Hydramatic vs. standard shift Crankshafts

Yes,if you were to take a crankshaft from a Big 6 narrow block[48-50] or eight[50-older]it probably will not be useable for a hydro unless you drill it.I am trying to think about a story about this??/I think it was a story from Gus Souza about Berney Seigfried,and he had this situation of needing to drill the crankshaft for this bushing and doing so on the car and things went bad and it broke his arm??.Anyone else know of this story,help me out??:eek:

Clutch guy wrote:

Yes,if you were to take a crankshaft from a Big 6 narrow block[48-50] or eight[50-older]it probably will not be useable for a hydro unless you drill it.I am trying to think about a story about this??/I think it was a story from Gus Souza about Berney Seigfried,and he had this situation of needing to drill the crankshaft for this bushing and doing so on the car and things went bad and it broke his arm??.Anyone else know of this story,help me out??:eek:

I got THIS story many years ago from Dave Nelson, Formerly from NY State, now a member of the Orange Blossom Chapter. I know I have forgotten several details, but...This is what I remember.

When he returned from the military in the fifties (Korea?), his mother had a 50 stick shift. He decided to update for her it to a Hydro. Working in the car under the dashboard with the floor pan out. After passing the point of no return (Cutting the crossmember out) he discovered the crank difference. Working in the car, he tried to use a 3/4" drill to do the job. Then got a bright idea.. Why not just start the engine and let it do the work..just hold the drill stationary. All went well until the drill jambed and the next thing he knew. he was outside the car badly bruised , perhaps worse..Somehow he did mange to get the job done, but with a time out to heal.

I recall laughing until I had tears running down my face when he told the story. That story may have appeared later in an old issue of the WTN. Another one of those "Garage Tips"..Not to do..:eek:

I think most of us consider a thread "hijacked" if it either turns into a rant with personal insults (and I've taken the pledge on this, and you won't see it coming from me in the future), or if someone just changes the subject completely. I, for one, am not offended if someone chimes in with his own version of the same problem- it simply gives wider perspective and more approaches to the situation. With the "quote" feature, its easy to direct an answer to either of the versions without creating confusion.