Technical 354 Hemi is Seized

Hello all,
I have a 1956 354 Hemi Firepower with a torque flite behind it. When I first got the car it came in I thought that the engine was seized. My father and I put some marvel mystery oil down the cylinders, let that drain down, and then put some diesel and atf mixture down em too. It has been sitting like this for the past month and a half, with refreshments every couple of days. So we believe that the hemi should be unseized. I found some old Chrysler film that said the engine wouldn't turn if the transmission wasn't in neutral. Since the car is dead essentially, and the transmission can't shift could that be why my engine doesn't turn? When I got it the shifter (which is electric) had all it's ****ons raised, which is why we aren't sure if it's in any gear. The driveshaft is hooked up, and the wheels turn. Do you all think that the reason my hemi won't turn is because of the torqueflite or that it is seized?

Thanks,
Oliver

 

How are you trying to spin the engine over?

 

Shifter is not electric, it's cable activated. And it's likely your car is actually a Powerflite (2-speed) since only a handful of Imperials and 300s got the Torqueflite in the very last months of 1956 Production.

If the car rolls, then the transmission is in neutral. Are you trying to crank it over with a breaker-bar on the crankshaft nut? Or by turning the key?

 

We have been using the crankshaft bolt and a breaker bar. The car doesn't have a starter.

I heard that the three speed is rare in an Imperial. I have one with the powerflite, and the one I'm working on is the fully loaded car from late 56.

 

I believe all late built 1956 Imperials got the Torqueflite, and I'd say roughly 15% of the cars surviving today have the 3-speed transmission. It's far more rare on the Chrysler 300B.

So I'd recommend unbolting the driveshaft, that way if the transmission is seized or locked in-gear, you can still turn the motor over without fighting the rolling resistance of the car. Also, is the emergency brake released? That's on the tailshaft of the transmission and would also prevent it from turning easily.

But ultimately, these cars very rarely are stored/parked in gear, are you able to cycle the push****ons? Or are they all equally stiff and rusted?

 

A bore scope from Harbor Freight would allow you to look in all the cylinders to confirm what the bores are like.

 

With the starter removed try turning the motor reverse rotation with a pry bar in the ring gear. Better leverage and if something is lodged causing it not to turn, by going backwards will let it release to some degree. Think rod against the block or valve into a piston.

 

MOST people forget about wrist pins !!

Years back, I watched a single seized wrist pin bring down new 460" Chevy from about 3000rpm to zero in just a few minutes.

I also took apart a friends 396 that had been sitting, in a "barn" for 3 or 4 years. I could not turn the crank. By the time I finally got it apart, three wrist pins had seized in their pistons.

NO...amount of Marvel Mystery oil or other concoction will release a seized wrist pin !
Hmm, maybe dip the entire engine in a 500 gal. vat of trans. oil !!?

Mike

 

Whether you have a Powerflite or Torqueflite, the torque converter should allow the crankshaft to turn regardless of the transmission condition.

I have a 1954 Chrysler with Powerflite and let it sit for some time before trying to turn it over. When I tried to turn using the crank bolt and a breaker bar I could not turn, so I extended the breaker bar using a hollow tube of 3 feet or so in length. I could then turn the engine over. It is still quite tight, but I am going to pull the plugs and drown the cylinders with Marvel Mystery Oil. I am confident that doing this will allow the engine to free up enough to crank with starter.

As far as the wrist or piston pins seizing, there is a way of drowning them in a loosening concoction. Put the (removed) engine in an old tub or something (upside down) and remove the oil pan. You can then squirt the concoction directly on to the rods, pins, and pistons. You may also try to disconnect the rods from crank and tap the inside of piston with rod and hammer. You can also use an impact hammer to loosen up pistons from cylinder walls.

Good luck.

 

All of the EarlyHemi engines have floating pins so that would be less of a concern.
As many have suggested, start checking from the back end; remove the drive shaft and free up the parking brake. The engine will be able to turn even if the trans is in gear. Still not moving? then, as noted, use the ring gear to pry on, just be cautious so you don't damage any teeth. Yes, replacement rings are available.
If you plan on rebuilding the engine then it might be easier to work with out of the car. You can separate the ***embly and the trans can be left in the car.
If the engine cannot be made to spin then removing the converter will be a challenge but not impossible.

 

Transmission can be removed from converter and engine, since it is coupled with a sleeve. Getting the torque converter off the crank could be an issue. I would start with removing the bell housing if possible. Then it might be possible to get to torque converter to flex plate bolts.or nuts.

 

That's one of the most optimistic statements I've ever read.

pull the heads, you'll probably see immediately why it's not turning.

 

Watch how you remove the heads. Those are heavy! Use a cherry picker or get an ***istant to help.

 

If it's anything like an FE cast iron intake or heavier, then yeah... Get someone to help ya!

 

...68 lbs empty.......

 

It's funny, we had both heads off and on this one 3 times in 4 hrs. I don't remember them being that heavy, but that was 37 years ago !

 

An fe intake weighs about the same... Ask me how I know...

 

Iron BBC heads are 75. Seems like normal weight for a cylinder head, to me.

 

I remember the first hemi head I ever pulled. I was an apprentice, had removed all the bolts, leaned over the fender...
Grabbed the head, cleared the dowels. Then did an almost complete swan dive down the inner fender panel.
My boss pulled me out, and I didn't let go of the head.

 

I was 16, pulled an FE intake, I had the same feeling.

 

Bought a seized 331, turned out the cam was locked solid.

 

Filling the entire crankcase is about the same as complete dip

 

The cylinder heads are much easier to remove on a dragster than in a 56 Imperial. The cylinder heads might only weigh 75lbs or so, but feel much heavier when lifting off the block when surrounded by fender, hood, etc.

 

Doing this kind of work, in the car and under the hood, will create a small but concentrated, spontaneous "gravity hot-spot"!

 

@squirrel this is the funniest post I’ve read in a long time.

 

If you have done all that you can from the outside to help it come back around and it hasn't cooperated, were it me, I would have the rockers off to make sure all the valves fully close. My next move would be to look and make sure all 8 Rods are connected like they are supposed to be.

 

Pull it out, strip it down.. takes all the guesswork out of it and may save you destroying something expensive. At best all it would cost you is a gasket set

 

This post, as well as Squirrels post above, make the most sense. Do it...you'll be glad you did.

Terry

 

Thank you all for your quick responses. The engine and transmission are for my 47 pickup, so I will be removing both of those soon. We were just hoping that we could get the engine turning while in the car, kind of using the car as a stand. My two other 331s are on the stands already as short blocks. Those heads were pretty heavy, so I don't even want to find out what it'd be like over a fender. I will be sure to keep you all updated on how the engine works out and what the culprit is.

Thanks,
Oliver