[Safari Larry]

I'm new to this forum so bare with me while I stumble around with my first post. My good e-friend Bill Hanlon told me about this thread so you can blame him. I am the POCI 1956 Technical Adviser. This thread is applicable to what I'm doing so here we go, back to the original intent of the thread...

I have mated a 55 std trans/clutch to a 59 engine and a 56 Strato-Flight (controlled coupling) to a 60 engine. There were no interface problems for those applications.

A friend mated a 55 dual-range (slant-pan) to a 59 engine and had the problem you guys have been talking about. Here's what he had to say:

"When I put a 59 389 in my 55 Chieftain and bolted it to the 55 hydro flywheel the flywheel wobbled and wiped out the trans front pump. The problem was the 389 had balance weights welded to the crank flange and the 287 didn't. The weights were in the way and wouldn't let the flywheel mount flush to the crank. I had to have the flywheel turned at the crank flange area on a brake drum lathe until the weights would clear, then had the flywheel rebalanced and all fit then and has been together now for 19 years"

I don't think balance weights he references were "welded" to the crank flange but was an integral part of the flange.

I recently wrote a web article on 1955-60 engine identification and interchangeability. You can find it by going to www.PontiacSafari.com, click on "Pontiac Garage", and click on "Pontiac Engine Component Interchange & Identification". That article talks about installing 1959-60 engine in earlier chassis. It also tells how to identify engine components with an almost complete list of casting numbers. I don't claim to know everything so if you find anything wrong or have suggestions for the article, please let me know.

The '60 engine pictured in that article is a reincarnation from Pontiac Heaven (small world). God (the guy with the keys to heaven) drove up in a 1961 Pontiac station wagon chariot which verified to me that I was truly at heaven's gate. I've been to heaven and it was glorious!

Regarding the missing reinforcing rib in the 1955 block. According to "Pontiac Service Craftsman News", October 1955, in talking about the changes for 1956, it says:

"The cylinder block has been made more rigid to ensure utmost durability with the greater horsepower and torque. This was accomplished by adding more metal at the three intermediate bearing bulkheads".

This may be referring to the missing rib in the 55 engine. I have a disassembled 56 block so could check for the rib if I knew what to look for.

While we are on this subject, does anyone REALLY know why Pontiac abandoned the reverse flow cooling in 1960? The prevailing opinion seems to be that there were problems with the water distributing tubes in the heads getting clogged with rust. There are other opinions and "educated guesses". I have an article on that issue and you can find a link to it in the "Pontiac Garage" page on my site.

Regarding the '56 hydramatic transmissions, according to the 1956 Accessorizer (available on my site), only the Turbo-Flight was available for the Star Chiefs and only the dual-range was available for Chieftains. I've never seen a dual-range in a Star Chief but I have seen the Turbo-Flight in an 870 Chieftain.