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Where can I find gaskets for an SE?


Alfa

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I am looking for a manifold gasket for my 1935 Airlfow 6. The engine number is SE 13168. The gasket is in 5 sections and is copper-asbestos type. I would willingly buy a full engine gasket set as the other parts would be useful too.

Does anyone know a good contact for gasket supplies for an Airflow?

Whilst I am here:- can I ask about the front windscreen sealing rubber and the cowl vent rubbers? Also the rubber gasket that fits around the steering column where it passes through the firewall? I would like to find these too if possible. It might be easier than making them.

Thank you

Adam..

Edited by Alfa (see edit history)
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Guest Kevin Baert

Couple of choices, I've had good success with Olsons gaskets in port orchard WA, and Gasket King in Ontario. Depending on which side of the 49th you're on you have options.

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Guest Kevin Baert

Adam as I have several classic Range Rovers [ dropped on head as a baby] as well as the Airflows i can tell you it's no issue to ship to or from the UK. good luck, keep us posted with progress pics now and then, I'm about to start stripping a bad resto on a 37 C17 as my winter project.

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Guest noncompos

As Kevin said, olsonsgaskets.com in Port Orchard are very well spoken of in the old tractor/ag eqpmt forums as obsolete/NLA gasket suppliers.

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Guest JohnArthurSpinks

Hi Adam,

A complete set of engine gaskets can be purchased on eBay at this very moment and I have purchased these kits before and they are of good quality.

Check out item number 370525189119 on eBay and see what you reckon.

Also the Airflow Club of America Club Store can supply new cowl vent seals as well as windshield seals that replicate the originals.

As an Airflow owner I can confirm that you wont find a rubber seal for the steering column where it passes through the firewall.

This seal is relatively easy to make though.

If you wish to discuss airflows then maybe you would like to contact me directly on email johnspinks@dodo.com.au.

Incidentally I own a 1934 Chrysler Airflow Croydon SE that came from England to Australia many years ago.

I also own a 1936 Chrysler Airflow 8 Coupe model C9.

Cheers

John Spinks

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Thank you John, my car is also a Croydon. It has the 3 bar bumpers and the raised "peak" grille on the bonnet. It also has leather seats and carpet front and rear, which I believe varied from model to model. It was supplied new in the UK. It is a good original car, although it has been off the road for some years whilst I found a replacement exhaust manifold as the old one burnt away underneath and cracked into two pieces. I now have a new manifold and need to fit it, hence the search for gaskets.

Over the past few years, I have deserted the fold and been playing with my Alfa, hence the Airfow has been languishing in the back of the garage for too long.

My father bought the car in 1969, when I was 2. So I have no recollection of it arriving. My wife and I were driven to our wedding in the car though, and I have driven all over the country in it.

Thanks for the advice on gaskets, and I shall make a new steering column seal whilst the steering box is unbolted to fit the manifold (right hand drive for those that are wondering how that could be necessary). I will try to find a photo of the old girl when I get a jiffy.

Adam..

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Guest JohnArthurSpinks

Hi Adam,

Glad you got back to me and it is good to here from another Croydon owner as we are few and far between.

An edward Fogglemyer was corresponding with me about the Croydon model over the years however he has since passed away and everything had gone very quiet up until you bobed on the scene.

Do you know of any other Croydons in England??

Cheers

John Spinks

email is johnspinks@dodo.com.au

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Hello John

I have seen a couple of other Airflows in the UK. But only that many and they do not come out very often.

One question I have never managed to answer for myself is about the Croydon cars. They were 6 cylinder SE Airflows (all 4 door??) badged as Chrysler products for the UK and assembled from CKD Kits brought over from the US. Or were they brought via Canada to avoid import duty as with the "Empire built" McClaughlin Buicks?

Anyway, I have never managed to establish whether the Croydon was indeed a 6 cylinder chrysler Airflow, or was it a De Soto Airflow badged as Chrysler for the UK? I notice that parts suppliers list Chrysler and De Soto parts separately and it would be nice to know the difference.

BTW, I have sent you an e-mail.

Adam..

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Guest JohnArthurSpinks

Hi Adam,

I am inclined to believe that the Croydon Airflow as well as the Heston Airflow (8 cylinder version) were all imported from Chrysler USA.

I believe that anything from the Chrysler range, namely Plymouth, Dodge or Desoto were all badge engineered to become Chrysler right up until about 1948.

I also believe that the badge engineering was not necessarily confined to badge changes.

I think that they went a lot further to install a 12 electrical system, turn signal trafficators, full leather trim, the '35 conversion peaked hood as compared to the standard Desoto waterfall grille in 1934 and the '35 style wheels instead of the '34 style disc wheels.

A Mr Hickinbotham who is located in England, the address escapes me at the present, has a Cherub Blue '34 Croydon Airflow.

If you are unaware of this person please let me know and I will try to find him again.

Over the years we used to communicate however he has not replied to any emails for a number of years so who knows what has happened.

Your Croydon was photographed outside what appears to be a greenhouse or a plant nursery. Is that correct?

My Croydon has seen better days and is sitting around undercover awaiting a full restoration.

This must however wait until my 1936 Chrysler Airflow C9 Coupe is completed

Cheers

John Spinks

Aussie

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Hi John

Thanks for your thoughts on the adaptations for the UK market. Certainly my car has a 12V electrical system and semaphore trafficators (now supplemented by flashing indicators on the bumper brackets). It also has the overdrive transmission, with freewheeling, but not the automatic clutch that I have read about in the handbook. It was supplied new by a company called Laughton-Goodwin in Kidderminster, in the west of England.

You are quite right about the photgraph. That was done for an article in Classic and Sports Car magazine back in the mid-eighties. The location was my uncle`s horticultural nursery, which the photographer felt had an industrial feel which complemented the art deco styling. The car still looks exactly the same today. Where did you come across the photo?

I am afraid that I have never met Mr Hickingbotham, nor seen his car.

I am intrigued by your C9 coupe. The coupe Airflows look very interesting. Do you have much work to do on it? and is that the eight cylinder engine?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Adam - Thought I'd weigh in on the origin of your Croydon. It sounds very much like the Canadian-only Chrysler model CY 6 cyl Airflow. That unusual beast used a 1934 DeSoto body and fitted it out with a Chrysler dash and 3 tier bumpers as well as unique headlights with a Chrysler emblem on a narrow bar that went down the middle of the lens. If you could locate the serial number for the body - usually on the right hand door post - I can tell you where it was built. The 1934-5 Canadian built serial numbers start with 98......(CY) or 96.....(SE) US built numbers start with 50.....(SE) You have a '35 Airflow hood conversion - done to make the rounded front of your car look more "conventional". Congratulations on owning a really interesting car. Will help with info if I can.

Jim Hazlewood

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Hi Jim

Thank you very much. I will have a look for the body number and get back to you. It would be nice to know a little more about the origin.

The headlamps are not as you describe, so it would be interesting to check on the numbers.

Adam..

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Guest JohnArthurSpinks

Hi Adam and Jim,

The English Croydon Airflow is a totally different animal than the Canadian version.

Adam the serial number should be on the inside of the left glove box door and I have an artists impression showing what it should look like however am unable to allocate enough time to find it and post it at the moment.

I will get back to you soon.

Cheers

John Spinks

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I have some NOS headgaskets for the 1934-1936 6 cylinder in the mopar wrappers still. Not much other than them though. I'm not sure which gaskets you are looking for. I think Egge Machine sells a whole set. I bought a full set from a vendor in California but I would have to look up their contact information if you want it.

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Guest JohnArthurSpinks

Hi,

Please advise the length of the head gaskets as this will determine if they fit the Airflow engine.

I will wait until you advise the length.

What do you want for them and how much to ship to Australia?

Cheers

John S

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Adam the serial number should be on the inside of the left glove box door

Hi John

I have those numbers, thank you. They are

Chassis = SEL 685 5080416

Engine = SE 13168

I have not managed to find any other body number or such.

And the model is given as Croydon, of course.

Adam..

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Hi Adam - US serial numbers run from 5068501 to 5082105 so your car #5080416 is definitely US built. The number 685 is the body number in the sequence of assembly. SE is definitely the DeSoto designation. L must be a code for export models. Maybe someone else knows whether that is a general code for all export models or specifically those shipped to the UK. The motor serial number is pure 1934 DeSoto. Hope this helps a bit more with your car's family tree.:)

Regards,

Jim Hazlewood

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Hello,

About the mentioning of chassinumbers and exportmodels - I have copies of swedish registration cards for three 1934 SE De Sotos (photos also but not the vehicles unfortunately). The serial numbers are: 5078258, 5079147 and 5078472. The engine numbers are SE 11555, SE 12113 and SE 12114. These cars where sold in the same area. No SEL letters according to the registration cards. This Croydon thing whas maybe someting for the british only, whith right hand driving. SEL could maybe stand for that?

Jan

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Guest JohnArthurSpinks

Hi to All,

Maybe the L in SEL stands for London which is the capitol of England.

i am going to try to attach a scan of the body plate details that apparently are supposed to be on the inside of the glove box door.

I will also try to send the dimensions of the holes where the plate was attached.

If this fails I will send an email to both all.

Cheers

John Spinks

Australia

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post-48606-14313872151_thumb.jpg

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Hello,

About the mentioning of chassinumbers and exportmodels - I have copies of swedish registration cards for three 1934 SE De Sotos (photos also but not the vehicles unfortunately). The serial numbers are: 5078258, 5079147 and 5078472. The engine numbers are SE 11555, SE 12113 and SE 12114. These cars where sold in the same area. No SEL letters according to the registration cards. This Croydon thing whas maybe someting for the british only, whith right hand driving. SEL could maybe stand for that?

Jan

Jan

I think you may be right that the "L" refers to export model, or even UK spec. The name Croydon (a district of south London) was used because Chrysler UK seemed to think that such names would help with the marketing of the cars. Indeed my car is a De Soto, but all Chrysler group products wore Chrysler badges for the UK, presumably so as not to dilute the brand.

John

My car has the exact plate that you show in the glovebox, with the details i gave about 4 posts up this page.

Adam..

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  • 4 weeks later...

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