55 Pontiac Day 2

So today I finished up the brakes and they seem to be working as well as they can. The radiator shop reports that the gas tank and heater core are ready but the radiator has a rotten core and rotten tanks, so it is junk. I think a 55 Chevrolet takes the same radiator so I put out  a few calls looking for one.

I tore down the motor, and there were a couple of surprises. First, I measured the bore and it's 3.9" which means this motor is a 1956 316 and not the original 1955 287. Second, two of the bores are damaged with what looks like rust from stuck rings. So we will be swapping in a 347 cubic inch V8 from a 1957 Pontiac that my client has in his inventory. That motor is a factory high performance engine with 10.0:1 compression.  I tore down that motor this afternoon and sent the heads out for a clean up and the cam out of a nasty regrind. We already have a rebuilt three two barrel intake to go with it. The new motor will bolt right in where the 287 was but it might take some hot rodding to make the 1955 hydramatic transmission mate up with the 1957 347. Stay tuned!

Not good! Lucky for me my client had another motor.