Too bad, looks like a nice coupe.

Perhaps some info about actual temps involved would help.
Is there actual boiling? Are we looking just at a guage indication that may or may not be correct?
The new handheld thermometers are inexpensive and can
give an idea of actual conditions.
Actual ignition timing at idle should be pretty advanced
compared to static timing, due to the vacuum advance, slow timing certainly allow them to heat up pretty fast.
Also, a fairly small difference in clearance at the water pump rotor could make a BIG difference in flow at idle, does the heating only happen when actually idling, or does
increasing RPMs help any?

Also a good idea to mark the wheel and hub to put the
wheel back on in the same relative position.

How long did the engine crank over trying to start and compression testing? Was the throttle open during the
comp test?
The reason I ask about the duration of cranking is that
the valve lifters need enough time to fill, valves can
cause poor compression by not opening enough as well as
not closing all the way. A relatively small portion of
the oil flow goes to the lifter gallery.

Yes, they certainly weren't good on the hiway with
the windows down either, but as you mentioned they
did keep alot of sun out of the car.























t

My Dad had a 55 Pontiac station wagon with AC, the ones he
put in were on a wooden shade roller.

Fred,
Since I did the very same thing a couple of days ago,
I think you may have mixed two separate threads.
Bob has the 14th series with no compression,michael=
Twelve has 38 super with an engine vibration.

I think the 10 mms were supposed to "warm up" faster at cold start, proved to not really have much of an effect.

I agree with Fred K. and HH56, Have the things we have
already mentioned been rechecked? It does not seem likely
that an engine that had some cylinders with that low a comp number would idle that smoothly, also, has the timing been
rechecked with a timing light??
Since it seems time for a "hail mary" what is the point gap?
If the point gap is very wide, the dwell time would
be too short, not allowing the coil time to "saturate" this
would allow a nice fat hot spark as it is cranked over but
not as the rpm increases.
In short, has been said we really need some specific
numbers.
compression carefully run, as has been said above, throttle
and choke wide open and at least 3 compression strokes.and numbers for each cyl.

Spark, distributer carefully checked (preferably with the
dist off the car, checking not only point gap but play in bushings and cent. advance.

Fuel, not only does the carb get fuel at cranking but is the
"power section plugged, is the float set properly?
Although these would take time and therefore money to check,
it would hardly compare to tearing into the"bottom end".

Good catch OD!