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Thanks for the suggestion Kevin, will try that

Howard - your a wealth of information
Thank you, would not have thought to go that far back for information pertaining to 1956

Really appreciate the help gentlemen!

I rolled the car outside the other day, to clean off about 60 lbs. and 50 plus years of dirt from the underside.

when doing that I noticed the suspension seems really stiff. I am unable to move it up and down easily.

is it possible I did something wrong when replacing all the bushings? or when I rebuilt the compensator box? I followed all the instructions from Dwight and the service manual

it did teeter totter before I started all this work.

where might I begin looking to troubleshoot this problem?

I pulled the carb to identify it and source a rebuild kit. It is a Rochester 4 GC 7008610. car should have a
Carter Carburetor,
I then found evidence of mice in the intake manifold.
so I pulled it off to clean it up and look things over.
seeing how I went this far I decided to investigate what I thought was a collapsed lifter
turns out it was 2 bent push rods and a broken lifter caused by stuck valves in head. so then I pulled the head off

now I'm quite glad I didn't try to start it when I first got it home.

My question is- how do I free up the stuck valves?

and then how should I proceed? I do plan on rebuilding the motor, but I just wanted to get the car started and test all the systems out first

Attach file:

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  engine intake mouse (25).JPG (290.58 KB)


  engine bent push rods(27).JPG (455.11 KB)


  engine damaged lifter(21)_LI.jpg (348.57 KB)

Since it looks like the head is off the engine, remove the valve keeper and springs, making note of what cylinder they came from and whether intake or exhaust.

Get a dedicated pump oiler, and fill it with a rust penetrating oil. Many swear by a 50/50 mixture of ATF and acetone. Squirt the valve stem liberally, and let it soak overnight.

Take a mallet or hammer with a plastic face and tap the end of the valve to see if it moves. Repeat the application of the penetrating oil, and try, try again. I imagine you'll be having valve guides installed with new valves, but you don't wanna cause more damage with excessive force.

I'm sure others will be along with their thoughts and further recommendations.

So let me get this straight.
Mucho hours,months & dollars in, 19 pages too..
And you are just finding stuck valves?
Saving the best for last maybe!

I was wondering the same thing but I kind of work backwards or inside out myself too so glad I’m not the only one!

64avanti-What can I say? I’m a rookie to this and I’m like a squirrel

I knew there was an issue of some sorts, when a buddy and I got it running 25-30 years ago. I thought collapsed lifter then. Now I know. I have just been trying to educate myself before I tackled it. My confidence is growing as I move along

That and I have been looking for someone locally who might be able to rebuild the motor

Thanks PackardDon

Looks like the top of that lifter left of center is cracked too. You are most assuredly pulling the pan, full tear down inspect and clean, ck cam lobes clean rocker tubes etc. I did not see where you live-ie hot , or moderate climate? Car will be used in good weather? I urge you to block those heat riser cross overs if that’s the case. Recommend pertronix, modern carb with electric choke if cold and hot weather usage. Others will disagree with me here I’m sure but the 4gc have multiple issues - float design, heat soak, vapor flooding. There are good service sheets listed on the site. There are contemporary bulletins on it from other sources documenting this. Flooding can be an engine killer too. Good luck. Have fun most importantly.

I too had a few stuck valves in a long sitting V8 but must not have been as serious a stick as those because a few pushrods only had a slight bow instead of the severe damage yours took. The machine shop said a soak in the hot tank freed them up.

At the least I would remove the springs and generously soak the stems with several applications of penetrating fluid for a few days before attempting removal. I believe the valve guides are cast in place on V8 heads so not replaceable. No idea if a machine shop can bore them out and replace with anything or if the head will need to be scrapped if they are damaged beyond cleanup. With machining charges it might be cost effective to look for better heads anyway.

With being stuck that tightly, next question is if they are removed I would still expect the guide bores might need to be enlarged a few thou to be cleaned up so will valves with oversized stems be available.

d c- thanks for the feedback and recommendations. More for me to research. Someone a little while ago
offered me a Petronix distributor, at the time I passed.

HH56-thanks for your feedback, I will try to free the stuck valves, if not successful, then I will send them out for rework
Are the valves with oversized stems available from the usual venders?

Thanks again gentlemen!