Just thought I'd provide an update and then won't post about this on Kevin's blog anymore.


I spoke with Chris at Max Merritt and sent the photos and measurements. He's a bit confused as the new unit matches what they have in their plans. He's going to investigate further.

My old unit seems to be 6.5 in in length compared to 8.25 in of the new unit. My tank measures (best I can tell with the rounded corners etc.. to be 36x20x6.75 which calculates out to about 20.25 gallons. I'm sure the extra 0.25 is due to not taking the rounded corners into account. So, I'm pretty confident that I have the correct original tank. We'll see what Chris finds out.

Thanks again for the help.

Teddy, the condition you describe is not normal. There are several possible reasons but the first that I'd check would be the function of the carburetor accelerator pump. To do that, with the ignition off or disabled, remove the air filter, hold the choke valve open if necessary, and peer down the throat of the carburetor as you give the accelerator linkage a full stroke. As long as there is fuel in the carburetor you should see a small but vigorous stream of gasoline spray into the venturis. If you don't see this, service the carburetor accordingly. If the accelerator pump is functioning then we can move on to the next possibility.

Taking a broader perspective, if you don't know the last time the engine was given a comprehensive tune-up, then it's probably in order to do one now. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points and condensor, retime ignition, clean or replace fuel filters, service air filter, etc. etc.

I feel the shift at 50mph every time on the faster speed limit roads. I do drive this car almost daily to work 5 days a week (40 mile round trip) on country and state roads. Plus weekends. Though it does shift sooner in the city. I was also told the spark plugs were replaced, but looking at them, the tops of them, from what i can see, they almost have a white residue on top. The cap and wires look cleaner than the plugs.

Quote:

I hadn't heard of Type AF, so had a little look online. Some say AF and F are the same, that type AF is just an updated version of type F. Some say AF is better than Type F for older transmissions, that it has different friction modifiers.

Does anyone know for sure if they are different and if one or the other is better for an Ultramatic?

*I have Pennzoil Type F in my Ultramatic and it seems to be okay.

On a 55 the circuit breaker is mounted on the engine side of the firewall and attached to the window relay. Those items are in front of and slightly toward the drivers left side. If it has the original window motors, there should be an internal thermal breaker. If switch was stuck and motor was powered a long time one would have thought the thermal should also have tripped.

Here is a photo of unknown origin showing the 55 breaker and window relay. On 56 models and 55s with factory AC the relay and CB were moved up and rotated 90 degrees so they could be screwed to the wide sheet metal flange just above where they are shown in the photo.

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Pretty sure its 20 amps.

You should be able to take the switch apart

And silicone grease it up

EDIT: I misread Bob J’s response. I think that is what I needed. Your unit is the same length of my original. Thanks!

I know that the new unit will not look the same as the old. They are using a new unit where the float length can be adjusted, but then they custom make the intake tube to length.

What I really need to know is how long is the sending unit supposed to be for a 120? From the flange to the bottom of the intake tube.

Check the condition of the accelerator pump boot. If it looks okay, then probably the carb was rebuilt. Otherwise it could be an accelerator pump problem.

As Bob said, a faulty ignition system (I would check your plugs first) is another likely culprit.

Driving in high should be no problem as long as you can feel the transmission going in and out of direct drive. Though if it was stuck in direct you would stall at every stop. You should feel a bit of a jerk/clunk/shift around 20-30mph which is the clutch plate engaging.

I think so too, here is what my original one looked like and it matches your original unit, the stem is shorter than your replacement.
Bob J.

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I would check, or rather replace, the points, condenser, rotor and distributor cap along with new sparkplugs and check the plug wires too as who knows how old they are. A new coil would complete the ignition system renewal and likely give you your performance back.
Bob J.