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38 V-16 gasket and parts suppliers?

Started by harvey b, October 23, 2007, 06:49:32 AM

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harvey b

hello all,have recently purchased a 38 caddy with a V-16 motor,am trying to get it running,car has sat for 20 years and seems to have some stuck valves,no compression on the stroke?,have had the plugs out and gave a shot of Marvel Mystery Oil down the holes.any one had any luck getting the valves to loosen up on a motor of this type. i am going to pull the motor this winter and have it rebuilt,need to know if the gaskets and parts are available,checked coopers site they dont list a lot of stuff for this motor,will phone today and see what he has.any leads appreciated. thanks Harvey Bowness
Harvey Bowness

Terry Wenger CLC #1800

Hi Harvey:

Olson's Gaskets in Port Orchard, WA. should have all the gaskets you need. Egge Machine in CA. has or can make valves, pistons, rings etc. GM 350 rod bearings will work. No one is making new Main Brgs. as of now.  They must be rebabbited. Cam bearings can be put together from several sets. I found another set of valve springs that will work, etc.etc. Hydraulic lifters are unavailable.

There is no one supplier where you can buy a kit. Email myself and/or Brad Ipsen for more information. We have done these engines recently.

Terry Wenger

Rusty Shepherd CLC 6397

Harvey,
I'd recommend buying a copy of the club's Authenticity Manual for the '38-'40 V-16 cars which was compiled by Brad Ipsen, Terry Wenger and several other CLC members who are all owners of one or more of those very rare and remarkable cars.  Brad and Terry are CLC technical advisors for the late Sixteens and both of these men know everything there is to know about them.

Doug Houston

As already well stated, your supplies for these engines have to come from all sorts of places. It's about 43 years ago that I built the engine in my '39 coupe, and it was an intensive study then, to find parts.

I did find that the cam bearings for a Cummins 12 cylinder diesel engine were exactly right for the Cadillac. The seal kits for the water pumps are the ones for Pontiac 6 and straight 8 engines until 1954. Some of the mains are the same as on the Cadillac V8 of that year.

harvey b

hello all,thanks for the quick replies and tips,this afternoon we finally got the old girl to fire up,seems it wasnt turning over fast enough,my buddy suggested we tow it behind my truck,so we rigged a jerry can to one of the fuel pumps andgot some fuel to the carbs and we gave it a tow about 30 feet and it fired right up,it did have a knock from a stuck valve,the choke was  fluttering when it was running,so we let it idle until it warmed up and the valve seems to have let itself loose,now it is running smooth and no knocking noises from it,i am planning to rebuild the motor,but first i am planning to drive the car as-is,and rebuild the motor in the winter of 09.if i couldnt get it to run i was going to do it this winter.amazinly the car has sat since 1982,now to hear it run you would not think it has been that long,it idles at about 200 RPM,you cant even hear it running,when it did start i thought it wasnt running.the car has 44,000 miles on it,thanks for now,will be back with more questions.  Harvey Bowness
Harvey Bowness

Terry Wenger CLC #1800

Hi Harvey:

The starter on those V-16 are very slow turning. Remember, it has 16 cylinders, so it fires twice as many times per revolution. The starter doesn't need to turn as fast as a V-8. It is one powerful starter though.

Terry

TJ Hopland

I suppose a v16 would be like having a 2 stroke v8.   I hope to have a chance to play with one someday.

If you were towing the thing with another car I assume this is not a mint show car?  If you dont mind and have the time I would like to see some pictures of the condition of the car and what you found to be the 'market value' of your car in its current condition.  Were you looking for one of these or did you just happen upon this one?  Im just curious if Im going to have to win the lottery to have any hope of ever getting one of those type of cars.
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason