[Goatracer1]

When I bought my 1955 Chieftain years ago it had 42,000 miles on it. The interior was like new. The engine was rebuilt. It was a Boston area car its whole life, had never been dented and had no rust at all. I drove it 35 miles home in the dark with no problems. The radio stilled worked but only picked a station that played big band music. Very fitting but creepy. I hope you enjoy your car as much as I did mine.

[Parkman51]

Alright, alright, I'll grab you some pictures tomorrow. Anything you'd especially like to see?

Unfortunately, I'm well more than a hop, skip and a jump away from VA, so I'll have to try my luck with a local shop for the master cylinder job.

Today's progress... I gave it a new battery. Parking lights and headlights work, along with the dimmer switch. Chief Pontiac on the hood lights up, too. Motorized radio aerial moves up and down (though I didn't exercise it the whole way). Floor light switch works, and the "is the door open" switch works too.

Radio buzzes when on, but no clear signal. Dashboard lights don't come on, other than the "Bright Lights" indicator atop the speedometer. Don't know where the horn button is. I assume that some of these only work if the car is running, so we'll have to wait for the fuel flush for fuller tests.

Almost installed the battery backwards, incidentally - I think the cables got replaced at some point. Figured out (what I think is) the right direction by comparing the size of the terminals. Negative has a short cable that connects directly to the engine, positive has a much longer cable that stretches backward and into The Depths.

Tomorrow's projects: start removing the fuel tank and try to find the fuse box.

PS. Started watching the videos linked by Sirrotica. So far I've learned that my car has the optional E-Z-Eye tinted glass, and is wired for a trunk light.

[Safari Larry]

Great start! Pictures... Exterior shot, dash, under hood might be helpful and interesting. Good progress on electrical testing. Something to implant firmly in your mind, "NEGATIVE GROUND".

The Motorized antennae is an uncommon option and an indicator that there might be several options on the car. It is fortunate it is working. Radio not working is likely a bad tube. That can wait. Horn, radio, & lights work with ignition off. You can test directional signals and by turning the ignition on (doesn't need to be started).

For dashboard lights, turn headlight knob all the way to the right and see if they light up. For horn, press the horn ring. If it doesn't work, put it on your list of things to fix.

For removing the gas tank, you might find the first video linked by Sirrotica (thanks) to be helpful where he removes the tank. I watched most of the first video. It was long and addicting! Very interesting and helpful to someone putting an old Pontiac back on the road. I believe there are reproduction gas tanks available for your Star Chief. If there is a lot of rust in the tank, a replacement might be a good option.

Fuse box is under dash to left of steering column. Fuses are labeled.

Onward...

[Sirrotica]

In the second video they have links to a universal gas tank kit that they make work on their car. The fill tube is a little short inside the quarter panel, but just lengthening it would put it in the correct place. The second video shows them repairing small items with links to vendors that supply 55-57 Pontiac parts.

[Parkman51]

Alright, the fuel tank is removed and drained. That was an interesting bit of mechanical Tetris. It looks to be in remarkably good condition - I can't really see any rust.

No luck on the dash lights, but for the horn, I did find a disconnected wire on the junction block next to the driver's side horn. I highly suspect this to be the culprit but didn't get to reconnecting it today.

I've been having a lot of fun watching the video you linked, Sirrotica. My engine bay looks a lot fuller than theirs, I think due to a/c equipment, but you'll be able to tell better than I from the pictures.

Tomorrow I'll get a gallon or so of gas and rinse the tank, then re-drain it. The tank drain plug tries to leak, so I'll replace the plastic washer if I can find one. What should I do (if anything) to the fuel pump? I assume replacing the fuel filter is a given, but I haven't been inside a fuel pump before. Goatracer mentioned something about a 'sending unit' to be addressed while the tank was out, too. Also going to locate that fuse box (thanks for the tip, Larry) and replace any bad fuses - most are 7.5 amp, according to page 12-34 in the Shop Manual.

[OG68]

Nice!

[Bill Hanlon]

Originally Posted by Parkman51

No luck on the dash lights, but for the horn, I did find a disconnected wire on the junction block next to the driver's side horn. I highly suspect this to be the culprit but didn't get to reconnecting it today.

Don't be surprised if the horn honks continuously (or intermittently when you turn the steering wheel) when you reconnect the wire. Disconnecting this wire is a "fix" for the wire's insulation rubbing off up inside the steering column and touching ground to activate the horn relay.

Originally Posted by Parkman51

Goatracer mentioned something about a 'sending unit' to be addressed while the tank was out, too.

You can test the sending unit by removing it from the tank (most GM vehicles used 5 screws to hold it into the tank, Pontiac used the same gasket [GM part number 1516395] from 1935 thru at least 1960, my '57 GMC pickup used the same gasket ) and using an ohm meter to check from the post where the wire attaches to any metal on the attaching flange. Most GM vehicles of this vintage used 0 ohms empty, 30 ohms full. Attach the ohm meter and slowly move the float from empty (zero ohms) to full (30 ohms). The change in ohms reading should be linear. There shouldn't be any rapid changes in ohms or any readings much over 30 ohms.

[Goatracer1]

I was suggesting you check the filter on the fuel pickup. Some early ones were metal and are okay. If nylon replace it if bad. Boy you sound like you have a fully loaded car. Lucky!

[Parkman51]

Nice big update for you today: After I posted last night I did a little cleaning: the door locks had been greased with something truly awful that rendered the manual lock pins black and sticky, and the windows didn’t roll as smoothly as they ought. So I worked over the rear door on the driver’s side – the others will follow as time permits. I removed the inside window trim, cleaned that, degreased the lock pin and its screw, then added some judicious WD-40 to the window (and door latch) mechanism. Also removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the metal strip that holds the carpet down at the door. I forgot to take before-and-after pictures, but I intend to remember in the future.

From Sirrotica’s video, also, I discovered that this car must have been fitted with the windshield wiper fluid canister, because there are capped-off lines running from the receptacle to the windshield. I shall have to see about getting that working, farther down the project list. Sirrotica’s video shows that the wiper fluid can be converted to run on the electric rather than the vacuum system, so that’s another thing to look at. It looks like CPR offers a bunch of parts for either system.

Today, I checked the indicators – all worked except the front passenger one, which is odd because that light illuminates correctly when the parking lights are on. This was a perfect excuse however to open up the front indicators to see what was going on – the gaskets were bad on both, but so seriously decayed on the passenger side that there was rust inside the housing. Two of the screws were rusted fast and only yielded to serious persuasion – but I ran to the hardware store and got replacements. I also checked the rear indicators, to see what they looked like, and found two more dessicated gaskets (before and after photos below). Finally, the glass covers for the reversing lights are loose in their fittings. So I ordered all 3 types of gasket from Ames.

And the horn! Bill Hanlon is a prophet. When I connected that wire, the horn worked so well it wouldn't turn off! My initial guess was a faulty spring or switch in the steering column, but rubbed-off insulation certainly qualifies. That will go on the list for a later project, but I assume the only way to rewire that without taking the whole harness apart is to somehow tie a new wire to the old wire and pull it through.

Lastly, I cleaned the outside of the gas tank with water and some degreaser, and sloshed some new gas around the inside, then redrained. Pulled the sending unit to see what was going on, and picture below, let me know what you think. The fuel line was totally plugged at the tank end – a good inch or so of semisolid molasses. After removing that, I could blow through the line no problem. Below you will also see a picture of the tank’s interior, I’m not sure what that odd block is in the middle of the tank floor. Another big thank-you to Bill Hanlon, who not only tells me how I can test the float, but gives me the part number for the new gasket I need!


Edit: It seems the forum decides - totally at random - in which orientation it wants to display my pictures. How do I rotate them to be right-side up?

[Bill Hanlon]

If you can't find the gasket for the sending unit in the old Pontiac parts places, here ... https://classicparts.com/chevy-gmc/t...-gasket-rubber ... is one from an old GM truck parts vendor for $1.49 plus who knows how much shipping.

[GtoFM]

Edit: It seems the forum decides - totally at random - in which orientation it wants to display my pictures. How do I rotate them to be right-side up?[/QUOTE]

Try cropping your pics to get rid of all black borders, especially the bottom border with .jpg and date info. Rotate as desired, then attach to your thread.

[b-man]

You can slightly crop your photos so the forum software doesn’t turn them sideways.

[Parkman51]

As you can see from last night’s photo, I found no fuel pickup filter on the sending unit (probably why the line was clogged). Regrettably, when I tested the resistance on the gauge, it mostly read 55 ohms, and didn’t change substantially when I exercised the float. So that means - new sending unit.

Two questions today:
1: This unit I found online looks as close as can be, even though it says it's for the Safari https://www.ebay.com/itm/405105617578 - give me a sanity check here, does it look good to you?
2: I took off the engine air intake to look at the carburetor, and lo-and-behold, I suspect I'm missing a part here. Seems to me there should be a riser or a fitting or something to bridge the gap between the top of the carburetor and the filter housing. What am I missing?

[Safari Larry]

1. No, Safari sending unit is not the same. CPR has one listed on ebay and it says "last one". Grab it.

2. You are missing the lower part of the air cleaner that fits over the carb and holds the oil. I don't see any listed on ebay for 4-barrel now but one is listed for 2-barrel. You can look at it to get an idea of what it looks like. https://www.ebay.com/itm/17715844955...Bk9SR9S1kuPCZg

You might try the "1955 1956 Pontiac" Facebook group and ask if anyone has one to sell. It will probably show up on ebay at some time.

Your Star Chief was a great find. Appears to be very original and in great condition. Lots of interesting options, including AC! I see very little rust. Has it been in a dry climate?

You are making great progress! Come take me for a ride next week!

[Rachelsdad]

Great find, indeed, Larry! Very nice car.

As for brake master rebuilding, don't shy away from shipping parts to known-good resources for rebuilding vs only relying on what's close. White Post is in VA, true, but shipping on a TreadleVac is nothing compared to having an inexperienced shop attempt to rebuild it and falling short of expectations.

(Tip: I used powersteering.com for my steering gear rebuild on my '63, paying the extra for extreme detailing. The shipping and the extra cost of the extreme detail was well worth it for the results I got. They rebuild pumps, too.)

Good luck, keep cropping and posting pics, and we'll keep providing hopefully useful feedback, suggestions, and pointers. Great project. You will be rewarded with a fine car when you get through the tough stuff.

[Parkman51]

Today was a fun day - the first PACKAGES arrived in the mail. Got a bottle of Mothers' California Gold chrome polish - delightful stuff - and a set of new hood springs.

The first provided a nice, quiet, cathartic hour of polishing. The second provided a rather tense ten minutes while I figured out how to deal with high-strength springs. Photos below show the old and new springs next to each other, as well as the setup I used to replace them - a clamp held the hood in the upright position, and I just pulled very hard on a doubled rope. If it's stupid and it works, it's not stupid.



Then I cleaned and oiled the driver's door, like I did earlier in the week with the driver rear door. The manual lock pin was stuck even worse than the other one, but elbow grease eventually won. The front window (not sure what its proper name is) that opens radially instead of sliding down was nearly inoperable, but some fiddling with screws and some WD-40 improved it by a good 85% - the difference was shocking, but deeply gratifying.

Larry, I would love to come take you for a ride, if it was running next week - which I doubt. I will be very happy if the engine runs and it goes into gear in about a month. Yes, it's been in a dry climate for basically its entire life - it was originally sold by Westward Pontiac, a dealership in central Phoenix that went belly-up in the 70s, as near as I can find out. I ordered that sending unit from CPR, as well as a battery hold down kit and a new locking gas cap. I don't mind the price of the items, but man, they kill you with the shipping.

Today's two questions:
1. Hoses - fuel, radiator, etc. - do I need anything special, or can I just use off-the-shelf modern replacements?
2. Oil bath air cleaner: I found this one on ebay that looks right https://www.ebay.com/itm/257119207460 - but then I also found this one https://www.ebay.com/itm/296976120387 that has something else attached to it on the side. What am I looking at here?

[Safari Larry]

You are making great progress, keep up the good work!

1. Radiator hoses. For heater hoses, use off the shelf. Yesterday, Rich Gabrielson posted the following on the "1955 1956 Facebook" group.

"Found Gates radiator hoses for our Pontiacs. Don't know what they are for but with a little trimming they fit my survivor Safari very well.
20611 for lower and 20957 for upper."

You might be able to open it at https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid...21200353272194

2. Air Cleaner. I believe the first one you linked is missing the top portion, with the silencer. The second one you linked has the top part with silencer, that tank hanging off to the side. That's what you need, however it is for 57, not 55-56. I don't know what the difference is, but the Master Parts Catalog lists one part for 55-56 and another for 57. I'm attaching a couple of photos of what your engine compartment should look like, including the large air cleaner.

The engine photos are of Rich Gabrielson's POCI National award winning 55 Safari. Engine compartment and front end will be same as your Star Chief. It appears you have the same options, including AC. I think you should still be able to view photos of his Safari at

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...star-chief-11/

Rich is a good friend, but he doesn't participate in this forum. He does participate and answer questions in the "1955 1956 Pontiac" Facebook group. He has three '55 Pontiacs, two Safaris and a 2-dr sedan with 389 ci engine.

[Parkman51]

Here's a question for you:
What's better than finding the right part on eBay for only $225, and arrival by Wednesday?

If you guessed "the previous owner finding the missing part, throwing in FOUR spare oil filters, and picking all that up for FREE on the way home from work," you'd be correct!

Photos below: It looks like it all fits together pretty well - though it doesn't have the silencer, it seems that may not be necessary - the '55 from Sirrotica's video doesn't have the silencer either, and it now visually matches the one on Ebay listed as a 55-56. I'm still not entirely sure how an oil bath air cleaner works, but I am resolved not to complain about good fortune.

Today's Two Questions:
1. How DOES an oil bath air cleaner work? Does it use the same kind of oil as the engine?
2. While I wait for the new sending unit, I think I'd better drain and refill the radiator. I remember reading somewhere that the coolant mix should be half water and half generic antifreeze? Do I need to add an anti-rust agent, if so, what and how much?

[Safari Larry]

For your better way of getting parts, your chances are better at winning a billion dollar lottery!

Photos of air cleaner will work as shown. The top part with silencer is not required for proper air cleaning. However, if you aren't concerned with original appearance, you might get a small after-market paper air cleaner, which will make for less mess, and will make carb easier to access without removing the air cleaner. For originality, keep an eye out for the top portion with silencer. A bracket that attaches to outer end of silencer and to head bolt is also needed.

The '55 from Sirrotica's video doesn't have the silencer, but it is the "standard" 2-barrel carb. From what I'm seeing in the MPC, Group 3.402, only the "heavy duty" air cleaner with silencer was used for 4-barrel carb. The 4-barrel carb was not available until the "power pack" option was released, mid-year '55.

Question 1. How does air cleaner work? See Shop Manual, p. 6B-2. For air cleaner maintenance, see p. 0-5. Use engine oil.

Question 2. Use the green IAT antifreeze at 50/50 ratio with water. Distilled water is best. Additional additives not needed. For details, see https://www.hemmings.com/stories/tec...of-antifreeze/

[Parkman51]

Good to hear about the air cleaner. I do value originality. Though I may upgrade to a paper element at some point, we'll keep it like it is for now - if I happen to stumble across the right replacement for a reasonable sum, then that will be a no-brainer. (And for the record, if I ever DO win a billion-dollar lottery, I'm getting me a Pierce-Arrow.)

Today was a research day: I finally sat down and worked my way through the thirty or so business cards that were in the owner's original papers. Some were to the same business(es), so after deduplication, we were left with around 15-20 cards to different area businesses, mostly dating from the 90s and earlier, as nearly as I can tell.

To no one's surprise, most are 1) out of business, 2) bought out by larger chains, or 3) replaced with businesses with such evocative names as "Garcia's Auto Detail & Pressure Wash LLC." It felt like prospecting in a graveyard for a bit, but to my surprise and delight, I found 3 businesses that are still in operation and still family-owned, all these years later - a body/general service shop, an electrics shop, and a specialty speedometer/instrument shop. I'll ring them up eventually to see if they've kept any records of work done on this vehicle.

The plan for tomorrow is to pick up coolant and oil before work, and hopefully locate a lower radiator hose. The upper "hose" appears to mostly be a metal pipe, secured with a short hoselike section on either end, so I plan to leave it alone for now.

Onwards!