1929 Chrysler 75 Fixed hed coup

[Guest Jim Lambert]

Happy new year, I hope you all have had Christmas and new year has been good and you are well.

 

Unfortunately I did have a small crack in the head that has crack but appear to be ok when i had the motor rebuilt  but it now has increase due to an over heating issue so I am looking for a new head not sure if you can point me in the direction of where I can source one.

 

I want a good one not one that is cracked or a place that you might know that makes them I am in Australia and thought there might be some where in the US I can purchase one?

 

If anyone can assist me it would be appreciated I have attached some of the latest picture of my car, again unfortunately not drivable at present till I source a new head.

 

Jim lambert

[jrbartlett]

I don't know how available spare engine heads are for these cars. So just in case, I'll share my experience with a '29 Packard straight 8. The car developed an engine miss, and a compression check indicated that two adjacent cylinders were low. I pulled the head and sure enough the head gasket was blown out in between the two cylinders. But on closer inspection, I found a crack in the head between the two combustion chambers. I found a repair shop that specialized in repairing cracks in diesel engines. Their procedure was to put the head in a furnace, heat it to a specified temperature gradually over a specified time, then electric weld it while hot, then cool it slowly over a period of time. When finished they milled the head to correct any warping. I have since driven the car 8,000 miles with no problems, including in the ultra-hot Texas summers.

 

Regarding your overheating, I assume the engine has been rebuilt and the block thoroughly cleaned out. When I was a kid we restored a '29 Desoto roadster, with designs and technology similar to your car, just smaller. It chronically overheated. The problem was that the water was circulating through the radiator too fast. My father put a restrictor disk into a radiator hose, which solved the problem. It's possible that a thermostat would have worked just as well. Additionally, make sure you set the ignition timing correctly.

 

Most overheating is caused by minor issues. But I'll give you one example of a more complex issue. Is your valve timing correct.? My '35 Auburn overheated chronically despite a clean engine block, addition of a modern fan and shroud, correct timing, use of a thermostat or not, etc. But when we had assembled the engine, we found it was impossible to set the valve timing correctly. They were either way too advanced or too retarded, with low and unsteady vacuum readings. Finally fixed it when a babbit rod bearing failed and forced another engine rebuild. This time I had acquired another slightly better camshaft and the rebuilder sent it out for welding and re-profiling the cam lobes to match the least-worn lobe on the two camshafts. Now the valve timing is right on, vacuum is in the right range and steady, and the car runs about 30 degrees cooler. All the difference in the world, all due to worn-out cam lobes.

 

Hope this is helpful. Let us know the outcome.   

[Rusty_OToole]

Cracked head can be permanently repaired with this method. No doubt someone in Australia can do it. It is called lock n stitch crack repair.

 

 

[Ozstatman]

Vintage Motor Garage, a restoration workshop at Central Mangrove in NSW, is one place at least that does metal stitching. Did it for one of our Packard Club members a few years back on a car having extensive cracking in the block.

 

Link to VMG Website - http://vintagemotorgarage.com/index.php Click on Projects to see pic's of the Packard Being restored, unfortunately no pic's of the block stitching.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Ozstatman (see edit history)

[junkyardjeff]

I know where a couple of that era Chryslers are in a junkyard but the motors have been open to the elements for at least 50 years,if I get down there soon I will look at them.