TWO LANE BLACK TOP

Wrongway... If you suspect a valve sealing issue...A good accurate way to check if your having valve sealing/bent valve/weak springs issues without tearing the engine down...Remove all the rockers...Then take a long straight edge and lay it across the tops all the valve stems....They should all be the same height..If there is some of the valves that are lower than the others by .002 to .003 or more...(Use a feeler gauge between the tops of the valve stems and the straight edge)..That is a real good indicator of a weak valve spring/slightly bent valve stem..ETC..which will cause the valves not to seal correctly and not hold compression...If you have a couple of the valve stems that are higher than the rest of them...That is a really good indicator that whoever did the heads cut the valve seats too deep..If that is the case and when you set the valve lash the same on all the valves the taller ones will not close completely or tightly enough because they are actually set too tight..If that is the case You can grind the tops of the stems to the same height as the rest of the valves...Provided that they aren't anymore than 4 or 5 thousandths higher than the rest of the valves...Anymore than that and you would have to use an adjustable length pushrod on those particular valves in order to keep the geometry the same on the whole valve trane...Also this may sound crazy but it might not be a bad idea to make sure that all the push rods are all the exact same length...While I'm thinking about it upgrading from 5/16s pushrods to 3/8s is a very cost effective worthwhile improvement.... Edit...Also if all the valve stems vary slightly in height from each other...and they are all not all the same...It can also cause erratic vacuum readings and crappy idling issues....Due to all the valves not traveling/opening/closing the same distances....Hope maybe all this helps you too figure out what the problem may be.....Without having to take everything apart.... TLBT..

I wasn't 100% sure....Thanks for clarifying.. I learned something.... I don't want to post inaccurate info if at all possible...

You're Welcome happy to help.... If your having an issue with the gas not getting from the tank to the fuel pump and you want to run (not drive) the car...You can disconnect the line running from the tank to the pump and run a temporary line out of a gas can right to the input side of the fuel pump and it will pick up the fuel just like it would if it was coming from the tank....

The shift pattern changed to PRNDSL in 1965 (Hydramatic)...Cars equipped with the 2 speed Powerflow..(Pontiac nomenclature for the Powerglide)..PRNDL.. I don't know if changing to a later model neutral safety switch...Would be beneficial for you or not....

The earlier Pontiac engines are reverse flow cooling...I'm pretty sure (not 100%) the changeover to the conventional water flow was some time in real late 1964 or The beginning of the 1965 model year...Because of that the earlier cylinder heads won't interchange or Visa versa with the later model engines...

Yes it would work....If the floats are good in the carburetor (not heavy) so it will maintain the correct fuel level in the bowl and operate the needle and seat correctly to meter the proper amount of gas and not constantly flood or not run at all.... Why not just run a temporary soft fuel line from the fuel pump to the carburetor...?? You should be able to get a couple of male fittings with the the correct threads to screw into the pump and the carb at any auto parts store then clamp the rubber gas hose on to the fittings....Just make sure that it isn't on the exhaust manifold or rubbing against anything that could potentially wear a hole in it.... Rochester two jets are excellent carbs...

Now that things have calmed down some...I Have been given the green light to proceed with the build.. Upon further inspection the cylinder heads that the owner wanted to use are pretty much garbage...The combustion chambers are horribly pitted and can not be cleaned up enough to use in a blower motor without fear of detonation....As you can see the area between the valves (1st pic )...So I came up with another engine (454)..that is donating the heads and maybe the bottom end too...Over the next week or so..I will install hardened valve seats (the heads are 1971 LS-5 non EGR casting # 672292.... 113 cc combustion chambers)..New valve guides and a 3 angle valve job and stainless steel valves..Will provide more details and photos detailing the process as I move along.... The owner has also come up the vehicle the engine will be installed in.....The plan is to leave the truck cosmetically the same on the outside and camouflage it as much as possible on the inside...Although a supercharger might be kind of hard to hide..LOL.. Stay tuned..

Didn't get the Blue Angles or the Thunderbirds...Got Airforce one flyover instead...

Cool car...Hate to see that you're having transmission issues...I have a couple of questions....First off I'm not trying nor do I want to come across as being a smart ass..or condescending in anyway shape or form... So please don't take it that way...I also don't want to put up inaccurate Info if at all possible.... Are you 100% sure that the trans is a Dynaflow and not a Hydramatic..Or a Powerglide...?? I ask this because Dynaflows were exclusive to the Buick brand and were only used in Buicks...The exception to this is when there was a catastrophic Fire (Burned to the ground) at the Hydramatic plant in Livonia Michigan that shut down production for an extended period of time in the fall of 1953..As a result of that...GM had to scramble to come up with an automatic transmissions for use in cars that were supposed to be equipped with the Hydramatics...So they hastily reengineered the mounting points of the dynaflow trans case for use in other GM cars...They were for sure used in thousands of Cadillacs and Oldsmobiles in 1954 and possibly into early 1955..If you bought one of those cars they came with a certificate that would allow you to take the car back to the dealership and have the Dynaflow swapped out for a Hydramatic free of charge...Once production restarted and the supply chain was up and going again...Automatic trans (hydramatic) equipped Pontiacs of that same time period used the cast iron cased Chevrolet sourced Powerglide...Instead of the Dynaflow...The Powerglide was adapted to the Pontiac engine via a steel band adapter plate about an inch or so thick so it would bolt up to the Pontiac engine block...As with the Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs the Pontiacs also came with the Certificate to swap out the Powerglide for the Hydramatic free of charge..The seperate steel adapter band between the engine block and the bellhousing remained afterwards and continued to be used on the Chevrolets equipped with the cast iron case Powerglide transmission until it was updated to an aluminium case in the early 1960s... If your Pontiac 100% for sure does have a Dynaflow...Instead of a Hydramatic which may or may not Be possible..?? Since it is on a commercial type chassis and could be or not..??? More closely related to the very early 1955 producton Cadillac ambulances and hearses..?? Than a standard Pontiac station wagon... If you could be more specific as to exactly what the symptoms of your transmission problems are...It could very well be just a simple adjustment to cure the problem...That could be easily done yourself...There are lots of pages of adjustments in this manual... For different symptoms....Too many to try to post them all....Without norrowing the issue down some... TLBT..

No haters here...Welcome to the site......

Just in case anyone is interested.....Here a little background info on the Pontiac 370 CID engine ( 4.062 bore × 3.562 stroke )... Was introduced as an improved version of the 1957...347 CID engine (4.00 bore × 3.562 stroke) with different cylinder heads with larger exhaust ports and different better breathing exhaust manifolds...The 370 Was only available in 1958 and was used as the optional engine for the 1958 Bonneville with the Rochester mechanical fuel injection set up...Rated at 310 horsepower and 400 ft-lbs of torque....But could be had with tri-power or single 4 barrel carb...They were also used for one year only (1958) in the factory backed Pontiacs for NASCAR racing although without The Rochester fuel injection set up..The 370 was replaced with the 389 starting in 1959...There were only about 500 or less total 370 engines produced and only in 1958....

I'm curious about the 370 engine too.. I agree with Frosty...The truck in the pic looks like it's a 1 ton...(dually).. The Olds engine used in the GMC heavy truck is a 371 CID engine..4.00 bore × 3.687 stroke...and had some differences from the car engine...Such as hardened valve seats, heavy duty valves..(larger diameter valve stems)...beefier rods...different camshaft.. ETC..To make it more durable for heavy duty truck use... This same Oldsmobile 371 engine Was branded ( for whatever reason) as a "370" in larger 1 ton GMC trucks.... The 370 Pontiac engine...4.0625 bore × 3.5625 stroke....I'm pretty sure was used...Or was it...??? in regular pickup trucks..???? and not in 1 ton trucks....But I'm not 100% sure about that...I would love to see engine pics too..... Welcome to the site..

Does look sinister....I like it too..Welcome to the forums...

Really...Started using the Gibbs oil in our race engines (NASCAR Modifieds)....Starting around 2012.... Have won some races...While using it.... Like it really well...Also used it in a 4000 lb. 1953 Studebaker running one of our engines....(Same combination as our modified engines but with a 750 carb...rather than the NASCR mandated 390 carb...added right at 95 Horses with just the carb change).... Ran 205 MPH in the measured mile at Loring Maine....

Valvoline 10-30 in all my street cars...Have always had good luck with it....No oil related issues...Change it every 3000 miles.... Use AC oil filters on all 4 of my GM cars...Motorcraft filters on my Ford vehicles....(93 F-150...97 towncar...05 Ford 500) used a Wix filter last time on my Honda Civic...All with valvoline oil...Use Castrol 20-40 semi synthetic in my 1100 V-Star motorcycle...

Guess I must be lucky...Mrs. Two Lane is actually pretty good about keeping the trash and debris shoveled out of her car...Her thing is running on empty all the time..Has me wondering if there is some obscure law somewhere that says it's illegal or immoral for women to put gas in their cars...Everytime That I get in her car it is always 99.99% of the time nearly out of gas and I'm lucky to make to the gas station...Without having to walk...Have actually had it run out in the driveway or just as I pull up to the pump a mile away....More than once...

I've told him more once that he needs to adjust his attitude...Have even threatened to ship him off to military school...All to no avail...Wouldn't mind shipping him down under for a job...But he's lazy and unmotivated and he would wind up getting fired anyway and would be just be another mouth to feed...With no results to show for it....Other than getting fat....

That's definitely class A work....👍👍👍

Tungsten inert gas welding (TIG) is definitely better when using the foot pedal for heat control...Although it can be very tedious especially when welding out of position like in tight awkward areas or overhead and you have to operate the pedal with your knee or elbow/toes..butt..ETC..and have to be able to do it both right and left handed (Been there Done all of that more than once)..The main thing is to have the tungsten needle sharp when welding stainless whereas you want a little ball on the end when doing aluminum...Also the cleaner the base metal is... The better and easier it is to weld especially when doing paper thin or cast aluminum...Personally... By far the hardest material to work with is cast iron...Just because of the prep work involved...Properly preheating and stress relieving is very very important and if not properly done the results will substandard and you will more than likely do more damage than good... An expert fitter can make a mediocre welder look good..The better it all fits together before welding...The less filler metal you have to use (tig) the better the overall results will be and that's true for all welding processes MIG..TIG..and Stick... The car is looking good and I respect the ingenuity and attention to detail...That is what makes for a truly top notch restoration....

This is Earl...Has got to be the laziest animal on earth...Am pretty sure a Sloth has more speed and ambition....Than this one..And then he has the unmitagated gall to get plum angry and hiss at me when I move him out of the way..So I can go to bed at night....But he likes Mrs. Two Lane...He attacks me whenever I get even remotely close to her....He has also figured out how to turn the water spigot on in the bathroom ( For spite )....I figure it is just a matter of time before I come home to a flooded house...But somehow it will probably be my fault.... Glad to see that you're making progress with the Bonneville....In spite of everything going on.....

Hope everything works out well with Mrs. Frosty... Y'all have my thoughts and prayers...

I mowed and trimmed my yard for the first time this year....Depending on the weather...That will be a weekly chore from now until October..Doesn't look like there will be any racing at our local venue (Bowman Gray Stadium)anytime in the foreseeable future So the prepping the car has been put off indefinitely especially since the Modified race at Martinsville and probably Bristol have been canceled too..So instead I have been doing a weapons check and ammunition inventory...Found some firearms that I had almost forgotten about that I stashed away years ago...Including a pre WW2 Colt 1911 45 auto pistol and a mint condition Model 86 Winchester 45-70 lever action rifle with an Octagon barrel with a real low serial number manufactured in 1891 (Very valuable) among several others...Fortunately my job is considered essential and I will still be able to work..Although business has taken a major nose dive as of late....So will just have to wait and see what happens next...

This may sound crazy...But It is very possible to have weak or starting to get weak valve springs ..Not holding the seat pressure like they should when under boost...Causing one or more of the valves to not quite close tightly enough to seat properly when under boost but would run normally otherwise..Just something to maybe look at... Especially if they have a lot of miles and the valve springs have never been changed....

Happy birthday Frosty and many more.... TLBT

Don't know if this will help or not...Don't have a manual for a Pontiac..But I do for a 1955 Buick...Alot of GM cars share the same electrical parts and the circuits are laid out very similar or in alot cases they are the same amongst the different brands.. Anyway maybe this will help..