I just purchased a 52 Buick Super 56R 2-door hardtop. It'll be my first project car and I intend to make it a daily driver, adding front disk brakes, dropping it 2-3 inches and converting to 12-volt. It is complete except for the L-8, the dynaflow is still there and the floor is well ventilated. I talked to a guy at a trany shop in town that does classic tranmissions about the dynaflow. He said it would handle the power from a v8 as long as I don't shift from drive to first (something about making many tiny pieces). I understand from this forum and other buick sites, if I change the trany I may as well change the entire drivetrain due to the torque-tube design. I would like to avoid doing that if I can or atleast delay it so the pocket book has a chance to catch its breath. Am I correct to think a nailhead would fit the engine compartment and would via an adapter fit to the dynaflow? Where can I find info on matching a nailhead to my dynaflow? Or is there another option I should consider such as putting a L-8 back in? Any insight would be appreciated.
If you're going to spend the money on putting disc brakes on the front, why not spend a little extra and dump the torque-tube and put in a modern rear end? You will be farther ahead in the long run, daily driver wise. Also, if you blow a wheel cylinder in the middle of nowhere (I'm speaking from personal experience here), you can find a modern part alot easier than and old part. P.S. I love those buicks. I've got a frind that took one and channeled the body over a chevy truck frame. It's really low but still has gobs of suspension travel.
Thanks for the input. Can I just mate up the modern rearend at a later date or would I be starting over?
