The 322 Nailhead does indeed show up in the 56 through 59 Chevy truck shop manuals. The compresssion ratios used were lower than those used on Buick cars. Most were supplied with 2 bbl. carbs, but a 4 bbl was available in 57. The 322 engine had a name in the Chevy truck engine lineup (??Power Master on the 2bbl type or Super Power Master for the 4bbl version).
These 322s were only available in the very large truck and school bus models in 56 and 57 (?? about 1-1/2 ton and up). In 58, the Chevy 348 came out as the in-house replacement big truck engine. But the 322 continued on in the largest school bus chassis models for 58 and 59. I like to tease Chevy guys that the first big block V8 they ever had came from Buick!
The transmissions were mostly manual 4 spds. though a 6-speed Allison automatic (?? Power- matic) was available in 56.
Otherwise just about all the engine parts data and instructions in the shop manuals read just like the Buick manuals. Shared parts used the same part numbers under Buick or Chevrolet numbering systems.
These Nailhead engines show up as well under Chevy in MOTOR's Truck manuals from the 50s & early 60s. The MOTOR's manuals and NADA Used Car Value guides show the model applications that could have used the 322.
The use of Pontiac engines in GMC models is well documented in MOTOR's too. Though several guys have told of Buick engines going into GMC's, I have never been able to trace down documentation on such a combo.
Sorry for the haziness on some of the data. I am not around the shop manuals right now to confirm the accuracy of a few things. It is good to see one of these engines surface here on the board. This appears to be the first time an owner has reported having a truck-style Nailhead. Now the temptation is there to stop at the junkyards and check under the hood of every late-50s Chevy grain truck and school bus to see if it has Nailhead under the hood.
What has been, can be again. (Bob Wills, 1942)
Bookmarks