Monthly Archives: March 2009

MYSTERIOUS NETHER NOISES IN A 49

During the 24 years I’ve owned my 6107, it has been afflicted at least twice with a mysterious noises emanating from somewhere underneath the car. In both instances, though I continually tried to figure out where the sounds were coming from, and asked every knowledgeable car guy of my acquaintance for their advice, it was only when I finally consulted a local shop that specializes in this sort of thing that the problems were resolved.

The establishment in question is Doraville Driveline and Spring, located not far from my house in the Atlanta suburb of that name. (No telling who “Dora” was.) DD&S is one of those old time establishments, kind of mysterious and dark, filled with lots of neat looking older machinery and staffed by a bunch of guys who live and breathe drivelines, springs and related components.

The first set of noises that existed from the time I bought the car until 16 years ago was a cacophony of creaks and groans that came from somewhere underneath whenever I started out from a stop or took my foot off the accelerator pedal. It was all the more embarrassing when a sound video made at the CLC Grand National in Lancaster PA in 1993 had a shot of my car starting to roll with the aforementioned noises loud and clear. Chapter member Bob Knutson, who lives nearby, recommended DD&S, whose manager told me that replacing my rear leaf springs would cure all these ills. A new pair was ordered from the Triangle Spring Company in Pennsylvania and then installed. Following this operation, my ’49 stayed quiet for some years.

Then, about a year ago, my car’s gear shift lever began to rattle at high speeds. (Manual transmission ’49s like mine don’t have the same anti-rattle spring for the gear shift lever as Hydra-matic cars.) Taking a shot, I replaced the motor mounts, then took out the clutch which I had rebuilt and balanced, but the annoying rattle persisted.

When I drove to the Grand National in Cherry Hill, New Jersey last August, not only did the rattling become worse, but it was joined by squeaks and clanks from under the car that would come and go for no apparent reason. Though these sounded like a discordant symphony orchestra, looking under the car did not reveal anything amiss. As you can imagine, every CLC’er present at the Grand National whose opinion I sought had a different theory. One evening, with my patient wife holding the tools and several other GN attendees supervising, I took off both rear brake drums to check for broken brake springs, but they were fine. I then tightened all the rear stabilizer and exhaust system bolts. Nothing changed.

Meet Chairman Jack Hotz then arranged an appointment for me and my ’49 at his favorite garage, Majic Auto Repair in nearby Haddonfield. Raising the car on his lift, Majic’s owner could not detect a definite fault, though he was convinced the problem was with either the driveshaft or the clutch throwout bearing.

Back home, I finally did what I should have done in the first place and drove the car over to Doraville Driveline and Spring. Like Majic back in NJ, the manager thought the problem was the driveshaft, so he climbed under the car to closely examine it. He said no one part of it was in very bad condition, but the front and rear universal yokes and both universal joints were somewhat worn, which cumulatively added up to lots of wear and caused all the sounds. Also, the driveshaft tube itself was full of dents and dings, rendering it out of balance and causing the gear shift lever rattle.

A phone call bought a NOS front yoke from Ted Holcombe Cadillac Parts which I had shipped to DD&S. Meanwhile DD&S had in stock a used dent-less driveshaft tube with a perfect rear yoke along with new universal joints. DD&S put all these together. When I installed the rebuilt driveshaft in my Cad and took it for a ride all its noises were gone. Another lesson learned.

newsletter

THE EARLIEST EXTANT 49

First some background info: 1. Ray Anderson of Edgewater, Florida owns a beautiful, prize-winning ‘49 Model 7519 limousine, a photo of which graces page 2 of the September ’07 issue of the Times; 2. According to Cadillac guru and chapter member Ed Gunther in an article in the December ’02 issue of the Times “The first twenty 1949 Cadillacs manufactured in November 1948 were Series 75 limousines”.

As can be seen in the photo below of Ray’s car’s body data plate, it is body number 2 of all 1949 model 7519s built, so it is probably one of the first twenty ‘49s, if not the second ’49 overall! Absent other evidence to the contrary and unless “Number 1” shows up somewhere, it seems that Ray’s car may very well be the earliest extant ’49 Cadillac.

newsletter

SEMI TECH TIP

When I installed a new directional signal flasher to see if I could breathe new life into my squirrelly directionals, I discovered that the prongs had to be just so in order for the flasher to squeeze into the socket. Otherwise mashing the two together might do some damage. I just closely eyeballed the prongs on the old one and the new one and bent as needed. They were just different enough to prevent an easy install.

newsletter

BEWARE NON STEEL HEAD GASKETS

For a couple of years my 6107’s engine had been getting tired, as it began using oil and developed low compression on two cylinders. To rectify matters, while at Hershey in October 2007 I bought a low mileage ’49 motor from chapter member Fred DiGiovanni which I helped a more expert friend rebuild. Though the crankshaft was in perfect shape, prudence dictated .installing .020 inch oversize pistons and rings, a new camshaft, new valve lifters and re-building the cylinder heads.

However, we made the mistake of installing head gaskets made of a new, black composite material instead of the usual old-style steel gaskets. After starting, the new engine ran well but the water temperature ominously seemed to be higher than that of my old motor, hinting at faulty head gaskets.

Sure enough, a few days later I took the car out for a high speed test run and my worst fears were realized when the passenger’s side gasket blew. As I was on an interstate I couldn’t slow down very quickly, so the motor got very hot. This in turn caused a Welch (freeze) plug in the block to pop out, spilling out all the coolant and bringing the car to a disastrous halt. I had to replace the plug and both cylinder head gaskets, a lengthy job which included flushing a mixture of oil and water out of the crankcase. Luckily there was no other damage done. My ’49 is now backing on the road, again running cool and fine like a Cadillac should.

newsletter

CHASING DOWN THOSE ELUSIVE EXHAUST NOISES

Figuring out exactly where an exhaust noise is coming from is sometimes tricky. If the location of the leak is not apparent by sound alone, a first step is to visually check the manifolds and pipes to make sure there are no small cracks or breaks visible. Then, if nothing can be seen, start the engine and have an assistant run it at various speeds while you run your hand near (don’t touch!) the exhaust manifolds and, from under the car, the crossover and exhaust pipes. You can sometimes feel the hot air escaping. If still no luck, another way to possibly detect the leak is to run the engine, then pour a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil or ordinary engine oil in the carburetor and look for smoke coming out of one of the above mentioned points.

Assuming the source of the leak is still elusive, the next step is to unfasten the six manifold bolts on each side of the motor so that, using a large screwdriver or pry bar, you or an assistant can pry each manifold a small distance away from the corresponding cylinder head. Then, using a mechanic’s mirror and light, the other guy can visually check that there is no corrosion on the surfaces where the manifold mates to the cylinder head which may cause a leak that even a gasket can’t contain.

A more involved procedure is, after removing them from the motor, to check the surfaces of the crossover pipe and its flange, the heat riser and the outlets of the manifolds (particularly around the studs) for the same defects, as these are susceptible to cracking and corrosion when they get old. Also, the heat riser can develop an exhaust leak not necessarily via a crack, but through the shafts supporting the butterfly valve which extend into holes in the heat riser body. Because of this very problem, I replaced mine with a spacer. (As I live in a mild climate, my engine warms up well without the hear riser, even in the winter.)

By the way, you must have a heat riser or a similarly dimensioned spacer in its place, since the crossover pipe is engineered with the correct angles and to be just long enough to reach between the outlet of the left manifold and the inlet of the right manifold. This pipe is quite rigid, so it is almost impossible to bend it to reach the manifold in the absence of the heat riser or a spacer. In such a case, the angle of the end of the crossover pipe and its flange would not be parallel to the surface on the manifold it mates to, causing an exhaust leak.

If you still can’t isolate the exhaust leak, another possibility is that there is an exhaust leak where the INTAKE manifold’s center arm joins the cylinder head, caused by either a fault in the intake manifold or a bad gasket. This passage provides heat to the carburetor from exhaust gases to hasten warm-up (and which is regulated by the heat riser). This happened to my motor some years ago and took a long time to diagnose as it is not something one would expect.

newsletter

PITTSBURGH PAINT JOB

Rege McDonough, a resident of the Steel (and Steelers) City recently wrote to say: “A milestone has been reached! [My] 49 Fastback has officially been painted – Madeira Maroon Metallic. Hope to have it on the road in the spring!!!” The photo below shows Rege hard at work while wearing an impressive paint mask…

newsletter

60th ANNIVERSARY A LOOK BACK TO 1949

1949 was a special year for Cadillac, although the body design wasn’t changed significantly. The most noticeable difference was the grille. (The single piece windscreen was to be introduced in 1950.) However, engineers had developed a new V8 engine. This was inevitable because compression, an important precondition to improve power and efficiency, couldn’t be increased much with the traditional L-head design. The valves were moved into the heads, resulting in better cooling along with a differently shaped combustion chamber that reduced loss of combustion energy to the cooling system. Despite a small decrease in displacement, the first version of the new engine delivered 10 brake horsepower more. The basic construction underwent light improvements before some design changes became necessary in 1957.

The drawing below shows that the new engine was more compact than its predecessor. This was made possible by a flat water pump and mainly by a new crankshaft with shorter piston rods. Weight was reduced by 220 lbs.
In independent tests a maximum speed of about 100 miles per hour was measured. Acceleration time from 0 to 60 miles per hour was 15.8 seconds. In midyear Cadillac introduced the 62 Coupe de Ville, the first hard top model industry-wide. It was priced at $3,497. The cheapest model (61 Club Coupe) bore a price tag of $2,788, and for $4,839 you could buy the top model Fleetwood 75 Business Imperial. Of 92.554 cars built, 80,880 were registered during the calendar year, resulting in a market share of 1, 67% and 18th place in sales ranking.

Power steering and power brakes (not really essential) were not available in 1949. The optional standard heating system came with only one heater under the front seat, while the costlier deluxe Automatic Heating System had two under-seat heaters. This seems curious today, but don’t forget that until the late 1950s buyers could order a new car without a heater.

The chassis was state of the art: knee action shocks, hydraulic drum brakes, coil springs in front and leaf springs on the rear axle. Buyers could choose between a 3-speed manual transmission and a 4-speed Hydra-matic, both with column shift.

Hydraulic windows and front seat were optional on Series 62 coupes and sedans, but standard equipment on Series 60 and 75 Sedans, the Convertible, the Coupe de Ville and Series 75. The hydraulic pump is essential on convertibles to move the top up and down. The Convertible also came with a full leather interior. (Cloth would soak water in an unexpected shower.)

That 1949 has a special significance in Cadillac’s history is underlined by the fact that there is a special interest group within the American Cadillac & LaSalle Club. This group even publishes its own magazine, the ’49 Times.

Ed. Note: Michael is one of 2 Forty Niners Chapter members in Germany. Besides owning a gorgeous ’49 convertible (which can be seen on page 7 of the March ’05 issue of the Times), he is the editor of “Pre-‘50 Magazine”, a German language publication for enthusiasts of American cars of that era, in which this article first appeared.

newsletter

FORTY NINE CADILLACS 60 YEARS OLD 49ERS 9 YEARS OLD

2009 marks the 60th year since ’49 Cadillacs were built and the 9th year since the founding of the Forty Niners Chapter of the CLC, so we’ll celebrate both! CLC’er Michael Kistinger of Bottrop, Germany has an article that begins below commemorating the greater event, while I’ll blow the Chapter’s horn right here.

Founded in 2001 with 80 members, the Chapter now has more than 240 members in 38 US states, 3 Canadian provinces and 6 other countries (Australia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland and Spain). Collectively, we own 259 1949 Cadillacs, including 52 convertibles, 51 Series 62 4-doors, 50 Series 62 2-doors, 29 Series 61 2-doors, 28 Series 60 Specials, 16 Coupe de Villes, 16 Series 75 limousines, 14 Series 61 4-doors and 3 Series 86 Commercial Chassis (hearses, flower cars). In addition, Chapter members also own three 1948 Cadillacs and three 1950 Cadillacs, both of which are almost-as-good as a ’49.

Two of our British members live in Scotland: Dan Gardner of Glasgow and Marcus Dean of Edinburgh, both of whom own 2-door coupes. Dan recently wrote to say that “I met Marcus earlier this year in the first meeting of the Scottish sub-chapter of the ‘49ers”. Dan did not mention whether they also imbibed a wee dram of Scotland’s most famous product to commemorate that event as well as their cars’ 60th birthday.

We’re getting short on members’ articles again, so please write-up anything regarding your ’49 Cadillac experience, including restoration and repair tips, “my pride and joy and how I found or restored it”, ’49 trivia or anything else of interest. Don’t worry about style or grammar; we’ll fix it up.

Since the chapter was founded in 2001, 33 issues of the ’49 Times have been published every March, June, September and December. If you want one or more back issues, these are available postpaid in the USA for $2.50 each, $2.75 each in Canada and $3.00 each everywhere else.

If you have not yet paid your 2009 dues of $8, please do so now or this will absolutely, positively be the last issue of the Times you will receive. Send a check for that amount payable to me to:

newsletter