1940 LaSalle - Need recommendation on engine rebuilder

[Bob Nelson]

Hi folks,

I'm new here to the forum but was a CLC member years ago.  I have a 1940 LaSalle Model 50 Coupe that I have owned for 42 years, since I was a kid!  It's a rare one, as it has body number 1531 which is 4 numbers past what is in all the books of 1527 made!  I do know that it was made in July 1940, so it may be the last LaSalle coupe.

It runs great, but is getting tired as it has a lot of crankcase blow by.  It smells so bad in the car that it's getting to where I can't drive it for more than a few miles without getting overcome with fumes.

I have been putting off getting the engine rebuilt for years, but it may finally be time.

My question is, who can I trust to get it done right in the upper midwest?  I am in Pella, IA 50219.

Thanks,

Bob Nelson
641-620-8108

[Jim Stamper]

     J&M Machine in Southboro, Mass is the place to go. You can go to there website and see a Cadillac flathead V-8s going through the rebuilding process. Enlightening. They are a ways away, but you might plan a trip around it or know someone going that way.

     They recently resurfaced my flywheel  and balanced the clutch flywheel assembly. We scheduled it so we could wait for it and not make two trips, and were able to watch the process being done and got the tour afterwards. Not a speck of dirt or metal chips in the whole place . They do it all on site with modern equipment, a full engine service shop specializing in old engines, babbitting to crankshaft rebuilding and valve inserts.

     If there is any way you can make it work for you call John at 508 460 0733. Check out the 346 engine rebuild on their site even if the distance can't be overcome.   www.jandm-machine.com

                                                                           Jim Stamper CLC#13470

[Mike Simmons 938]

Jim- Those guys do exceptionally fine work- wish they were closer to CA. In any case, do you have any idea what they charge for a complete rebuild- say, without the need for sleeves and crack repair??
Mike Simmons

[Jim Stamper]

     Hi Mike;

     You would want to call John and talk to him. He can tell you how much each step is and I think you can come out with a very accurate estimate. If I remember right, I think that engine on the site was a worse case scenario as I remember, requiring sleeves, crack repair, etc. This was sometime ago so the numbers and exact job requirements are rusty to me, but give him call. The hardened seats they do may be a good idea too.

     When we were there it was fun trying to identify the old engines waiting for pickup. All correctly painted and looking new.

     There is a company called " Engine Movers" or some such thing that ships engines I heard about someplace. It is supposed to be reasonable as these things go. Maybe someone else has some information on the site.

     Call John, my flywheel surfacing and flywheel and clutch balancing was $120 and is less than 1/2 gram out now. It started at 10 grams, and it turned out John had to change the flex plate and do some other extra work. The cost remained what he quoted on the phone, and it didn't take two trips to do it. Very accommodating. And I am glad I took along two flywheels and an extra clutch, as he found my old one had a sprung finger, which I should have noticed, it was obvious.

                                                               Good luck;   Jim Stamper CLC#13470

     

[Fred Zwicker #23106]

I used Shepard's in Akron, Ohio.  They not only rebuilt my 39 LaSalle engine, they ran it on a stand with radiator, allowing it to warm up and break in. When I installed the engine, it started right up and is like new. Shepard's specializes in rebuilding flat head Cadillac engines and they know what they are doing. Larry Shepard is the owner and is .
very knowledgeable about the correct color and even if engine has a crack, Shepard's can handle it. Call them at 330-644-2000 or email to sae1951@neo.rr.com

Fred