Looking for a 56 324 motor and jetaway tranny. Recently bought the car site unseen. Appears to have a 55 motor and transmission with miss matched heads. Im looking to restore her to a nice correct driver. Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Welcome, where are you located?

 

Hi, I'm located in Charlotte NC

 

 

Nice, very nice. You have a bunch of guys on here from the "darksiders" that will chime in. They have an extraordinary amount of knowledge on these older Olds"

 

Thanks! I've wanted one since I was a child. Bought it for a family cruiser and to slowly bring back. Was a bummer about motor. But will fix or put the correct one in. Body has a few minor issues and needs new interior. Will eventually make a great driver. .

 

Nice looking car! I will be removing the 324 and Jetaway from my 56 to swap in a 394 and th400.

 

thanks! I'm very interested. Whats the current condition? Time-frame for swap? Thank you

 

Welcome to the rare convertible group, looks like it has good bones. What are the numbers on the heads? I have a couple heads to a 55 I would sell but freight would be a killer. Should you find a block from a 55 be sure you use the 56 valley cover with the 56 heads they will not seat on a 55 valley cover with out a message with a hammer... Tedd

 

Thanks Tedd. The heads have the 6 digit 56 number. The middle exhaust bolt stamp is 8 on one and 3 on other. I read about the valley pan ( mine is not flat with a channel in it) but spoke to a guy at Ross Racing and he said the 55 came with that as well. So I have a Franken motor lol. It had 2 bent push rods and that's how I discovered all this. I still haven't found the block stamp yet. The company I purchased it from are going to help out with repairs/ or replacement if needed

 

 

Welcome! Looks like you have a great start.

 

Welcome to the site, I moved your thread to the parts wanted forum.

 

Thank you, appreciate it!

 

The engine is stuck, i put a mixture of trans fluid and acetone through the spark plug hole after i picked the car up but haven’t tried to turn it over in a year. The odometer shows 49,679 miles, I wasn’t planning on removing it until fall but i could do it sooner if needed.

 

Welcome. That is a very nice looking car. Now we have guys on here with 54 thru 56 Super 88 convertibles. My 54 has a 55 engine and transmission in it but that is an upgrade from a 54. Tedd knows the most but I have picked up a little knowledge just by hanging out on this site. It is a good place to be. Lots of knowledge here.

 

Nice, I would probably have it shipped to Ross for a rebuild. No hurry, fall would be fine. I had hoped to enjoy cruising during the summer but is what it is. Love to go back with correct motor and trans. I know there are many options but I'm a sucker for close to original. I dont know how to DM on here but when you're ready I'd love to have them.

 

thank you, its a dream come true even with the surprises. Love to see a picture of the 54.

 

The 56 Super 88's and 98's came with the Jetaway (it had a Park position) while the regular 88 still had the hydra-matic which was a much better transmission. If you have a 55 transmission it would be a hydra-matic and I would keep it. Here are a couple pictures of my 54.

 

Have '56 98 two door with 324 four barrel, jetaway with park position. Engine turns and has power steering, carb., etc. complete still in car. Zip is 48843, mid=Michigan.

 

Keep in mind that a stuck first generation Old's that is still attached to the transmission is a Bitch to get separated. Engine needs to be able to rotate in order to reach the flywheel to block bolts. It can be done but is labor intensive and you need a little luck besides..... Just a thought....Tedd

 

man thats a beautiful 54!

 

thank you Tedd, Ill definitely do some research on that. Im going to determine what block it is and go from there. If its a 55 block replacing the 53 head would be the fastest remedy to get her back on road. My dilemma is it has 56 pushrods. So is that why cylinder 1 rods bent? Cam lobes look good. Lifters weren't scared. And all other push rods look and feel good. Obviously it ran as is but not well. The transmission had a hard shift to 3rd and wasn't kicking down on hills. It has the park on cluster but doesn't go all the way over ( stays in neutral)so im pretty positive its a 55 or earlier. Atleast if I get it driving I can enjoy alittle before deciding what engine/trans to go back with in fall/winter.

 

Excellent! I'll give you a buzz this weekend.

 

A reminder if it has a hydra-matic is to put it in reverse when you park it since there is no Park on a hydra-matic. It has a parking pawl that engages when you turn the key off.

 

Sent PM with my number.

 

Yes I've read that. I was unaware of it after delivery. Thought the park wasn't functioning 🤣. So keeping the 55( or older) would be the better option? I spoke with the seller today, he's going to put the car in a local shop and replace heads and whatever else needs to be done. But eventually I would still like to get it back to original. Guess we will see how it goes. Atleast this will give me time to purchase something and have it gone through but still be able to enjoy the car awhile.

 

Red keeps his '54 in his living room.

 

🤣🤣 perfect place for it!

 

Serial numbers and engine numbers will be different. The car\ body style number is on the left hand side( Passenger side) below and to the right of the hood hinge. The true car serial number (the number that you need to transfer the car) is on the A pillar near your knee and is riveted on to the door frame. The engine number is stamped on a flat pad on the left side of the block between the first and second manifold ports. If you find this number (eight digests) the first two will give you the year of your block next there is a number which will tell you what style car the engine was originally in (88=#7 ,super 88 =#,8 or 98=#9 The next is a letter in the series and that will tell you which plant it was built in. the last four numbers are serial numbers of that piacular engine which won't show on your title.

If you have mixed head numbers it's going to be hard to get that engine to run smooth even with new parts as the compression and push rod length and valve diameter differences changed three times from 53 to 56. Probably why you have bent pushrods now. Just a thought ...Tedd

 

You guys are funny about my living room. Those pictures were actually taken in the lobby of the Bent Tree Country Club. I have shown them to people before and told them that is my living room. Nobody has ever taken me seriously and then of course I fess up and tell them the truth.

 

I would go with the living room story, keep'm guessing. No room up scales that gorges convertible.... ....Tedd

 

Ok she's going to shop on the 26th. Seller agreed to replace heads. Shop came highly recommended from local car club. We will see what all is going on. Id love to do it myself but just have limited time with work and kids unfortunately.

Ill keep you guys updated on progress. Maybe I get to enjoy alittle driving this summer after all. Thanks for all the advice and help so far.

 

Spoke to Tedd on phone. Any help in determining if this is a 55 block would be appreciated. From what I've read online it is. Also has the 55 distributor and appears to be 55 trans. V 831O49 I believe.