Buick 263 C/1500 build.

With respect, can you post pictures of the engines? Drivers side showing the water pump and lower cylinder area? Passenger side with the engine number?

Thanks

Ben
 
Sounds like you are going to use an open driveshaft against an enclosed driveshaft transmission, I will be watching how this will work.. Another concern is cooling, do not short yourself there, those straight eights require a lot of cooling. When relating to cooling bigger is always better.
 
There is a scarcity of audio or video for much that is done on the vehicles. Most are storied out or Q&A with no images. Pictures can provide a reference and sometimes tell the story much better. Alot of other vehicle owners may learn from related models or repairs. I understand it is quite a bit of work, but then many come here and take and don't give back, no pun intended. Here it is the early holiday joy.
 
The 6 bolt transmission top cover is the same for Oldsmobile & Pontiac.
Those vehicles came with an open driveshaft.
NOT Chevrolet.

Tom T.
 
tom telesco said:
The 6 bolt transmission top cover is the same for Oldsmobile & Pontiac.
Those vehicles came with an open driveshaft.
NOT Chevrolet.

Tom T.
Click to expand...
Can you explain this in more detail?

I have the driveshaft and I was going to get the C1500 shaft cut and spliced to the Buick shaft.
 
I'm interested in seeing how the u-joint at the transmission will work out. In my simple mind, I was expecting the u-joint to not have much "slip" to it (if it has any at all!) at the transmission since the torque ball/torque tube is a pivot point and needs to stay fairly solidly centered. I'm guessing there's probably some "slippage" on the driveshaft side of the yoke, but I don't know how much. If nothing else: The manual says that the yoke is retained "with a heavy steel washer and bolt", so I wasn't expecting much "give".

And sealing the output shaft - I know in my DynaFlow there's a significant amount of transmission fluid that makes it back into the torque ball. ("If a Dynaflow isn't dripping, it's empty!") I think the 3-speed has to puke less fluid, but I still wonder how that's going to work. It looks like the rear transmission seal is on the torque ball, that there isn't really a "seal" per se on the transmission side of the u-joint. Unless someone can set me straight!

When converting to an open driveshaft, do you keep the torque ball? That might work (and might keep the precious fluids inside), but I'd think the seal would wear out quickly if it were "levering" the ball around instead of relying on the rigid torque tube to do so. So - If you don't keep the torque ball, how do you seal the back end of the transmission?

Really having trouble picturing this in my mind!
 
RW74 said:
Regardless of what I'm building, I only use the transmission that belongs to the engine, not the vehicle.

With a 2:47-1 ratio differential gear set, I shouldn't need overdrive.
Click to expand...
I don't know if this will be any help, but the head gasket for the 248/263 is 3 5/16" longer than the one for the Chev 250/292.
 
bittmann said:
I'm interested in seeing how the u-joint at the transmission will work out. In my simple mind, I was expecting the u-joint to not have much "slip" to it (if it has any at all!) at the transmission since the torque ball/torque tube is a pivot point and needs to stay fairly solidly centered. I'm guessing there's probably some "slippage" on the driveshaft side of the yoke, but I don't know how much. If nothing else: The manual says that the yoke is retained "with a heavy steel washer and bolt", so I wasn't expecting much "give".

And sealing the output shaft - I know in my DynaFlow there's a significant amount of transmission fluid that makes it back into the torque ball. ("If a Dynaflow isn't dripping, it's empty!") I think the 3-speed has to puke less fluid, but I still wonder how that's going to work. It looks like the rear transmission seal is on the torque ball, that there isn't really a "seal" per se on the transmission side of the u-joint. Unless someone can set me straight!

When converting to an open driveshaft, do you keep the torque ball? That might work (and might keep the precious fluids inside), but I'd think the seal would wear out quickly if it were "levering" the ball around instead of relying on the rigid torque tube to do so. So - If you don't keep the torque ball, how do you seal the back end of the transmission?

Really having trouble picturing this in my mind!
Click to expand...
I have a manual transmission.
 
bittmann said:
3-speed Buick transmissions still have a torque ball, though, don't they? That's what I'm trying to make sense of.
Click to expand...


1000002705.jpg

I just looked up a picture of the transmissions that I have and these are what came bolted to my 263 engines.

I'm also making a 2 piece wood cover for the shift lever and I'll be using a cobalt blue glass doorknob for the shift knob.

I've taken both apart and they're, basically, just like any manual transmission I've ever seen.

I did rebuild them with fresh 9260 gears that I had made after sending the original gears to the machine shop.

5160 is too flexible and, while 9260 is spring steel, it's actual highly resistant to flexing or twisting which is what makes it perfect for suspension parts because of how much weight/force is required to bend it.

I'm also having the crankshaft, camshaft, push rods, and connecting rods made of 9260.

I can imagine the cost of getting this done, back when these parts were new, would have likely cost ⅔ the cost of the vehicle.

The quote that I received was $1,132 for the gears, crankshaft, camshaft, connecting rods, push rods, roller lifters, and roller rockers to be made of 9260 and made to the original measurements. For the rockers, it's simply the measurement of the contact points relative to the pivot point, distance, height, offset, ECT.

As far as torque balls, my 1940-1950 Buick service manual says that the torque ball must be aligned for proper automatic transmission function.

In the manual transmission section, there is no mention of a torque ball. I speculate that this anomaly of a part is bathed in transmission fluid to protect it from wear.

Final conclusion, automatic transmissions once had hot dripping balls that saw more action than a playboy bunny and now they don't. So, they're trans-missions.
 
bittmann said:
Hard to tell, that kinda looks like a (edit) Saginaw. It's already set up for an open driveshaft. You should be good to go, agreed.
Click to expand...
Sorry that I am unable to take pictures.

I'll try to find a way of doing so but, until I can get over my fear of seeing myself in the third person, I don't know...

I only turn on my interior security cameras when I won't be at home.

They can be turned on by pressing the return button on the keypad but, to turn them off, requires a key followed by a 34 character password.
 
As far as the wood cladding for the shift lever, there is only one option that is hard, dense and easy to get:

Crepe Myrtle wood.

I can almost always find a piece, on a tree, that is the perfect shape and curve for various shift levers. Plus, the grain is beautiful once you gently char the surface.

I'll be staining mine with burgundy leather dye to match the truck's interior... After I shape it further... Then, I'll sand it with finer and finer paper, until I reach a 30,000 grit finish before waxing it with surfboard wax.

To match the other controls (black steering wheel spokes, etc.) I'll use a glass doorknob that has a matte black metal base.

Since the knob is made to fit an antique mortise lock set, it will thread right onto the shift lever, as the threads are the same.
 
Stray Tate said:
I don't know if this will be any help, but the head gasket for the 248/263 is 3 5/16" longer than the one for the Chev 250/292.
Click to expand...
I actually compared the 292 L6 to the 263 L8 and, with the pulleys, there is just enough room to fit into the truck and then install the radiator and fan.

In that order, otherwise, there is no means of installing the engine.

Also, I made an H frame for my hoist so that I can tilt the engine back to clear the cowl, lower it so that the valve cover goes under the firewall, and pull it forward while tilting the engine forward.

Then, I decided just to remove the front bumper, grille and core support to install the engine and transmission together.

By the way. The original Buick 3-speed manual transmission does, indeed, have a torque ball.
 
bittmann said:
Hard to tell, that kinda looks like a (edit) Saginaw. It's already set up for an open driveshaft. You should be good to go, agreed.
Click to expand...
It is a Saginaw and the guy came back asking for them.

He gave me the wrong transmissions by mistake.

I'd wondered why they were bolted with no clutches.

Now that I have the correct transmissions, everything has changed.

I'd wondered why the Buick driveshafts weren't made for the supposed "Buick" transmissions.

Now, everything lines up.

I'm taking the truck to a machine shop to have the driveshafts cut and spliced together, as originally planned.

The old man is having his apprentice do the work and he signed an agreement,in front of a notary public that, should there be irreparable damage done to the finished part or, if anything isn't done how I specified, he'll source and pay to replace the original parts that were ruined.

Good guy.
 
bittmann said:
I'm interested in seeing how the u-joint at the transmission will work out. In my simple mind, I was expecting the u-joint to not have much "slip" to it (if it has any at all!) at the transmission since the torque ball/torque tube is a pivot point and needs to stay fairly solidly centered. I'm guessing there's probably some "slippage" on the driveshaft side of the yoke, but I don't know how much. If nothing else: The manual says that the yoke is retained "with a heavy steel washer and bolt", so I wasn't expecting much "give".

And sealing the output shaft - I know in my DynaFlow there's a significant amount of transmission fluid that makes it back into the torque ball. ("If a Dynaflow isn't dripping, it's empty!") I think the 3-speed has to puke less fluid, but I still wonder how that's going to work. It looks like the rear transmission seal is on the torque ball, that there isn't really a "seal" per se on the transmission side of the u-joint. Unless someone can set me straight!

When converting to an open driveshaft, do you keep the torque ball? That might work (and might keep the precious fluids inside), but I'd think the seal would wear out quickly if it were "levering" the ball around instead of relying on the rigid torque tube to do so. So - If you don't keep the torque ball, how do you seal the back end of the transmission?

Really having trouble picturing this in my mind!
Click to expand...
As to transmissions that drip/leak oil/fluid...

Upgrade the seals to industrial grade seals from Motion Industries.

I'd be surprised if they would refuse to make them as they make some of the most ridiculously sized seals imaginable.
 
suntreemcanic said:
Sounds like you are going to use an open driveshaft against an enclosed driveshaft transmission, I will be watching how this will work.. Another concern is cooling, do not short yourself there, those straight eights require a lot of cooling. When relating to cooling bigger is always better.
Click to expand...
6 core copper radiator for 1988-1999 GMT 400: $834.72
 
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