Yes, guides can be replaced with the block in the car, and the exhaust valves see more abuse.

I also recommend carefully measuring what you currently have before you do anything else.

On my '37 120, the exhaust valves were very loose in the guides. It turned out that at some point in the engine's past, the Packard exhaust valves were replaced with Pontiac exhaust valves. All of the head diameters were the same, so the engine ran, but the stems were .020" smaller in diameter! Once I sourced the correct valves, the clearance between valve and guide was perfect!

All that to say, a lot can happen in the 85 years since the car left the assembly line, so before you replace parts you may or may not need to, I recommend ensuring you understand what is in the car now! Best of luck!

Don, it's looking great!

Howard, thanks again! I always forget about the owners manual even though I keep it in my glove box. Between the owners manual, shop manual, and parts book, I can usually get the answer, if I remember to look at all three!

The pump is a Packard part. It is the rear oiler that is leaking. I'll call the rebuilder, and see what they say. Thanks!

Don gives good advice. Definitely plug the galleys.

Was the engine turning over before you started this process? If not, some Kroil or similar in the valve guides will also help.

The (edit) compressor you have should work perfectly, but I have also had success with a modern valve spring compressor, rented from AutoZone. I don't have any videos to should you, but all flatheads are similar enough, any video of removing a valve on a flathead inline motor should steer you right. Good luck!

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Howard is the winner, or at least partially. I did find that the hanger behind the muffler had come loose, which was allowing the rest of the exhaust to flex too much, which caused the joint between the exhaust pipe and front of the muffler to start leaking. I fixed all that. I still noticed a minor exhaust leak when I drove it today, but it was definitely quieter when I first started driving it, so overall an improvement.

I did notice some ticking today that seemed louder than usual when I had my head under the hood looking for exhaust leaks. I wonder if I should adjust the valves again. I have already put 2,500 miles on the engine since I did the in-frame overhaul in 2020, so it is probably time. I was also looking at my records, and it's about time for an oil change too, so maybe I'll do it all at once.

On the water pump: I have an oiler on the water pump for the bushing that sits behind the packing. Am I supposed to use grease of some nature there, instead of just motor oil? Or is there a special oiler with a check valve in it? [The parts book does call for an oiler, P/N 300072] The reasons I ask - my old water pump had a grease zerk jammed in where the oiler should go. When I replaced the water pump, I put a spring cap oiler in. Now, every time I put water in the radiator, it pushes whatever I add right back out of the oiler. I put just a little bit in the top of the radiator yesterday afternoon, maybe a pint, so that I could see anti-freeze in the top of the tank. This morning, all of that coolant leaked out of the oiler and all over the floor. It seems to find an equilibrium when the static height of water is just below the upper hose connection in the radiator. The upper hose is still full (I have a gano filter installed so I can see it). Any thoughts?

Last, I finally installed the USB charger that BigKev is producing. 5 stars review. I used one of his provided terminals, for the ground wire, and one with a smaller ring for attached to the keyed terminal on my ignition switch. I wanted a low profile installation, so I used the provided 3M strip on put it on the steering column just behind the clamp, so it's nearly invisible. Works great, and charged my iPhone perfectly! Again, 5 stars!

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Gauge cluster and firewall both look great! I may have missed it earlier, but where is your water temp gauge?

I've never owned or worked on a '40, but on the 37, you cannot get the bracket for the center link out of the frame without removing one of the coil springs. The pin that holds the bearings in has to come out from the top, which means removing the center steering link and its associated bracket out of the frame IOT remove the pin that allows you to service the bearings. In order to get that assembly out, you have to remove part 15.502 in the drawing with the bearing circled in red. Not sure the official name, but I call 15.502 the lower control arm. Removing that lower control arm is removing the spring, or at least completely de-tensioning it, so the lower control arm can be removed. I posted a link to a writeup from my project blog earlier in this thread with the detailed steps. Spring tension absolutely has to be released, unless someone knows something I don't. I've done the job twice, once with no body on the frame and once with the body installed, and I had to remove a spring each time.

On the '37 springs, it is pretty easy to safely remove the spring given the very deep upper coil buckets.

Edit: P/N 15.502 is called the ARM ASSEMBLY, Wheel (front) support (with pin & bearing)

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Don, thanks. I missed the link; that's what I get for trying to read PInfo on my phone. Birdie is coming along great!

Howard, the area you have circled in red originally used bicycle style bearings. When they fail, there is a lot of clunking and slop in the center steering arm.

CartRich, replacing the bearings requires nothing more than a floor jack and hand tools, although you do have to remove one coil spring. I've done it twice now, on the two '37s I've owned, and it's a weekend project.

If the bearings are bad, you can source modern replacements at Napa, etc. The PN I used (qty 2) was 6203-FFA.

If you decide to tackle the job, details are in my blog - post #55.

What’s the source, for the guy that searches door hinge screws in 10 years?