360scamp

What is the going rate for a good set of 56 hood hinges?

Currently I am trying to save the 324 in my 56 and avoid dropping in a 383 TPI stroker crate motor with a T400 tranny that both have under 5000 miles on them (I hate small block chevies but I can get the whole car for $500 and drive it home). The 324 in my Olds has been rebuilt by a previous owner but it is dumping all the coolant into the crank case. I am guessing (hoping) that it is just a cracked head and not a cracked block because I have another set of #8 heads that I am going to take to have rebuilt if they mag out OK. I am wondering if there are any other places in a 324 where something simple like a bad gasket/seal could cause this problem? The engine already has all new top end gaskets (intake/head) and everything from the heads up is torqued to the factory specs.

Before I dump money into these #8 heads I want to make sure that the #10's are not the problem if it ends up being something stupid like a cracked front cover. Any places I should check out first?

360scamp

Pulled the #10 heads off today, cleaned up the gasket surfaces of the heads and block and found no obvious cracks or even any hairline cracks. The engine has been rebuilt at least 2 owners before me so I am hoping that maybe there is a seal or gasket that is cockeyed or bad around the water pump/timing cover, any ideas would be great because if I have to pull the engine a smalllock will be replacing it.....

Tedd Thompson

Scamp nothing comes to mind as far as unusual problems with gaskets and such( no more than any other engine of that era).Usually if you are getting water in the oil and there hasn't been a problem or incident with a running engine( frozen block, over heating etc.)Usually it's a bad head gasket.Just a note, if you use those #8 heads you may need to check your push rod length as the cam on a 56 is different than a 55( higher lift) and they will probably not work.You may be able to mix and match but beware there may be a problem......Tedd

360scamp

Great info on the #8 heads!!!

Unfortunately I don't know the history of the engine other than what I was told by the guy I got the car from and what I can see when I pulled the top end apart.

It has obviously been rebuilt with all new internals.

Runs strong and smooth and sounds awesome!

I pulled the heads off when I first got it to check everything out and fix the "bad head gasket" that the old owner though was the problem. I replaced all the gaskets from the heads up with a kit from Speedway (copper head gaskets).

Leaks coolant into the oil but not in to the cylinders and it doesn't smoke, smell or burn oil.

Pulled the heads off today and the coolant in the block stayed in the block and didn't drain below the deck surface when heads were off.


I did find a 1953 303 with a hydramatic both in unknown condition that have been stored inside for over 30 years that I can trade for a bandsaw that I don't use and is taking up space in my garage.
Will any of the 56 324 parts work on the 53 303 or would it just end up being another hassle?

360scamp

The car has been sitting and not started in my driveway for a few months but I did notice that when i pulled the valvecovers today that the driver side rocker arm assembly had significantly more surface rust than the passenger side did, might not have anything to do with anything other than not being started for a while.

Tedd Thompson

Scamp as far as parts swap you can use the heads and intake ( use them together as a complete unit ) # 10 heads breath better and have larger valves than the # 2's or 3's on the 303 but you should use a head gasket from a 303 not a 324 to make sure all the oil passages line up, this may not be a problem on a 303-324 swap but I know it is on later engines. A 303 can be bored to 125 over or more so the pistons could be used with a re bore but not the rods as they have larger journals.Cam is different as is the crank. Same distributor and a lot of the top stuff, valve covers, generator, wires,power steering pump, coil you get the idea, brackets may be a little different but you will have two sets to mix and match from.You may need to swap harmonic balancers if the 303 only has one pulley and no power steering.

Thats all I can think of now and I know there will be other small problems but nothing like a engine trans swap....Best of luck.....Tedd

PS. almost forgot transmissions will bolt up(swap) but I would use the jetaway as it is stronger than the early hydramatics and your gear selector will match what the transmission is doing.

pete324rocket

cracks in the head-below the valves are not always visible without doing a magnetic check.Also check surfaces with a professional straight-edge that has been well taken care of. Lastly, making a pressure plate for the heads and block, good enough for 100 pounds of pressure. At some point the oil and water meet,ya gotta determine where.

360scamp

With any luck I will be solving all the engine problems with a good running 394!

Tedd Thompson

Oh my!, thats my dream.

Keep in mind that that a 394 is externally balanced and a 324 is internally balanced, you may need to use the flywheel( flex plate) that is on the 394 as it has weights to compensate for this and the crank pilot bearing hole may need to be bored a little deeper to except the transmission shaft on a jetaway or slant pan . Also a jetaway is only sort of strong, if you could find a slant pan off a 54 or 55 they will take a bunch of abuse and with a rebuild up to 600 HP. There is a chance that you could have a slant pan in your car as they did put them in 56's for a while but I have never seen one in a upper grade car mostly just basic 88's I could be wrong on this. I advise giving Ross Racing a call they know this swap very well and could keep you out of trouble. This should be a fun and relative easy conversion and something thats on my bucket list. Keep us posted.....Tedd

360scamp

The 394 I found is a 1962 and also has the matching tranny, I'm just hoping that no one else picks it up before next week when I get paid. Between normal bills and remodeling the bathroom I'm tapped!

I did find this info......

http://webpages.charter.net/dhomstad...me1Source1.htm

Rocketowner

As To Your Question About Going Rate For Hood Hinges,I Recently Found A Pair On E-bay
(Listed Under '54,'55,'56,Olds. hood Hinge ). I had Watched For 2 Years under '55 Olds Parts And Not Found Them. They Were $45.00 For The Pair. good Luck, Larry