55rocket

Hey there guys , i am new here and so far i like what i see. there is plenty of olds information plus help from the experts.
i just bought a 1955 oldsmobile holiday with a 324ci i believe (havent checked the #s).i believe its in running condition but it has no fuel tank, and it needs a new fuel pump. the previos owner had an electric non working pump wich i removed. I am trying to find the original mechanical pump but i am having trouble finding parts around my area.
any help would be great . thanks!!!
oh by the way you can check it out at www.cardomain.com/id/hotrodkat

Oldsguy

Welcome to this site. Nice looking car there, lots to work with. Good luck on the custom job. my son's '64 98 fourdoor has a 394 and he had a hell of a time finding a mechanical fuel pump or even a rebuild kit. Finally we installed an electric one. You might find you will have the same trouble with yours. Does it have a glass bowl on the bottom of it? If so it is probably the same kind if not the same one.

55rocket

well right now i really cant tell if its glass ,because of all the dirt but i dont think it is. it had a electronic fuel pump but i removed it because it was not working. i am starting to think that i am going to swap a 350 in there and keep building the 324 since its more profitable. is that a good idea guys?

Hey olds guy if i put an electric pump in there will that mess up anything?

what kind is the one i should go for?
thanks

Oldsguy

Well, when we did my son's car we just purchased a generic electric fuel pump from the auto parts store and we also got a fuel pressure regulator for safety. The fuel pump came with directions, the most important were to mount the pump as close to the tank as possible. Most electrics work better at pushing than pulling, that's why you do that. We found a good safe place on the passenger side frame rail, protected somewhat from the road debris, etc. It was just forward of the rear axle, on the inboard side of the frame rail. We used a rubber bushing to isolate the pump from the frame rail so the sound wouldn't be as annoying, they do make some detectible sound when running. We cut a large enough section from the fuel supply line to insert the pump with about 2 inches of rubber line on either side. To wire the pump, my son wanted to be able to manually switch it, this afforded a safety cutoff as well (cheap insurance against theft). Some people also wire the positive side through a relay which is operated by the oil pressure so that the fuel pump will go off if there any reason the engine stops running (like an accident) but those guys are mostly racers. If you are proficient in electronics or electrics then this is easy. At any rate the directions give you all the basics to do the job. Then we installed a fuel pressure regulator on the engine just prior to the inline fuel filter and dialed it down to about 5 or 6 psi which is enough for a carburetor. These electrics provide more pressure than this because fuel injection systems typically need more pressure so it is a wise safety/equipment longevity move to make.

If you have experience turning a wrench, or are a careful person that is good with his hands mechanically you should have little to no trouble at all. I think your plan to find a 350 engine might be a good one too. If so, get the tranny too. You will probably have to fabricate engine mounts and tranny mounts and maybe get a different drive shaft. Oh BTW, there is a guy that owns a couple of '50 88 coupes on two other boards. You might join them and look him up, His moniker is 88 coupe and the sites are Realoldspower.com and Oldsconnection.com . If you have trouble let me know. I may have made a mistake on his moniker, if so, I will correct it in this post. Anyway, he has quite a bit of experience since he has already done a swap like that in at least one of his cars.

[ October 21, 2004: Message edited by: Oldsguy ]</p>

55rocket

will do , thanks for the information.

88 coupe

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 55rocket:
[QB]........1955 oldsmobile holiday with a 324ci........trying to find the original mechanical pump........<hr></blockquote> Hi 55rocket,Oldsguy, hello All
I'm also new here.
'54 to '56 Olds used a 324 that is nearly identical dimensionally to the 394. I don't know what year Olds changed from vacuum to electric wiper motors but it will make a difference in which fits yours. Non vacuum would fit the 394.
These guys have been a good source for rebuilt pumps or rebuild kits.
If you have the gas tank, you might see if your local radiator shop can repair it.
Regards, Norm

PetChemMan

Welcome to the Olds forums ! I had a '55 Olds Super 88 Holiday 4 door hardtop just like yours. I owned it from 1965 to 1970 . If the motor is stock, it's a 324 CID , rated at 202 hp. with the 4 barrel carburetor. Most came with the hydramatic transmission, a 4 speed unit.
As for the fuel pump, a rebuilt stock unit would be nice, since it has a vacuum booster built in to help provide vacuum to the vacuum operated windshield wipers. When you accelerate, the engine manifold vacuum is too low to operate the wipers without the booster unit.
There's a really nice mildly customized 55 Olds that I've seen in a couple of magazines, and it's also featured on the cover of a Stray Cats record album. It has a flame paint job, and is sharp looking.
The 1955 model was actually the fastest accelerating Olds up to the 1959 models with the 394 engine. I was reading through some old magazine tests, and although the 324 was enlarged to 371 and finally 394, the 1956, 57, and 58 cars were heavier, and had numerically lower rear axle ratios, and consequently were not as fast as the 55. The only exceptions were the J2 models of 57 and 58, which came with three two barrel carbs and a special cam .
Good luck with your project !

PetChemMan

In reply to your search for a fuel pump for a 1955 Olds , I noticed there were two new pumps listed on eBay a couple of days ago. They were listed under Oldsmobile , but you could narrow the search even further. Never underestimate the power of the internet auction sites !

55rocket

thanks fellas, i checked out a couple places around my area and EGGE auto parts has a rebuilt kit for 60 bucks witch i think is good. ive never done it before but ill learn.

eichh2000

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 88 coupe:
Hi 55rocket,Oldsguy, hello All
I'm also new here.
'54 to '56 Olds used a 324 that is nearly identical dimensionally to the 394. I don't know what year Olds changed from vacuum to electric wiper motors but it will make a difference in which fits yours. Non vacuum would fit the 394.
These guys have been a good source for rebuilt pumps or rebuild kits.
If you have the gas tank, you might see if your local radiator shop can repair it.
Regards, Norm<hr></blockquote>

Oldsguy

Hi Norm, your posting format and name are familiar but you say you are new here. Are, or were you on a different site before? Welcome.

clloyd

Try fusick.com for a stock vacuum fuel pump. If you don't have a gas tank you have a search coming to you. Nobody is making mid or early 50s Olds tanks. Try to find a tank with a center left side fill tube. Good luck

Oldsguy

Thanks clloyd for reviving this thread, there were a lot of posters on this one that we haven't heard of recently, if they are subscribed to this thread we may hear from them some more. Also, I would like to hear about how your project turned out 55rocket. Give us an update...

bbock

Try Fusick.com. They probable have what you need. I am looking for a diagram of the vacuum lines for a 55 holidays 324. If you don not have a paper diagram, could you possible take a pix of the top area or your engine? I think the previuos owner bunged up the vacuum lines and I can't get the wipers to work. I am having not much luck with a paper diagram so maybe a picture would help.

clloyd

The fuel pump was a dual purpose pump. It had a vacuum chamber on the top of it to operated the wipers. A hard line came off the top of the fuel pump and ran below the right valve cover. Then converted to a soft line at the fire wall and to the wiper motor. Without the fuel pump you will have to run the vacuum from the carb. If you have power brakes then the carb will have to supply vacuum for the brakes and wipers. Depending on your RPMs this can cause performance problems for both brakes and wipers when used at the same time. I don't remember the name of the company but there is a website that offers a electric wiper motor for 50s Olds. Just a thought. Take care.

clloyd

As for dropping a 57 or newer motor in. The frame and mounts are very different. You will have to do a lot of fabricating to get it to work. You can build your 324 to run with any 350. Check out the jalopyjournal.com the H.A.M.B. forums go to the tech archives and find Early Olds Rocket tech summary. I guarantee you if you keep your 324 more people will stop and talk to you about it because 350s are a dime a dozen. And a lot of old schoolers will give there left arm for that bullet proof Hydramatic.