Water jacket cover removal on 35 40 series

[Buick35]

I noticed some water stains on the drivers side of the engine block under the cover under the exhaust manifold.Dose the manifold have to be removed to remove the cover? Just wondered.I assume that's where my freeze plugs are located.Greg.

[oldbuicks55]

I am in the process of replacing my water jacket on a 34 Buick Series 60 as I also had the telltale water stain trail on the engine block.  Mine is a little bit different engine, but I would guess the replacement process is similar. It is my understanding this is a common problem on 34-35 Buicks. On mine there were about 36 bolts most of which were blocked by the manifolds.  I saw no other way to get to the jacket other than to remove the manifolds, carburetor, air cleaner etc.  Fortunately, on mine I was able to remove most of this bolted together in one piece so it wasnt too bad.  My old water jacket was a rusty mess with numerous old repairs. I broke five bolts trying to get it out and had to retap the holes.  Upon getting the old jacket out and opening the chamber I was greeted with a huge pile of crud, mostly around the front and rear cylinders.  It was a pain to clean out around the cylinders but definitely needed to be done.  I am still working on cleaning out other parts of the cooling system. I was fortunate that I was able to purchase a new jacket cover from Bob's.  It was the last one they had for a series 60 engine--I dont know what they have for a Series 40.  There are some old threads on the forum about work arounds if you cant find a replacement jacket.  It involves fabricating a metal sheet to serve as a cover for the chamber on the inside of your old leaky jacket.  I think Series 40 also had some kind of baffle with the jacket so you will have to take that into consideration.

 

I am still in the process of putting everything back together but the new cover seems to fit well although the cork gasket I bought with it had to have some adjustments made.  We shall see how everything works once I am done.  Good luck with your jacket!

[60FlatTop]

1 hour ago, oldbuicks55 said:

opening the chamber I was greeted with a huge pile of crud,

That's what the cardiologist found in me back in 2012. Had to put in five splices to get it working. Mine came out better than before. Your efforts won't be wasted.

[edinmass]

Pull the manifold. It's easy. 

 

1934 Series 56C

 

[edinmass]

 

Been there, done that. Run evapo rust as a coolant at 100 percent strength for a month before you disassemble. My jacket was on since new till 2023.....didn't brake a single bolt with the evapo rust treatment. So 75 bucks in chemicals will save you hours of problems. It's the smart move. 

 

 

Edited April 3 by edinmass (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Make sure the water jacket is perfectly flat, and the area around the holes aren't pushed in like a cone from over tightening. Use a sealer on ALL the bolts. Also, glue the gasket on the cover and let it set up over night. Be sure the block is perfectly clean. Do it once, do it right. The odds of your cover being good are small. Bob's sold me their last one for the 50 series last year. Ed

 

PS- Use copper gaskets on the manifolds. More expensive but ten times better.

 

 

Edited April 3 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Buick35]

Thanks for all the replies. I used evap-o-rust about a year ago and will probably do it again.I noticed only four bolts on my 40 series jacket and it has a down draft carburetor unlike the larger series so it might not be too bad,I hope.

[edinmass]

Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Disassemble it while as hot as possible. It’s sucks, but will help with broken bolts.