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1940 lasalle vacuum lines

Started by Ben Medlock, February 11, 2018, 12:47:10 PM

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Ben Medlock

Trying to figure out routing of vacuum lines for 1940 5019 Lasalle I've been restoring. See attached picture:

I'm pretty sure I remember the metal tubing going through the firewall on the drives side in the big grommet with the main wiring harness but no matter how I twist and turn it just doesn't seem to fit. As seen in the pic I also have a Tee connector and a straight connector that looks like it plugs into something and a switching valve. This car is NOT equipt with a vacuum antenna. So, here's my questions:

1- Does anyone have a picture of the vacuum line routing or can the just expalin it?
2- What is the switch for?
3- Is there something else powered by vacuum other than the wiper motor?
4- Different subject but...... There is no hole in the body for an exterior antenna and it does NOT have running boards so where the heck does the antenna go?

Any and all help and advise is appreciated.

39LaSalleDriver

I've got a 39 and would have to double check,  but I'm not sure what the tubes are. The switch is definitely for the vacuum type antenna though.  Like you I have a weird bird in that mine has an aftermarket radio,  but no running boards or evidence that it ever had an external antenna. I have no idea what kind of antenna it would have had unless it was built into the radio box itself and I haven'tccracked it open to see.
Jon Isaacson

1939 LaSalle 5019

Brad Ipsen CLC #737

In the middle of your picture the short straight section is what goes through the big rubber donut.  The tube below that in your picture is on the engine side of the firewall.  The clip on the tube on the top of the picture goes under one of the large headed screws that hold the firewall pad to the body.  See my picture showing the tube going through the rubber donut.  A hose connects that to the tube from the vacuum pump.  That hose and tube and wire loom is held to the firewall by a double clip that has a big loop for the loom and a smaller loop (all in one clip) for the vacuum tube. This is all info from 40-52 but I think the design is similar on 40-50. Vacuum antenna goes in the left cowl in the upper corner.
Brad Ipsen
1940 Cadillac 60S
1938 Cadillac 9039
1940 Cadillac 6267
1940 LaSalle 5227
1949 Cadillac 6237X
1940 Cadillac 60S Limo

Tom Boehm

Brad is that a valve cover I see in your picture?

Brad Ipsen CLC #737

Brad Ipsen
1940 Cadillac 60S
1938 Cadillac 9039
1940 Cadillac 6267
1940 LaSalle 5227
1949 Cadillac 6237X
1940 Cadillac 60S Limo

Tom Boehm

#5
Hello Ben, Here are pictures of the vacuum tube and hose routing on my 1940 Lasalle 50 series. Like Brad said, the hose goes through a round M shaped holder attached just under the hole in the firewall, along with the wiring harness. (engine side of firewall). Note the tab on the same bolt as the oil filler tube. Some of the parts are put in place temporary for the picture. The rubber firewall grommet is not shown. Being as though you can't fine evidence of an antenna, are you sure your car had a radio originally? My car does not have a radio so the vacuum tube goes only to the wipers.

Ben Medlock

Hey Tom. Just getting back to this project this weekend and saw your pictures. I really appreciate you sending those... it helped a ton!. Got it all plumbed up not but now I have a couple of puzzling questions maybe you or someone else can help with:

1- I have the vacuum antenna switch but no evidence there was ever an antenna. Just cant understand that. Was that switch ever used for anything else that you know of?

2- Different subject but something else in one of your pics really helped me out. I saw that big clip that hooks on to the end of the shifter shaft and catches on the steering column. I've had this clip and have been wandering where it went and your picture reminded me. Any idea what the heck that clip is for???

Tom Boehm

#7
Hello Ben, That part is called an "anti rattle clip" in the parts book. If there are no holes in the left cowl for a vacuum antenna, are you sure your car had a radio originally? Did you check to see if the hole was covered over in a repaint?  According to factory literature reprinted in the 1939 40 Lasalle authenticity manual published by the CLC, the under runningboard antenna was only available on the senior series Cadillacs in 1940. The correct vacuum antenna for your car is very hard to find. For more information about the vacuum antenna, do a search for "1940 vacuum antenna" in the upper right corner of this page.

39LaSalleDriver

To follow up a bit on the antenna mystery,  on my 39-5019 as I mentioned I have no running boards or evidence evidence of a vacuum system, yet have a radio. The other day,  I noticed a wire running back and forth along the edge of the cowling where the hood overlaps. I now believe this may be my missing antenna. I'll try to remember to take pictures of it tomorrow to post up. It's possible you may have the same arrangement.
Jon Isaacson

1939 LaSalle 5019

Tom Boehm

#9
Hello Jon, What you found is not an antennae. It is called the hood lace. That wire originally ran inside of a strip of woven fabric to form a pad between the cowl and the hood. The fabric deteriorated and fell off. Same thing happened on mine.
https://www.fillingstation.com/detail/4408/Chevrolet_192939_HOOD_LACE_WWIRE_INSERT48.html

Since your car has an aftermarket radio there will not be one of the two GM antenna systems on the car. It had to have a period aftermarket antenna also. You have two options. One is to remove the radio thereby making the car factory original. If you want to keep the non original but period correct radio then you have to look into either a period correct aftermarket antenna or a modern magnetic attached antenna. Is there any mysterious screw holes in the upper body? Maybe they were covered over in a repaint. Does the radio work? They are expensive to get restored.

39LaSalleDriver

#10
Hey Tom, dogged if you weren't right...I checked on it today and it is indeed the hood lace. Shot my theory down. Personally for me, it's just a matter of curiosity. The radio on mine was a box mounted to the firewall just to the left of, and a bit higher than the heater, with an external speaker mounted to the floorboard between the heater and kick panel on the passenger side (see photo). It did not work and I'm not that interested in having a working radio so won't be having it restored. In fact, I pulled the radio box out and will leave it out, but will be leaving the dials, display, etc. in the dash. I will probably mount some sort of MP3 speaker rig behind the radio grill, and run a player from the glove box or something like that at some point.
Jon Isaacson

1939 LaSalle 5019