New Project: 54 Pontiac Chieftain, "Viola"

These are the minor improvements I did in winter - spring 2017.
- Repainted canister oil filter. I removed my spin-on oil filter conversion because it was leaking. I installed the old canister with a new filter, new gasket, and that leaks too. Bah!! Maybe new copper washers will help?
- Borrowed a UV light and did a dye test to try to account for all my oil leaks. For some reason, my drain plug leaks only when the engine is running. First I will try a new washer on the plug ... after that I may consider installing a drain cock that I don't need to unthread every time.
- Tracked down and installed a stock fan shroud from a 6-cylinder car. The shroud is long enough that the fan reaches it with a medium sized spacer. I pulled the electric fan out and it cools better than ever.
- Repainted and reinstalled the oil bath air filter. Really helped the appearance under the hood -- and it's amazing how well the oil bath quiets intake noise.

 

Stratostreak V8 ....how cool is that?And you have no problem driving it in the snow.How cracked is the amber indian hood ornament?

 

It's crazed all over, but it held together. Not missing big chunks like some others. I think it lends a little character.

This picture is from after a 400-mile trip, when the Chief got a bug in his eye.

 

Yes some are better some worse.Finding a pristine Amber Indian could be difficult.

 

A couple of 2017 photos. Soon I'll update you on this winter's work -- exciting progress is being made.

 

So, I was unhappy with the feel of the Ansen shifter. Very sloppy shifting motion, especially when finding 1st gear. The shifter had a short stick and a long throw so I was reaching under the dash, nearly to the floor, to hit reverse and 2nd. It worked in a pinch to get me driving in 2016, but it wasn't something I wanted to live with long-term.

I got my hands on a 1938 Buick transmission case, plus a full 1956 Pontiac gear set. Floor shift is king, and nothing is more direct and more responsive than a top-shift transmission case. The stock '56-'57 Pontiac HD 3spd shares its essential design with the Buick, all the way back to 1937. So this 38 case readily accepts the late Pontiac gears, and the case just has to be modified to accept the Pontiac tail housing. I wrote a full tech thread on the transmission build: 1938 Buick transmission + 1956 Pontiac gears, tail housing



The case turned out to have a visible crack at the rear left, starting at the top. I dropped it off with Motorheadz in Patchogue to have it magna fluxed and nickel welded. Magna flux revealed an additional small crack in the bottom. They patched up both of them nicely.








Old transmission had to come out to begin work. All I needed to re-use from my existing '57 transmission is the tail housing casting, the speedometer drive gear, and the speedo gear spacer.

 

The Buick case was bolted up to determine where to cut the floor. I need a hole big enough to drop the case cover/shifter on from the top. The floor needs to be reshaped some -- I am not taking advantage of the factory bumpout for the bellhousing, since the rear of the engine moved forward in the motor swap. I am planning to have a nice removable trans cover fabricated by a professional when this is done.




Then I slapped the shifter assembly on top to get a ballpark estimate of where the shifter stick will end up. When you push it all the way forward, it just touches the dash, so it will need a slight bend.




In between here is where the hardcore transmission work happened.


Scroll up a bit and check the tech thread to see how I put together this beauty.

Today I installed the transmission. I dropped on the cover/shifter assembly again, to confirm that with all the gears, shift rails, detent springs and all, the shifter stick still hits the dash. It does. So I popped it back out, heat it, and bent it down 1". Just about perfect now. Just the position of the shifter is a million times better -- and the action of it is awesome. Super easy, no long reach, and a nice positive detent action.






Then a little paint on the cover/shifter assembly. Tomorrow is final assembly, fill with gear oil, and test drive.

 

What. A. Difference.

Finally, the shifting motion in this car is natural. It feels right. This car has never been more fun to drive. Weather forecast for this week looks nice and dry -- the car came with me to work today, and I'll be ripping around with it every day until it goes into the shop to get the floor done up.

 

Dropped Viola off yesterday to get this floor mess taken care of. She's in good hands at Throttle Jockey Originals.

 

Love this car.

 

The new floor came out amazing. So much better than I could have done. I requested a removable panel for future work -- so the trans top cover and shifter can be removed from inside the car. TJ definitely delivered.

 

looks good and tight.

 

Great idea on having them make it with a removable access plate.Never know when servicing the shifter may be necessary!

 

Really like the thread. Love the dash on these Pontiacs.