News:

Due to a technical issue, some recently uploaded pictures have been lost. We are investigating why this happened but the issue has been resolved so that future uploads should be safe.  You can also Modify your post (MORE...) and re-upload the pictures in your post.

Main Menu

Removing Pins From 1937 LaSalle Hood Ornament & What Color Vanes

Started by carlhungness, June 23, 2019, 02:35:51 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

carlhungness

       Does anyone have experience in removing the pins that hold in the aluminum vanes that are on a '37 LaSalle hood ornament. I have a good hood ornament that needs re-chroming, and I also have an extra set of vanes that were removed from another hood (seemingly '37) ornament.
       However my spare set has the pin holes in a different location than my original hood ornament.
       It appears as though someone almost successfully drilled through the two main pins that hold the vanes in and wobbled out the holes slightly. One would need a long drill and a keen eye to center punch the original pins, so thought I'd ask for advice before I start drilling.
        I can surely make new vanes out of aluminum stock, but getting the old ones out isn't a job I look forward to.
        At the recent Cad national I saw two 37 LaSalles, one had golden vanes, the other had black ones and mine are raw aluminum. A friend told me that years ago he went to great lengths to try and ascertain the proper color of the vanes with no luck. Anyone know what colors were available?
     

Cadillac Jack 82


My understanding is they're supposed to be gold.  Mine are anodized gold.
Tim

CLC Member #30850

1959 Cadillac CDV "Shelley"
1964 Cadillac SDV "Rosalie"
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado "Sienna"

Past Cars

1937 LaSalle Cpe
1940 Chevrolet Cpe
1941 Ford 11Y
1954 Buick 48D
1955 Cadillac CDV
1955 Packard Clipper
1957 Cadillac Series 62
1962 VW Bug
1962 Dodge 880
1966 Mercury Montclair
1967 Buick Wildcat Convertible
1968 Chevy Chevelle SS
1968 Plymouth Barracuda
1977 Lincoln MKV

carlhungness

       Since you're not liable to see two in a day unless you are at a car show, I'll do
mine gold and I'll have to be at least 50% correct. On second thought I should also check the color on the reproduction ornament.
  Even if it's black I still think I'll do the gold. Making new vanes is a going to be a bit tricky because the middle one has a tapered thickness at the end of its slot. And the long vane has a lengthy slot that has to be dead straight. A milling cutter would be the best way to cut the slot but I'll have to resort to a jewelers's saw and judicious filing, which I like doing anyway.
   Removing the pins is the most surgical procedure and I hope I can cautiously and
successfully drill them out. My friend Karl Kinser did so and replaced the pins with allen grub (set) screws.

DaveZ

Repro is black and he has said he has only seen them in black.  Personally I doubt there was an option for something like that for a LaSalle in 1937. I have two. One has aluminum fins and had traces of black paint. The other one I have is solid cast with steel fins that was chromed so maybe they had two sources of manufacture?  I know a guy who has one upstate and you can still see traces of black on the fins and they are aluminum.
Regards,
David Zitzmann
1932 345B

carlhungness

       I'm want to pretend I forgot all about hearing from you. I've seen two in gold and I like the gold, but I do like the black. I'd also like Admiral Blue body color. I'd also like clear vanes that would light up when the headlights are on, but I can't figure out how to light them.
        Maybe I'll have to go with black or I'll feel guilty because I know black is original.
        But I have no qualms about stuffing a 500" Cadillac under the hood or putting an air-conditioner in the trunk, compressor and all, run by a 12 volt motor and I am thinking about hiding the alternator under the car next to the drive-shaft, hooking it up to a pulley on the shaft and ty-wrapping an extra belt on the unit so I don't have to remove the shaft when I blow a belt.
        I'd like to put the power steering pump in the trunk too and it isn't out of the realm of possibility with yet another electric motor.
        I'd prefer no fan at all but I can't make that happen. The less I have hanging on the engine the better I'll like it, and it'll give folks a smile.

Tom Beaver

I have replaced the fins on the 38 hood ornament, three different ones actually.  The original fins, as they came from the factory,  were black.  Mine looked to be a light bronze/gold color but when the fins were removed the parts that hadn't been exposed to the sun were black.  Bruce Berghoff also verified that they were black from the factory.  The process that the factory used was susceptible to UV damage that slowly turned the color of the fins to what  you see today.

As for removing the pins that hold the fins in place, first of all it appears that they were never intended to be removed and the method I found that worked the best damages one of the fins.  My first try was to drill out the pins, which didn't work well because the pins are put in at an angle, and I think by hand because the angle doesn't seem to be the same from unit to unit.  The best way I found was to mount the hood ornament in a milling machine and very carefully mill the aluminum out from around the pin just enough to get a hold of it with some needle nose pliers.  The ones I tried the pin came out fairly easily.  I didn't mind destroying the fin because I made all new ones since mine were a bit scuffed up.  The old aluminum stock is exactly 1/8 inch, however, the new 1/8 inch stock you get is slightly undersize and the fins will be a bit loose in the hood ornament.  My solution was to have them powder coated black.  The couple thousands thickness of the powder coating made them fit just right.

Tom Beaver

carlhungness

       As I was  interrogating Karl Kinser on removing the pins his eyes rolled and he too was mulling, "Were they angled?" Your suggestion is the best I've heard. I have a set
of fins that were removed and in no way do the holes line up with the hood ornament I have, there's an inch plus difference.
      Awfully glad you have replied, I'll see if I can borrow the use of a Bridgeport and remove the material around the pins to free up the plot. Thanks so much.
      I agree with the extra width on the powder coat, normally it is a pain but this time it is fortunate.

Cadillac Jack 82


Hmm interesting story on the black.  Although that may be correct I think I've grown partial to the brass/gold color.
Tim

CLC Member #30850

1959 Cadillac CDV "Shelley"
1964 Cadillac SDV "Rosalie"
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado "Sienna"

Past Cars

1937 LaSalle Cpe
1940 Chevrolet Cpe
1941 Ford 11Y
1954 Buick 48D
1955 Cadillac CDV
1955 Packard Clipper
1957 Cadillac Series 62
1962 VW Bug
1962 Dodge 880
1966 Mercury Montclair
1967 Buick Wildcat Convertible
1968 Chevy Chevelle SS
1968 Plymouth Barracuda
1977 Lincoln MKV