parts.com
www.classicbuicks.com
www.weatherstripspecial.com

 

Before I touch anything on the car, I would take some time and figure out what you have and what you need to do, decode the data plate, identify what engine and trans you have, figure out what pieces you need. Make a list of everything. Break it down into small components. Figure out where you need to start,and the steps you need to take to complete that task. TAKE PICTURES!! You will always find that you need extra tools, parts, etc.. Just don't get to a point where you have everything taken apart, and you don't remember how it goes back together. Last but not least Ask Questions!! There are a lot of people on here that know there shit, and will help you out.
http://www.teambuick.com/reference/years/56.shtml

 

1956 Century wagon, 8,160 built; 322 ci motor with 4bbl carb, rated 255 HP. Dynaflow was $204 extra over the $3,256 price.

Motor looks bad enough to me I'd be pulling heads off it, it's had water or mice in the rocker arms.

 

Ryland,
Congratulations on the car! I hope you enjoy the project. It sounds like youth and ambition are your greatest assets. It's a great starting point, I hope your determination holds out. It's skill building time. Others have given you good advice about taking pictures and bagging and tagging your parts. Make drawings of components disassembly it'll help alot when you start assembling the pieces again. Don't get discouraged it takes time and effort to learn. Good luck

 

The guys over at Team Buick agreed that it does indeed have a 3spd manual transmission.

I tried pulling the spark plugs but I couldn't get them to budge. I tried using a Briggs and Stratton spark plug wrench that is basically a piece of pipe that the end has re-shaped into a hex but the handle on it just broke off when I tried using an improvised breaker bar with it. So I went out and bought a socket of the correct size but its too thick to fit down around the plug. Its long enough but just doesn't clear on the sides. Is there another socket I should buy or should I just turn down the one I have so it fits?

Thanks,
Ryland

 

If you can safely turn down the socket you have, give it a try. Don't take any more off than you have to, to fit around the sparkplug. It sounds like you need some tools! Sears is where I started, 35 years ago. I was 16, so not much younger than you. They offer decent tools for a fair price with lifetime replacement.

You've gotten some good advise on getting started. You won't be able to turn that crank pulley with ANY of the sparkplugs in place. As has been mentioned, remove each plug pour in Marvel Mystery Oil, screw the plug back in to keep out dirt, moisture and falling parts, like nuts and small screws. I'd advise not just draining the oil. While the pan is empty remove it! When motors sit and go through repeated hot and cold weather, they sweat. All of the sludge, cast-iron particals from inside the block and condensed moisture will slide down into the oil-pan. Draining will remove most of it, but you will find that the pan has a ring of crud stuck to it where the varying fluid lines have ebbed and flowed. This junk will ruin a motor if not removed before trying to start it. Reinstall the oilpan with a new gasket/sealant.

I'd try to find somebody mechanical who would allow you to hang-out and learn with. You need a mentor/advisor who has actually done this kind of thing before, either for a living or as a serious home builder.

Good luck, on your project, don't get discouraged, and ask lots of questions here, we can help!

Dan Stevens
dba, Steelsmith

 

Cool car. Good luck!

What can I add to what others have said. . .

Get safety glasses. Rust flakes come off everything and you will not like the way they are removed from your eye. My wife gets to help with that at her job - someone holds the patient's head while they drill out the metal. Really.

Tell friends and family that you need tools. Birthday, holiday, any other gift giving time that's what you want. Bit by bit you will get a nice tool collection. Also, watch the online deal sites for sales at Sears. Join the Craftsman Club for extra discounts.

In addition to the factory manual, look for old Motor Manuals or similar books. They sometimes give a different way of doing things. Don't be afraid to read the parts that don't match your vehicle, as you still get ideas on how things work. Mostly, _read_ - everything you can get your hands on. It all helps.

You may not be ready to install a complete new wirign harness, but Painless does have all their manuals on line, again these are good things to read.

Ed

 

get some maap gas and beeswax then heat those plugs up apply some beeswax then let them cool that should break them loose.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=376474

Some more info for ya! This is the link from when I was askin about the car. Good luck to you!!!

 

Growing up my parents drove a red and white 55 Buick Special. They bought it new and kept it till it was traded in on a new 65 Buick wagon. Dad's car was a 63 Wildcat and mom drove the wagon. Thanks for posting the cool pics of the old Buick.

 

Can you give me a little more information on this, how hot should I heat it? Should I focus on the plug itself or circle around it? How much wax? Will regular candle wax bee fine or should I get some real pure bees wax? Do I need maap or will propane work?

Thanks,
Ryland

 

I got two of the plugs out. Is it bad that when I pulled the second plug water ran out? Is there any hope of saving it without a complete re-build?

Thanks,
Ryland

 

So far i've been able to pull 5 plugs. The others have a lot of stuff accumulated around them, I have tried vacuuming it out and picking at it with a wire. I've also soaked them in PB blaster. Any tips on how to get the rest of the crud out?

None of the other cylinders have had any water come out of them.

Should I pull the head? If so, how? Is it just removing the 8 bolts on each side?

Here are some pictures (Click To Enlarge):

Turning the socket down:


First plug out:


A close up of the first plug:


The liquid in the second cylinder:


Pulled the other valve cover, doesn't look as bad on this side:



One of the plugs I cant get the socket around:


How does it look? Any comments, suggestions, or criticisms welcome.

Thanks,
Ryland

 

It is definately not good, the computer I am on, will not show photos associated with PhotoBucket(work Comp).
so I can not see the pictures.
but, It is not good to have water come out of the cylinder!
Pull the heads, you might get lucky just doing a top end rebuild, but I doubt it, because it has been sitting for so long.
I would pull it and do a total rebuild!

 

A full re-build for this motor would be way out of my budget. If it is bad I'll just buy another one in better condition.

Thanks,
Ryland

 

Haven't read the whole thread yet. If no one has mentioned it, you might try The Steel Yard. In the past I have purchased a lot of stuff from there. http://www.thesteelyard.com/

Haven't been there in a while, so I don't know what they have currently.

 

Ok dude. Here's my two cents.

i know where youre coming from, im 19 years old and have had my 57 chevy 2 door hardtop since i was 12. So trust me i know EXACTLY what youre going through

Now i hate to say it but from what i see in the pictures that motor needs to be taken apart, CLEANED, probably re ringed new bearings and maybe even worse. I say this because that is a shit load of rust under those valve covers and the last thing you need is for your engine to be lubricated with rusty metal. and if its that bad up there its probably worse throughout.

but as for your question about turning it over, dont crank down too hard on the crankshaft bolt cuz last thing you want to do is snap that off. and now you have no way to turn it over in the car and youre screwed

what i suggest is buy a CASE of PB blaster penetrator and spray it all in the intake around the spark plugs, and if you could get the intake off spray it in the lifter valley and let it soak. you may dump a few cans just on that. and i would do this probably 3 or 4 times over the course of a day or two. try and pull all the spark plugs out do your best not to break them off. or else the machine shop will need visiting if you can get the heads off. once you do that spray MORE pb blaster in the cylinders like i said above with the rest of the motor. then once you do this a few times then try to turn the motor over by the crank. IF you cant get a breaker bar down to the harmonic balancer bolt then sure take out the radiator.(if you do thatyoure gonna probably have to spend some dough at the machine shop dealing with magnafluxing the block and heads, etc etc...

now pardon me for my next statement, but if you dont have a complete understanding on how engines work and ALL the parts in them, then dont touch it until you do. try howstuff works.com if you dont know. if you do then awesome!

But anyways. once you get it to turn over I would rip it out of the car and put it on a stand. make sure the stand u may get has four legs/ wheels cuz the 3 wheeled ones fall over and kill people and break stuff.

But once this fun shit is over with. I would wire brush the whole underside of the car (wire brush on drill) unlsee u have the cash to have someone sand/ soda blast the underside so you know what youre looking at (id just wirebrush) then do youre brakes as your step. and dont cheap out on this. Factory drum brakes are fine but dont go jumping around not replacing things. brakes save lives! so replace master cylinder, lines, wheel cylinders, springs, shoes everything. get them bled and you have brakes! once thats done. while building your brakes and all that fun stuff practice welding somewhere. dont learn on the exterior of your car youll regret it. weld some random shit together. or find a welder. then start doing floor pans and rockers etc.

and during all of this start tearing down your motor, depending on how it comes apart you may find it better to just go buy another motor to rebuild.

but once you have brakes, floor solid, and everythings kind of cleaned up. buy an EZ wiring setup, the sell some similar generic kits on ebay for like 150 bucks thats what i did. when the wires are all run. start considering putting in your motor or at least finish building it. Oh and replace your shocks too.!

oh and if its a 3 speed on the column i know Chevy's are all the way up and towards you is reverse, down and towards you is first, away from you and up is 2nd away from you and down is 3rd and in the middle is neutral. its still and H pattern just on the tree. its not just up and down.

this may have been too much info, sorry if it was! but if not feel free to contact me with anything else i could help you with. im on here constantly checking shit out but good luck!

pretty sick to know there are some other young guns out there into hot rodding.

and if you havent seen american grafitti, hollywood knights, HOT ROD 79', christine, or any other car movies look into it. Fast and the furious is gay. but the new and old gone in 60 seconds is cool shit too.

taking the body off is not necessary, in fact all that will do is discourage you and it will never get put back together. leave that for when your older. Piece it together as cheap as possible and youll be happier with a primed rat 56 buick driving around town than with a decent primed buick on a roticery for 6 years. drive em while youre young do that other crazy shit later on in life if you still have it.

im on the right with the blue jumpsuit

cant wait to hear back from you

-Nick-

 

oops. didnt see the 3rd page, guess i did post too much. uhm well you got the plugs out which is great! now just soak the cylinders down with pb blaster until it comes free.(drain the oil out first)
and im thinking there should be more than 8 bolts per head, SBC has 15 i think? but idk never ripped down a nail head so maybe. but yeah just pull all the bolts you can see under the cover out and the head should come free(once the intake is off, exhaust is unbolted etc.) also i would invest in a chiltons manual i think its 54-62. i have one but i use it sorry. maybe i could take pictures or scan pages if needed for you. shows you how to tear down and repair most parts of the engine and more importantly it supplies all the torque specs for building the motor back up.

my first motor i put in it was completely seized(with well over 6 quarts of water in the oil pan and coming out of the cylinders) and i did what i told you to do and not only did it run but it ran awesome! however it didnt look as bad as yours under the valve covers, but u may be able to squeeze by with some minimal head work.

dont get discouraged with an expensive rebuild either. ive got a 400 + horse small block chevy and i COMPLETELY built it for 1800 bucks(minus the tunnel ram and carbs but sbc's are a little cheaper to build. But if you REALLY want to drive the car quick. maybe a SBC is the way to go until you can afford to build the nail head.

 

That engine will need a full rebuild. Since this is going to take years on a small budget (accept it), I'd just start working on the chassis. Pull that body off, completely clean up the chassis, brakes, etc. As you wait for money for brake parts, you can start patching the body. Whenever money comes up dry, find things to do that don't cost money, just time. I'd save the motor for when you're ready.

 

Welp, you've bitten a bit bit to chew with this car. It can be rebuilt but it's gonna tax your patience and wallet. The buicks have a torque-tube rear axle with rear coil springs and a series of rear axle locating bars that will all need new bushings. All this stuff can be repaired and rebuilt but it's so much more complicated and expensive than doing the same job with a 56 ford or chevy.
I don't want to throw cold water on your enthusiam for this build but this car is really rusty and with the manual tranny it's gonna be hard to find parts. I've had a lot of experience with those old GM "selecta-shift" 6 [and 5 bolt] bolt-top-cover trannys and they were an old design from the late 30s/early 40s.....fragile and the 1st gear ratio is ungodly high...makes it tough to start out from a stop with a heavy car having high gears in the rear end...all stuff to make the car un-fun to drive after it's all finished.
If you absolutely HAVE to keep this particular car, I'd plan to swap in a later Buick nailhead from the mid 60s with a modern 400 turbo [1966 big cars make great donors]
and change the rear to a modern open drive rear axle. This will require you to change the rear suspension design to accomodate the newer open drive design.
Personally, I'd sell the car after cleaning it all up and you should be able to double your money without having to rebuild the mechanicals...take the money and buy a simpler car to build. Chevys and fords come to mind....Pontiacs are my favorites and Olds are also easy to find parts for too but stay away from any GM [except chevys] with a manual tranny made before 1958...bad design. Any 55 and later chevy car/pickup is a lot simpler and parts interchange all the way to present.
Sorry, man...just trying to introduce a little logic here.

 

If youre going to flip the car for profit, id still clean it up completely, paint the frame and firewall, maybe do brakes, fix the interior and get rid of it. i mean it is a four door. so idk its a four door! but like rocky said, you could easily dress this thing up and maybe even triple your money, but you have to keep in mind, the more you spend, the less you get back from it, within reason. but at the same time. 4 door or not its a cool ass ride

 

kid, I don't know you but man I'm proud of you!

I bought my first car, a 56 special estate wagon when I was 16! (I feel like an old timer.. "when I was your age....") I'm super stoked for ya man!! I've been through mine years ago, so I might be able to help if you have any questions..

 

I gotta throw in my "Damn, I'm proud that there's young fellas out there willing to tackle a project like this" comment. It is quite a bit to chew on, what with the condition of the car, but it would certainly be a nice ride once it's roadworthy and safe. Don't lose your enthusiasm, you're going to need lots of it. Good Luck!

I'm a Buick fan myself, with a nice original 1937 Special that is just a driver. I'm in the process of putting together a 263 straight 8 to replace the 248 currently in the car.

 

I just realized Hot Rod Deluxe November 2009 has a whole tech article on the Buick engine

 

While most of the advice that you guys have given has been solid, nobody has asked the kid a single question. So....

Before getting too stressed about whether the engine is or is not good, etc. why don't you tell us what it is you are trying to accomplish with the car. I know you have no budget, and that is completely fine and doesn't mean you can't build this car.

When do you want it to be done? What is done? Do you want it painted and on billet wheels, or are you willing to drive it looking roughly like it does now? Are you driving 100 miles per day in it, or is this your weekend toy?

Tell us a little bit about what you want it to be like when done, what you are going to do with it, and what your skills are. You say you have none, but you chocked the socket into a lathe and turned it down with no trouble. That is some skill. I've built too many cars to count, and I don't even own a lathe.

So, give me some answers and I'll bet we can give you some advice that gets you there on as little cash as possible. Your options depend on what you want to do with the car, and what parts you want stock or not.

 

good call bangshiftcad, he seemed very eager but on a small budget kind of like my self so i assumed he'd want it barely legal
I'd make it low and slow(probably the cheapest way out too), but you can go a couple of different ways im eager to see what his plans are

 

That was my point in asking the questions. As you can see in my Avatar, I like rough, low, and cool. My car is a '56 Bel Air Wagon channeled over a '94 Caprice 9C1 chassis and floors with a lot of Air Ride. It's not FAST, but it's quick, handles great, and is fun as hell. I also have a '66 Bel Air wagon and drove the '56 every day until I got the '66.

I don't care about pretty on these cars. If his wagon was mine and the budget was tight, I would look for a Buick 350/350 combo to put in it for cheap and then wait until later to do the Nailhead. I'd make the thing run and drive safely and for as little money as possible and then drive it while I worked on it. But that is me. We'll see what he says.