First off I am new to H.A.M.B. so I hope I am posting this in the correct area... if not please correct me.. I am doing a slow Build because of so many cars and kids I have lol... so I have a 1956 Buick Century it says Special on the outside of the car but I am not sure if that means its a special or not.. it has a 322 Nailhead V8 that had a 2bbl carb, I have picked up a 4bbl strongberg carb and intake that fits and slowly going through the motor, the engine turns over but the oil is just this thick tar so I am unsure the best way to remove the tar beside doing a full rebuild.. so any ideas besides a full rebuild would be nice... I thought of taking off the oil pan and valve covers and high pressure spraying it but the doesnt clear eveything ie p***ages also I would like to replace the old distributor with either a newer HEI or something electronic, but only dist. I see are either $$ 350 400 or so on.. so my question is was there any other Buick or make of car that can swap a newer year distributor into the 322??
If the engine hasn't been ran for a while, chances are that most all of the oil has drained into the pan. If it were mine, I would pull the pan, oil pump, valve covers and rocker arms and thoroughly clean them. Re-install all and reset the valves loose and refill with new oil and a cleaning agent such as Sea-Foam or even some diesel fuel and try to get it to run. I know that some disagree with running diesel fuel in the crank case but it's a trick that I learned from my father, he would run a cup with the oil prior to tearing down an engine for rebuild. It would help to remove the sludge. Can't help ya with the distributor.
Ran a 322 for a few years in a '56 long roof ,Use a Petronix conversion, works the balls, never had a breakdown If the fenders have only 3 portholes and has a 2Bbl it's usually a Special. While your degreasing the engine, change all the freeze plugs and clean out behind them, rust and sludge packs itself in the water jackets, kills the circulation. You'll go crazy trying to figure out why it's overheating later on
Well from what you just said its a special. And I look through vin and its a 4 so yah its a special. Was the special the lowest model?? Petronix do u have the web site? I think I found what you listed... so keep the OEM distributor and just put the petronix in it.. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Throw a Pertronix in it and save your money for rebuilding other parts like the carb, fuel pump, water pump or water ever else that will inevitably come up. Do everything you can to not take it apart too much before determining your end goal. What I mean is, if all you are wanting is to get this thing on the road and enjoy some miles behind the wheel of an old car, then follow the recommendations of running diesel, kerosene, ATF or whatever you choose and pull the pan & valve covers to properly evaluate the internals. A compression & leak down will give you some insight on the health of the engine too. Consider this your warning, Nailheads are spendy engines to go through. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!
I would like to get it running just to make sure it all works then start the process of rebuilding .... I have floors n body parts to weld but I just wanna see if it will run without dumping a lot of $$$ just to test it.. I'm finishing my 67 mustang and would like to start this project but!!! I've never played with a cl***ic Buick before so I'm very concerned with parts availability and aftermarket support.... I would like to keep the OEM look and feel. But used and new parts are a much higher price rang..... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Another thing i would say is get a rebuild kit for the oil pump there out there can't remember were i got mine but it is cheap insurance and they are ah little $$$ to rebuild
You must be careful about cleaning sludge. If you loosen it up and don't get it all out you can plug up the oil pump pickup and destroy the engine. 2 choices. Leave it alone but change the oil and filter, then when you get it running change it again every thousand miles. 2 or 3 changes will clean out most of the gook. Second choice, take the oil pan off and s****e it out. Take off the valve covers and s****e them out. Wire brush the sludge off the valve mechanism. Clean it all off with a shop vac and compressed air. Make sure the oil pump screen is clean. If you really want to do a complete job, the intake manifold has to come off so you can clean the lifter valley. It's up to you , but if you want the engine to live you can't do a half ***ed job. My choice is to leave things alone and do the oil changes.
I've pulled off the intake because I want to get to the inner parts but if I leave this sludge in there won't it clog the screen anyways.... and I didn't even think about a shop vac that's a nice idea... I'll post pics tomorrow Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Rusty is giving you good advise, i did what your about to do and lost an engine because i didn't drop the oil pan and clogged the oil pump
My rebuild started out similar to what you are about to embark on. While the valley pan is off, make sure to rotate the engine over multiple times and inspect the cam lobes. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If it runs ad doesn't overheat or smoke, just drive it. The sludge is pretty baked in place. Run it with half a quart of ATF mixed in the oil, change the oil frequently. When all the oil leaks drive you crazy, pull it and rebuild it.
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