Just a tip. If your going to remove the nut as in the picture, swap the adjustable wrench to the left side of the yoke, so the bench backs it up. You exert more leverage when the wrenches are over one another. Use a machinist scale or depth mike to measure from end of pinion to face of nut and use a prick punch to "pip" mark the nut and face of pinion shaft for alignment. When re-assembled you should check pinion end play anyway. The bearings could be worn enough so that they wouldn't have the proper pre-load even if you do "count your turns". PB

1/2" impact, either air or one of those 20 volt battery jobs, and heat. Let Blaster soak for A day. Heat nut on 1 or 2 flats with propane torch or small oxy/acet torch, and use impact. PB

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Buegler striper worked for me. Just need the correct size wheel.

Here is a short vid about brake shoe arcing. That's how we did drum brake jobs through the 70's. You got full shoe contact with the drum and didn't have to wait for the shoes to wear in. It was most important when cutting the drum oversized. With the advent of disc brakes on the front axle and drums on the rear, it became less important, mostly because braking imbalance would be felt more in the steering wheel and sometimes you could not adjust it out. You would have to wait for the shoes to wear in.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ZF200ZSVs

If the drums are not heat checked, cracked, or scored, I would probably not have them cut. You should measure them though, to see of they are already beyond usable limit. If you do have them cut, the proper thing to do is have the shoes "arced" to fit the drum, so when they are adjusted up you have proper shoe to drum contact. You might have some difficulty finding a shop that can "arc" the shoes. Only us old bastards used to do that.
Also, "primary brake shoe" (short) goes to the front, or the main rotation of the wheel. If the main rotation was reverse, the "primary", or short shoe would go to the rear. Unless, of course, you are working on a Chrysler with upper and lower wheel cylinders, then both shoes would be the same. Good luck.PB

p.s. check your upper and lower pins and bushings as well as kingpins and bushings, while you have the wheels off.

That car set outside a long time, someplace, aside from the road salt. What's with the spears on top of the front fenders....more holes to patch. That engine being open all those years could be a boat load of aggravation.

Many moons ago, in the 80's, I think, there was an article in (if memory serves) Old Cars Weekly, about a '56 Patrician with manual transmission. After investigation it was found to have been a special order from the factory. So, they may be out there. There was also a '56 400 for sale a few months ago that claimed to be a "factory" manual transmission car.

Overdrive adds so much to drive-ability on today's roads, even old roads. I cannot understand why anyone would want to do away with it. If the wiring needs to be cleaned up, then make it neat. Don't get in there with a pair of dikes and start chopping wires out. If the car is worth keeping, then keep it well.

For whatever reason, starter pinion did not engage flywheel ring gear teeth. Could be weak solenoid. Could be there was already worn gear teeth on flywheel or starter pinion or both. I've changed a lot of ring gears over the past 48 years, and, Unfortunately, you're going to buy parts. Have that starter rebuilt or at least replace the pinion and solenoid, and load test battery and check electrical connections. PB

Remove zerc, drill out old waxy grease (by hand), install new zerc, and grease. If need be, heat with heat gun. PB