1953 Super 322 mystery, at least to me.

Discussion in ''Da Nailhead' started by 18CEOD, Aug 7, 2018.

  1. 18CEOD

    18CEOD Active Member

    C9E27B5F-AC8D-4FBA-B598-29904303224C.jpeg E6D1F8D9-EB27-47B6-8B45-CB0D9B1893CE.jpeg C57C2CB0-DCC3-4160-B87B-71D45449A274.jpeg I am an admitted super noob when it come to all things engine, let alone the most misunderstood engine of all time. This is another inquiry into this world.

    I have three items on my 53 Super 322 that surprised me when I got it. First was that the glass washer fluid container was still intact on the drivers side fire wall. The second was another glass container on the passenger side fire wall. The previous owner did not know what it was. He’s in his late 60s and has been around when it comes to hot rods and classics. Just never came across it. After washing the bay out I could read the lettering on the top. Pretty cool. Not sure if it helped it’s intended target, but pretty cool it was still there. The third one has me stumped. It’s the black box between the distributor and the oil bath. It has upside down lettering on the drivers side,but At the moment I can’t read it. Something about servicing the equipment. ??? I’m ready to learn.
     
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2018
  2. bill lagna

    bill lagna Well-Known Member

    The black box is mounted in the coil location , don't see a coil .
    Does the Super still have the start feature with the gas pedal , should
    be 2 wires running to a small switch on the carb .
    Bill
     
  3. 18CEOD

    18CEOD Active Member

    Bill, I’ll look to see if it does. I’ll have to wait until after work.
    So is it a more modern coil? I’m not sure if you can tell but there are two yellow wires coming from the box and then run to opposite sides of the distributor. There is also a metallic cloth wrapped wire that is wrapped around the box also. Not sure if it was there just to take up slack or not.
     
  4. bill lagna

    bill lagna Well-Known Member

    Ya, looks like a after market coil of some type , maybe sold by J C Whitney, remember them ???
    Does it still start by the gas pedal being pushed to engage the starter ?
    Bill
     
  5. 18CEOD

    18CEOD Active Member

    Bill, the vehicle hasn't run since it was found on the farm. The license plate was last registered in 63. However, that's not to say it wasn't driven for longer.
    I looked at it again and the coil wire is solid state to the box and connected to the distributor. So it is the coil. After market, definitely. Curious as to what benefits it was supposed to bring. Especially in conjunction with the other after market item.
     
  6. 18CEOD

    18CEOD Active Member

    IMG_1576.JPG IMG_1571.JPG So here is what I found on the mystery jar on the passenger side fire wall. I wonder if it was a dealer thing or if the original owner had it put on with the weird coil?
     
    bhambulldog likes this.
  7. gsgtx

    gsgtx Silver Level contributor

    they should start selling it again since we have no lead in the gas .
     
  8. dual-quadism

    dual-quadism Black on Black

    All of that stuff is super cool! Love the weird old accessories. Have more pics of the car?
     
  9. 18CEOD

    18CEOD Active Member

    DQ, I do. This is when I brought her home this spring. While washing decades worth of dust off the outside, the wife said she had a hard time taking pictures because of the glare. I told her that old chrome shines bright and will out last most other things. She told me it wasn’t the chrome. DEBD884B-B5B7-48B7-93C2-D0CF74BB33B0.jpeg A960D61C-257D-47E3-9075-B8FD32BCB081.jpeg 21DB4D32-DA3C-4942-AE32-AB18DD5237DD.jpeg 4B7F9C41-89F2-4A90-9F17-388C8E5D9A76.jpeg
     
  10. 18CEOD

    18CEOD Active Member

    The car is mostly in really good shape. It’s a Montana car bought new in Billings. Still has the dealer emblem.I got lucky again when I noticed the cigarette lighter was there. Every one I looked at until this one had it missing. I think out of all the chrome with this model and trim number I’m only missing one or two pieces. I am missing the front center hood emblem, but I’ve seen a few for sale on the inter webs. All the trim inside is there. The fabric is original but to far deteriorated. No holes just really crunchy. The drivers side floor board is toast and I’m sure the passenger side is too. It’s funny, I bought a 63 C10 and it was also a Montana farm vehicle. Loaded with mice residue. This Buick doesn’t have a trace and it sat out on a farm for ever. Anyway, she’s the project for this fall and winter. The C10 took all my time this summer.
     
  11. My3Buicks

    My3Buicks Buick Guru

    E40ADB07-983B-41A4-B52A-CD7E84FFD80A.jpeg One of my favorite cars I ever owned was a 53 56R
    Enjoy it!!
     
  12. bill lagna

    bill lagna Well-Known Member

    Keep the 53 patina, looks great ! Under the hood looks as if you could start it .
    Very nice.
    Bill
     
  13. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    1953 had the best steering wheel up to the sport wheel years later. I noticed the Mystery oiler right off - it also seems to have some funky kind of oil filler cap.Overall it looks to be in great shape. Keep us posted!
     
    bhambulldog likes this.
  14. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    Dad had one of those on his 1940 Cadillac.
    It's a Marvel Mystery oil injector,
    it adds a squirt of MM oil to the fuel avery so often.
    It's good to keep down the carbon build up on the combustion chamber and piston top.
    On Dad's Cadillac, when the oiler would inject oil , a white smoke ring would come out the tailpipe
     
  15. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    You've got a nice car! I like it !!
     
  16. bhambulldog

    bhambulldog 1955 76-RoadmasterRiviera

    That oil filler cap looks to be a heavy duty air filter for the crankcase (draft) ventilation.
     
  17. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Cool car!
    Yeah, I'd be under there checking things out and seeing if it'll run. It probably would...just how well after sitting for 50 years would be an issue.
    As for the accessories; the Mystery oiler you could probably get running again; not entirely sure if there's a benefit to running ATF into an engine anymore though. But it's a cool period piece. The coil, well it looks like it has an integrated ballast resistor in it, not sure who made it or why, seeing that it is at least 60 years old it would probably not be reliable anymore. An interesting conversation piece for the man-cave.
     
  18. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    Based on the title of the original post, I wonder if you knew that it was a Mystery oiler? :D
     

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