I

Engine rebuild step three:

SINGING LIKE ELVIS AGAIN

Story and photos by Angelo Van Bogart

t’s not the engine in Elvis’ beloved 1955 Cadillac, but the 331-cid
overhead-valve engine of the subject ’55 Caddy is singing “Don’t be
Cruel” again after reassembly by Troy Herman and Joe Thorn of Metal
Crafters in Stevens Point, Wis. Previous articles in this publication
highlighted the work by Metal Crafters leading to this point, including
the engine’s complete disassembly and the cleaning, machining and re-
cleaning of very part, big or small. While this work was being
performed, the necessary new parts were ordered, including an engine
rebuild kit with gaskets and “hard parts,” such as lifters, camshaft,
pistons, piston rings, etc. This final installment will cover the assembly of
the engine block and the cylinder heads and the initial firing of the
engine.

Cylinder head assembly

Assembling the cylinder heads is a good step before tackling
installation of the crank, camshaft and pistons in the main engine block,
so we’ll start here.