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With no radio, no windshield wipers, no phone I decided to visit my cousin in Cloverdale, California. It took me 10 hours to get from Southern California to the San Francisco bay area. Next day 3 hours to get to Cloverdale. It was about 1156 miles (round trip). I'm going to figure out how much gas I used and see what my mileage was. The car drove like a champ. I don't like driving at night because I don't have dash lights - I don't have dash lights because I don't drive at night. Going across the Golden Gate bridge gave me chills. It was 1948, I was lost in dreams. At my cousins he took apart my WS wiper motor (and told me it's not a motor but we couldn't figure out what to call it). I am going to have wind shield wipers. I don't want to make a novel out of this but just wanted to say all the money I've put into that silly car was worth it.

Brrr. I'll watch from inside.

if the flared copper tubing does not have a nut on each end for connecting..then the slight flare is there to help prevent the rubber hose from sliding off..copper is a replacement line.

Moved the car to the painter house yesterday. The temperature outside was zero!!!!!!

The 265 will add quite a bit more power and torque. Manifolds will bolt right on it and you will get a full flow oil filter system too.. I'd carefully check it out first before buying it...no block cracks... no spun bearings ... Ask if it's a runner etc. If it's out of a car it will have a "Spitfire" name cast onto the head. Serial # on the block if a Chrysler engine will start out C52.../ C53... or C54.... I'd rebuild it before any 236 or 251 engine.

I put 3 point retractable belts in the front of my 40 sedan but couldn't make them work in the rear. I ended up using 3 point non-retractable for the rear seats, I would have used just plain lap belts back there but the missus insisted on 3 points for the kids. I got everything from www.seatbeltplanet.com they were good to deal with, reasonably priced and shipped fast. I also checked into http://www.seatbeltsplus.com/ but they didn't offer shipping to Canada. I think I posted about my install on my build thread but can't seem to find the page.

I believe I read in "The Restoration Bible" by Matt Joseph, Page 100, and I quote: "Balancing is very optional in Old Engines" "The simple fact is the Radial Thrusts generated by small imbalances in most engines are minor if those engines are low speed long stroke mills. Most older Engines fit squarely into those categories." in other words your wasting your money. He also goes on to say removing to much material from Connecting Rods Ribs or Pistons can actually cause catastrophic failure. Also mentioned on page 99 - "Balancing Long Stroke Old Engines is a Fruitless gesture". Please don't blame the messenger here, but I would tend to agree with Matt, because I have rebuilt these engines before and one can instantly see that tolerances left much to be desired on old flatheads back in the day. They tolerate about as much slop as one could imagine and still run good. They ain't racing engines. Tom Skinner

I know this other engine will need bored worded that wrong, couple of the cylinders are rusted I'm pretty sure it's factory bore hopefully .30 over will work for it. I also wish these blocks were as common as you guys say; that doesn't seem to be true around here there's only one on Craigslist near me it's a 265 for $500. It also doesn't help that people around here assume that anything old is worth thousands.

If your going to go to all the work to rebuild, a bore is 99% of the time a must, or you can suffer oil burning and power loss once warmed up, and in a big truck like that, you need all the help you can get likely. It's a bit more money in labour, but the parts are identical in price, and a bored engine is more of a gurantee. I didn't bore my block because it cleaned up so well, but in reality I was about .005 to .006 over the tolerances for stock parts, and I notice a but of oil burning off the hop on mine, and that was the only step I skipped, every other parts was machined and changed....but hind site is 20/20 and if I could go back I would....although if I could go right to the start....Id be driving a Dakota with a PH body on it

Here's a few more. We did have to revise our route because of black ice on the inclines.

Going .80 over and beyond is just asking for trouble, the more you cut away the cyl walls, the more your going to have heating issues and I would assume at some point your going to have even more headgasket issues then the rest of us. It's not like the blocks are scarce, try and find a clean or non seized 251/65 and start your build from there. The machining costs alone on yours look like they warrant a new block to start with. Just because someone else did it, doesn't mean it's recommended...hence the story everyone's parents told us of the kid jumping off the bridge

One thing I didn't mention in my prior post, but which should be obvious is that when replacing springs, and altering the height, certain alignment characteristics are altered also, especially the camber, so when we get the height right, and have the 1/2 inch differential, then we need to follow up with an alignment job.

Oh you guys and your little dusting of snow... I brushed off nearly a foot of snow from my grill yesterday, and it was still snowing. Merle. BYW... our trip is booked too.

Went to a little Hot Rod gig in SoCal sponsored by Hop Up magazine. You guys in the North and East have no monopoly on snow and ice, ya know!

unusual for us, but we received a few inches of snow last couple days one of my favorite things to do is watch the chickens react to the snow and throw snow balls at the cows

Outside temperature here today is -5 F . Indoors our wood stove is helping to keep things toasty warm.

This chart is in the Service Manual. Since my interest now includes 1954 and 1956 mechanics I closely reread this chart. The conventional ratio for a 3 speed tyranny in a 1954 auto was 3.73. So then if a three speed over drive tyranny replaces a standard three then it powers a 3.73 axle. To my limited knowledge, that would be a sweet setup, then put a 230 in front. I like that a lot. edit: I've added two more charts. I have begun to look at all three of these whenever I look at one, so decided to copy, print them out and pin them on my shop bulletin board.

I thought I'd better start my own thread rather than hijack anothers thread. I'm just starting to some homework on a rear end swap. I, like others, want to get just a little bit better speed with lower rpms. I take it that rear end gears are not easily changed or available for P15s, and is the reasoning behind why the changes to ford rear ends are done? Obviously the easiest and cheapest way to get the rpms lower on a p15 is to raise the revolutions of tire speed and lower the revolutions of the drive shaft. What is the best rear end ratio for a p15 with original drivetrain, no OD? Are the ford wheel bolt patterns the same as the P15?

GL1 is not for differentials....only the gear box and OD units....... the rear gear is in need of high pressure additives (Hypoid) for the shear protection...these are rated in GL4 as a minimum amount to the GL5 which is a higher content of these additives... they are two different and distinct lubes.......do not confuse or misuse these lubes...your repair manual is very clear on this in the lubrication sections of your repair manual...

I haven't had a ride in your car so I don't know the condition of the engine but I trust Don's judgement on that. . . We've been conditioned by post '73 oil crisis car gearing to assume that its bad to run the engines at 3000 to 3400 RPM all day but that is how the vehicle was designed and they are quite happy at that RPM. I have no intention of swapping out my 4.375 to 1 rear end on my '33 as it works just fine. And my 900 mile return trip from Tucson was mostly on freeways at 60 MPH. If my 80 year old vehicle can do that reliably I don't see why a 15 or so year newer car can't too.

I bought a dodge 8 3/4" rear for my truck. im not sure what the width of your current rearend is but this could also be an option for you since they came in several widths depending on its application. but an 8 3/4" will be plenty durable and you are sticking width the mopar family

At www.hotrodders.com is a bulletin board called "Hot Rodders Bulletin Board” which has a thread titled "Build Hot Rod How To Articles". In there is a thread called 37-57 Buick, Olds and Pontiac front suspension up grades where they adapt later upper and lower "A" frames and ball joint spindles to the original frame. I am working on a system for P15-D24 cars as they are very similar to the Buick, Olds and Pontiac in design. I am using 66 Chrysler Cordoba upper "A" frames and spindles, disc, and calipers. I have made an adapter to fit in the lower "A" frame to hold a Chrysler screw in balljoint and a 3/8"x3"x4" angle iron upper "A" frame adapter that bolts into the original upper mounting holes. Look at the article, lots of good ideas and all better than a MII or a Camaro clip.

Depending on how you design the lower ball joint mount and the height of the upper mount you can lower the front of the car as much as you want within reason. Also the later model suspension with the rubber mounts transmits less road noise into the car. Also I like ball joints in the steering.

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE 37-57 Suspension Upgrade http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/37_-_57_Buick_Olds_Pont_suspension_upgrade http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/new-wiki-article-37-57-buick-olds-pontiac-suspension-upgrade-126463.html?highlight=%2737-%2757+Buick+Olds+Pontiac+suspension+upgrade

Greg g, I hope this last post will get you into the article. I am doing something simular using Chrysler Cordoba upper arms, spindles and brakes using an adapter that I made to fit the lower "A". I installed one side on my 48 but could not get as much positive caster as I had hoped for and removed and replaced the stock parts, I was on my knees under the fender working for about two hours and that is too hard for an old man, be 72 tomorrow. I have an entire chassi for a 52 Dodge with engine and all running gear out at a friends place in the country,about 32 miles each way that I intend to mock up three different setups, one chrysler and two chevys. I think that once you see how simple the whole thing can be you could use just about any upper "A" frame and spindle with the disc brakes from any rear stear car. I appears the the upper "A" frame from any car with long bottom and short upper "A" arms will work even if they are offset. You could buy upper arms from Speedway out of their racing cataloge by picking the length and offset or no offset that suits you project. I hope the other post gets you into their site. I can get to it from my first post but then I posted it and my instructions might not be the best.

Click on "bulletin board" after you open the link www.hotrodders.com. Then under 100+ user-created articles:, click on '37-'57 Buick Olds Pontiac suspension upgrade, that should get you into the article. Their upper attach point is almost like P15-D24 upper attach point and the lower "A" frames look almost like ours.