[Jack Gifford]

I don't have any "secrets" for removing them, but I've never done permanent harm to them (the stainless tubes) by pulling/wiggling with pliers. As Bill said, you'll just need to re-form the ends a little when re-installing.

[Safari Larry]

The switch from brass tubes to stainless was done mid-year 1956. So 55 & early 56 are brass. Late 56 and all later are stainless. Rocky 389's report of brass tubes in '57 heads is a first I've heard of. Check to insure you have '57 heads. If they are 57 heads, I suspect that the tubes had been replaced with '55 or early '56 tubes. You'll be able to tell by the shape. 1955-56 tubes were interchangeable from side to side so have the same shape. 1957-59 tubes are not interchangeable left-to-right, there is a right and left and they have different shapes (looking down the tubes from the ends), They are mirror-images of each other. See my cooling web page for photo of a 1957-59 tube. I have more photos if anyone is interested.

The tubes in my '56 heads are stainless (late engine) but I can't get them out!!!

[U47]

OK Larry, How do you explain my 59's, unless stainless can corrode and fall apart.

Don

[Safari Larry]

Don, I had assumed that the tubes in your '59 that fell apart were stainless -- and I can't explain why they fell apart. Do you think the tubes were brass?

[U47]

Larry, remember this happened twice and so long ago. Two things I can say was they were not shiny and they were in pieces and paper thin.

Don

[Safari Larry]

Don, yep, long ago and you were a youngster in 59-60 when your dad had the problems. As I recall, the tubes failed three times, the third time the engine was replaced with a '60 engine. Stainless is not necessarily shiny, The inside of my 57 tubes are not shiny but the outside is. Stainless is not impervious to chemical reactions. The tubes are quite thin metal. One possibility is that the first time the tubes were replaced that the earlier brass tubes were used -- but that seems unlikely and wouldn't explain failure of the original tubes.

I can't say for certain that the later tubes (1957-59) were all stainless but Pontiac documentation shows the switch to stainless was made mid year '56. The later tubes I've seen (57 & 59) were stainless. I can't imagine why they would make some of stainless and some of brass -- but who knows? It will be interesting if we find someone who has the later tubes that are not stainless. Perhaps Rocky 389 has an example.

Anyone else seen brass tubes in 1957-59 heads? If so, can you confirm that they are not the earlier brass tubes? Remember, you can tell if tubes are 1955-56 or 1957-59 by the shape.

[U47]

Larry, the first time the tubes were replaced they were all gummed up, but were in one piece. The second time they came out in pieces, and the third time they came out in pieces. My dad had enough upon inspection of the third time to go with the engine change. Qusetion is could the earlier tubes be put into a 59-389??
Although I was young I was very much into cars ( I mean into like wrenching ). The first distributor I pulled was my brother-inlaw's 53 Studebaker Comander Starliner V-8 coupe at the age of six. I held top eliminator title in my neighborhood at the age of seven with my home build go-cart. I had my IHRA drag racing license at fourteen (the 59 Catalina was the car I raced). I know I had my first timing light before the age of ten. The only reason I'm telling all this is because of the comment by Floyd Hand that I was just a kid so how could I know about cams in the trunk and tubes in pieces. Back then we lived cars and surfing, and today that is still my passion.


Don

[Safari Larry]

Good question Don, could the early (55-56) tubes be used in the later (57-60) heads? If I could get that *#!@* tube out of a 56 head, I could try it in my 60 heads. I was just now "playing" with it, got the freeze plug out the back end. You have to be careful removing that plug or you damage the tube. The tube is tight in the head and won't budge. I'm also wondering if the later tubes fit in the early heads -- but not really sure why I care???

Sounds like you had a wonderful childhood which carried over into adult-hood! Or maybe childhood is on-going.

[hgerhardt]

Here's an idea: the tubes are round, aren't they? Turn a piece of tubing (or other hollow round stock) down on a lathe so that it slips into the end of the water tube at least 1/2" and then soft silver solder together (low temp solder). You'll have to clean the corrosion and other gunk off the water tube, of course. Then use a slide hammer on the stub you soldered on.

[U47]

Hiner, The second time they were replaced they came out in pieces (not all came out) so my buddy's dad took the freeze plugs out of the back end and drove them with a long drift. Pontiac heads are interchangeable rt & left so this makes it easy.

Don

[Safari Larry]

Originally Posted by hgerhardt

Here's an idea: the tubes are round, aren't they?

No, they are not round. The 56 tubes I'm trying to get out appear to be triangular with rounded vertices. Thanks for the suggestion but even if they were round, I don't have the equipment to do what you suggest.

[Pontirag]

its possible the NORS parts were brass. somebody could have put an earlier tube back in not knowing they are different

Stainless can indeed corrode but I think the rest of the cooling system would have self destructed under the same chemical exposure.....sooner. I've heard and even recommended putting draino in the engine cooling system and running it up to temps for about a half hour befor servicing the cooling system, including replacing the pump.

[Jack Gifford]

Originally Posted by U47

... How do you explain my 59's, unless stainless can corrode and fall apart...

Well... I suggested one possibility in my post#34 (but I see now that I typed "blocks" instead of "heads" in that post).

[U47]

Originally Posted by pontiac jack

Well... I suggested one possibility in my post#34 (but I see now that I typed "blocks" instead of "heads" in that post).

If you remember in my post I said the tubes came out in one piece the first time, but they and the inside water passages were gummed up. The second and third time the tubes came out in pieces, in which I posed the question " could the replacement tubes have been pressed steel or copper or could the earlier tubes be made to fit a 59 head". My recollection was copper but as said before this was a long time ago. Nothing was much said about the gunk in the heads at the time (first time) but my guess is that along with the burnt valve, a head gasket was leaking either oil or combustion gasses into the cooling system, after all at the time (first time) it happened the car was only a few years old and it had been raced as well as being a daily driver from the get go.

Don

[Region Warrior]

I remember my dad having to replace the tubes in his 57 around 64-65.