Guest joedepot24 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) I believe this to be a 1930's straight 8 head. Does anyone know how to value this part, I do not need it and want to sell it. This is a 27 bolt, 31 inches long, 7 1/2 inches wide and about 2 1/8 thick, date on the front is 8 31 1930. thanks Edited February 26, 2015 by joedepot24 More information (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Cadillac never made a straight-8. LaSalles used one later, but I think it was Oldsmobile-derived. I'm sure someone will recognize the water tube on the top and figure it out, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcr Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Cadillac only had V8 engines of the flat head eight cylinder variety in 1930 (from 1915 through 1948) . A flathead straight 8 was available on LaSalle from 1934 through 1936 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joedepot24 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 i searched some pictures and that is what it said. Sorry and thanks. It looks to be in good shape, I could not read the old duct tape label. It has distinct round circle on the side of the head, I thought I took pictures of that but may need to do that. Either way I hope some one could use it. thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I have seen similar heads offered at swap meets for $75 or thereabouts. If the head is straight, not warped, spark plug holes not stripped, not too rusty, someone should find a use for it, if you can find out what kind of car it fits.Probably half the car makers of 1930 offered a straight eight flathead. They were a popular type of engine although, not as popular as the four cylinder or six cylinder engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PONTIAC1953 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 it's not a pontiac straight eight head. first year for pontiac's 8 was 1933. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Looks like 1931 Packard standard eight, to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Might be Packard, the only one I could find with that style of water neck, the plugs in pairs like that and the distributor in the head. http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/photogallery4/1931-packard-eight-eng1.cfm I think it is the smaller of the two Packard models.Edit; I see West added the correct answer as I was finding this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Looks Packard to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joedepot24 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Well whatever it is, it looks to be in great shape, surface rust only. I will check all the spark plug holes and put a straight edge on it. It does not look like it has had any repairs. I am always amazed at 80+ year old parts. This one may be a good wall hanger, I will have the Model A club over in May, maybe someone there will know the part. Good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 it's not a Pontiac straight eight head. first year for pontiac's 8 was 1933.The first Pontiac 8 came in 1932. It was a V8. Funny, the usual engine procession was for straight 8's to give way to V8's, but the Pontiac sequence was just the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlander160 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Looks like 1931 Packard standard eight, to me.DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! We have a winner. Distributor mount more or less confirms it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joedepot24 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Well, that would kinda make sense, the son said he worked on the old Packards also. I had a friend that moved to Florida last year and I bought alot of his old Packard paper and books. He also built a few of the 30's packards some 20 years ago and sold them both. Thanks I will research that area. I may have a book with this head in there. Thanks for the information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcr Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 1930 through 1931 Packard cylinder heads have evenly spaced spark plug holes on the centerline of the distributor hole. This is also confirmed by the parts book illustrations all models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Not all of them. Some have uneven spaced spark plug holes. Don't know why there is a discrepancy. That is a new curiosity for me??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PONTIAC1953 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 The first Pontiac 8 came in 1932. It was a V8. Funny, the usual engine procession was for straight 8's to give way to V8's, but the Pontiac sequence was just the opposite.i said eight, not V8, yes, 1932 pontiacs were available with their version of the oakland flathead V8. the plans were already in the works for the shutting down of oakland and renaming the division, the pontiac motor division. so the 1933 pontiac straight eight was the first 8 cylinder engine, of pontiac's own design. also, the straight 8 was a much quieter, and smoother running engine than that one year left over oakland V8 was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 By pure engineering facts alone, an inline engine will run smoother than a V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Henderson Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If the underside of the head were cleaned up and a good undistorted picture was posted, a comparison could be made to head gaskets shown in gasket catalogs such as my 1940 Victor Gasket Guide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If it is a Packard head in good shape I would revise my price estimate upwards. Exactly how much it would be worth I don't know but my wild guess is $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joedepot24 Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I have read all the responses, quite a lot. It sure looks like a Packard head, the it has 3 bolts for the distributor. I have looked at it again, the treads look goo also. I have paid more than that for ford heads, maybe I pay too much. I put it with my Ford V8 parts so maybe it will make those parts better. A lot of car swap meets this season and who knows. If nothing else I may paint it for a wall hanger, it looks to be made very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If it was magnufluxed and checked out it would be worth a bit more. I got $1,000 for a complete 31 engine a few years ago. They are not really made of gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Not all of them. Some have uneven spaced spark plug holes. Don't know why there is a discrepancy. That is a new curiosity for me???I think the big eights have the plugs evenly spaced and the standard eight has them in pairs. I had not noticed that myself until I looked at this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcr Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) 1932 and up heads have spark plugs arranged like this head also with the three bolt instead of four distributor mounting. It is NOT a seventh or eighth series head. Length measurement or part # can tell which but many earlier seventh and eighth series engines were retrofitted with these heads because they were higher compression (100 Lbs.) see my previous post. The photos from the internet provided here by others show these later heads on earlier engines. It makes no difference standard or deluxe on the head design, just the size. Your bolt count is correct and measurements are for a standard eight. Edited February 28, 2015 by rcr (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If it was magnufluxed and checked out it would be worth a bit more. I got $1,000 for a complete 31 engine a few years ago. They are not really made of gold.If that was a Super Eight, someone got a really good buy (depending upon just how many years ago that was). Standard Eights don't bring much money at all. A standard eight head will be tough to find a buyer, but there might be someone out there who's interested in this high-compression version that "rcr" explains about. But, since a high-compression head from that era doesn't add much performance, and since most people don't seem to drive their cars much anymore........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 You are correct. Mine was a standard 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kaycee Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Just guessing. Maybe a Marmon model 68 or newer flathead. My Little 8 and the model 78' s are overhead straight 8 overhead valve. kaycee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I would LOVE to someday own a Marmon Little 8 victoria or roadster. The cylinder head of those Marmons, though, look nothing like the Packard cylinder head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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