56 Imperial 354 Hemi rebuild.

This is the original engine. Although the serial numbers don't "match" they are close enough to suggest that the engine and body were manufactured within days of each other. The odometer reads just over 19000 miles and based on the cars condition I believe that to be be accurate.  I had the car driving before the restoration but the engine performance was very limited. The two speed Powerflight transmission would shift but also made a clunking sound when drive was engaged. 

The engine and trans were removed from the car and separated. The engine was total disassembled. Oil technology has certainly come a long way. The oli sludge that was built up in the oil pan, heads, and block almost needed to be chiseled out. But out it came. 

The hemi heads were disassembled and cleaned. The valved were lapped. The springs were checked. The cylinders were checked and honed. The pistons were cleaned and inspected. New rings were installed.  All 16 lifters were replaced as well as all rod and main bearings. All new gaskets were used for the rebuild. The original Carter four barrel carb was cleaned and rebuilt. 

The distributor was rebuilt. The dual points were replaced with a Pertronix electronic ignitor for ease of starting and reliability. 

The rebuilt engine was matted back up to the Powerflight transmission and the pair were reinstalled on the chassis. 

The new wiring harness was intalled and the engine was test fired before the front clip was installed. Once the carb was fully filled with fuel and the timing adjusted properly the 354 fired right up and ran smother than I could have hoped for.