December 2013 progress

Fuel system
The fuel tank is now boiled out, squeaky clean, and coated inside. A few miles driving at freeway speeds and up hills confirms the fuel starvation problem is gone. The car has decent power and will go 70 with ease, although with a lot of noise through the bare front floor boards. While the tank was out we replaced the fuel level sensor. Phil sorted out the broken tank strap, and the fuel line king turned out not to be too restrictive.

Gauges
I noted earlier that the speedometer main bearing, at the cable connection was stuck. Freeing that up with a bit of old cable in a drill solved the problem, and we now have a nice, steady read from the speedometer. The fuel gauge gives a credible reading after splicing the float arm to fit the tank in this wagon and replacing the sending unit. I don't think the gauge reading is strictly linear with fuel tank content, but it is adequate to indicate a full tank and a nearly empty tank, all we need really. Oil pressure and ammeter appear to work normally, as they have since we got the car. The engine temperature gauge was harder.

The '53 car uses a vapor-pressure bulb with capillary tube to the gauge in the dash. The '56 motor uses an electric temperature sensor of smaller bore than the '53 bulb. Solutions we have thought of include replacing the existing sensor with a new, after market sensor and separate gauge, or removing the intake manifold and drilling and rethreading the cast iron to fit the '53 bulb. A local shop offered to solve the problem with a new sensor and matching gauge that can be integrated into the original temp gauge in the dash panel.

We confirmed the old sensor and gauge do work using a pot of hot water. After several trips to hardware and auto parts stores we found a set of pipe adapters that would accept the old bulb and fit the tapped hole in the manifold. Unfortunately, this places the bulb outside the water jacket, so even with the pipe insulating tape we added, the gauge reads quite low. But for now, it will probably serve to indicate abnormally high temperature. Normal reading puts the needle in the center of the E in TEMP.

Temperature sender kluge

The conclusion is that all the dash gauges are now working, sort of.

More

Turn signals, which worked once, were very unreliable. We found a compatible flasher and replacement socket on eBay, and corrected some ground faults on the signal lamps. The worst had to do with white paint sprayed inside the lamp sockets. They seem to reliably flash outside the car now, but the dashboard indicator flashes only for left turn. Need a little more troubleshooting here.

Next

Now that the engine runs fairly well and the car can be driven, we can focus on some other issues. The engine and transmission behaviors are of particular concern: 

• I think the engine idles poorly, and it may be missing at some speed-and-load conditions. We've replaced the distributor points and condenser, but we need to install the new cap, plugs, and wires that have been lying around for months. We'll do a compression check on a warm engine at the same time. 
• Transmission control is poor. The '53 engine, according to the service manual, had an electric dashpot and a "smart" kick-down switch that would shift the transmission from 4th to 3rd when the throttle was floored at car speed below 45 mph. Our carburetor has neither of those gadgets. We might need some kind of work-around -- maybe a manual downshift switch. Pictures of the '53 appear to show both devices well integrated into the carburetor, and I doubt they can be added to the '56 motor we have. We also seem to lack an ignition interrupter (cut-off) switch circuit that aids automated shifting. 
• Transmission behavior isn't right. After reading the shop manual description of how the M6 Tip-Toe Shift transmission works, I sort of understand it, I think. It should automatically shift from 4th to 3rd at 10 or 15 mph, so that at a stop sign, the driver doesn't need to use the clutch. The car can be driven in 3rd and 4th alone, all day long under normal conditions. We are finding that driving it in 4th alone isn't really tolerable. Moreover, the idle issues mean sometimes the engine will stall, and sometimes it idles so fast it's hard to hold the car with the brakes. 
• I think the mechanical clutch might be slipping. At speeds that should have the torque converter pretty well locked up, the engine sometimes races slightly and then settles down. Clutch slip seems to be the most obvious cause.
• The driver's side of the car is noticeably lower than the passenger side, most obviously in front. Probable cause is a weak coil spring in front. The rear leaf springs are a bit saggy as well. I had a local shop re-arch springs on a '64 Comet we had once, with great results. But they can't do coils. Guess we need to replace both springs with a matched set, or put a block under the weak one, or shorten the stronger one.
• The heater is bypassed. Fans work, but it's likely the heater core needs to be replaced. Controls need an overhaul too -- very sticky, with limited travel.
• Wipers are missing parts and the motor doesn't run.

When these are sorted out, we can give some attention to appearance and finish details. Missing or damaged trim, interior floors, headliner, seats, window rubber, door rubber, sill plates. The body rust, paint, and chrome. I'm sure there's more. It's still TBD how much of this we want to do. Progress continues to be satisfying; we've met some interesting people and got some sage advice as we learn how this car was supposed to work and how to make it better. The estate wagon body style and the car's age are enough to get noticed.