Technical Doing a valve job the old way

Porcelain.

 

the porcelain is still in pretty good shape, too.

 

I know, I was compelled to do some reading on it. Not much out there. Why were they not cast/forged with the crank? Were there different weights for different displacements or vehicles?

 

The flat head Cadillac motor was used in WWII tanks, there use to be a lot of new Army Surplus ones around, all were stored in metal airtight containers.

 

if you look at the counterweights, they are wider than the main part of the crankshaft, and would interfere with the grinder when grinding the rod journals. So the weights have to come off for regrinding the crank! fun stuff. They could probably be made smaller, at the expense of a little more engine vibration...and it's a Cadillac, so we can't have that

 

I was in a Canadian reserve tank regiment in 1959, and they changed our tanks from the Sherman to the Honey/Stuart tank, some of which had the twin Caddie flathead engines.
That was the first time in my life I went flying. The driver was not aware of a deep, narrow ravine, we went airborne and hit the other side hard enough to break the tank. We were banged up, but lucky no one was seriously hurt. These tanks actually used one of the first versions of the 4 spd hydramatic transmission.
It is amazing how much of the engineering and development that took place in the war transferred into the commercial market when the war was over.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M3_Stuart

Bob

 

I have no doubt the mill will perform just fine. looks to be a lot of fun. I commonly buy old M Farmall tractors that have locked engines. The exhaust is pointing at the sky and they get water in there. and you will find one cyl rusty and corroded. I will remove the piston sleeve and rod as a unit. And replace it with a sleeve piston & rod assembly from a different engine. and if the replacement wasn't burning oil I don't replace the rings. Just a thorough cleaning and sometimes a light cyl hone. just clean and lap the valves. And I then actually work those tractors hard. The older engines had lower compression ratios and 4 ring pistons and are more forgiving than newer high compression high RPM mills.

 

dropped it back in today, we might be able to see if it will fire. Still have to get the transmission etc back in, and rebuild the carb, and a few other things...battery cables, etc. Might try to get the radiator in and plumbed and see if it leaks water. Lots to do, but we'll get it.

 

Does the LaSalle have the shutters in front of the radiator, operated by the thermostat in the radiator, or did they do it differently than Cadillac?

 

there was some kind of funky thermostat thing in the top radiator tank, but it's been bypassed. No thermostat. We'll have to do some cardboard in front of the radiator if needed...

 

It's probably just an optical illusion, but it looks like there's room for a second engine under there.

 

could be!

Anyways, last night I put the carb back together (after my brother took it apart and cleaned the parts, then left for a date). I also put the radiator hoses on, and filled it with water, and fixed a couple minor leaks. Today I got to go visit mom, which took most of the day. When I got back, I put the driveshaft back in, and wired up the battery and a coil, and a couple temporary fuel lines.

 

Jim, that thing is smooth....

 

yup! and I haven't done any adjusting yet. set the timing with an ohm meter, and adjusted the idle screws by guess before starting it.

 

I figured it was time to go for a drive, so I stuck the brakes back together this afternoon, mounted one more of the new Tornel tires, hooked up the throttle and shifter linkage, and relocated the gas tank. There is no master cylinder, but the parking brake kind of works. So I fired it up, backed out, and drove halfway around the shop. Drives nice.

 

My man, my man! That is something I would do.

Ben

 

Hey Jim, not sure if you indulge in toxic libation, but that would have earned someone a cold and frosty beverage around my house! Did you get a video of the "WOOO HOOOO!" after the first turn?

 

nope, I was thinking about how I was going to stop...so no video. I wanted to record it, but I didn't prepare properly. Oh, well.

 

Such is life. Now we can all make up how it happened in our head, but there is nothing like being there! Guess I will never understand the fascination some have for video games.

 

I got to sit on a milk crate, too

 

Classic

 

Had a 48 Fleetline Aerosedan I was working on with that same spec. Problem is, it worked fine until I really needed it. Then bump went the front bumper into the S10's back bumber across the street as I tired to re position the 48 in the driveway. It's said that my expressions went something like this . Followed by all of us busting up laughing . No damage done to either vehicles .

 

Local guy here has a LaSalle in his 32 roadster,uses it in the great race. Bill Harper.

 

Hi Jim.Looking and sounding good.Please keep the updates coming as you are able.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

If the trajectory of cool vehicles continues, I can't wait to see what you and your brother come up with for the next event you participate in after the 2018 Lemons.

 

The engine has been running good, now we need to get the rest of the car working well. We installed the fuel system, electrical system, cooling system, brake system, etc. First test drive, it acted like it vapor locked, so we added an aux electric fuel pump, to see if that would help. About to go on another drive, see if it will make it into town. It steers, stops, accelerates pretty well, all the lights work, etc. No temperature gauge yet, and the fan belt is flaky, so it's an adventure....

 

well, it was an adventure...kind of short distance, but took a while, Made it about 2-3 miles, got a bit too hot, had trouble keeping fuel flowing. took over an hour to get home, with several stops along the way to let things cool, put more water in the radiator, fill the carb with fuel, etc. The water pump is leaking pretty badly, so we'll see about putting the new seals in it. And check the radiator for proper flow. The pump does seem to be pumping, there's water movement in the radiator top tank. Also the belt for the fan is not nearly the right size, so it's not doing much to move air across.

It's getting there...the electric system, brakes, steering, tires, etc all seem to be working well.

 

I'm surprised there haven't been any comments about putting some restriction in the radiator hoses so that the coolant slows down and has time to do its job.....



There are many that still incorrectly believe that is a cure for overheating.