Re: Overheating-1941 120

Posted by HH56 On 2025/3/14 9:16:14

As to detailed service and removal instructions, about the only halfway decent writeup in a service manual on servicing the tube that I can remember seeing is in the 51-4 radiator and cooling section. The info is basic and shows the engine out of the car. One bit of caution: The article shows using a wire hook inserted iin one of the cooling holes to pull the tube out. In long time unserviced tubes there is a good chance the tube will be stuck in the block. Start trying to pull very gently because if you go in and pull hard on a stuck tube with just the wire it will most likely only result in a torn hole. If it doesn't seem to want to move you may need to use a long very thin stiff piece of metal such as a broken bandsaw blade to work down and around the outside of the tube to break up packed debris or calcification. Hopefully yours is still the original brass tube because a scarier situation is if you find someone installed one of the cheap aftermarket steel tubes that has now rusted into pieces.

As far as detailed info on what body items need to be removed, I don't think Packard ever wrote anything. Like so many of their early service articles and procedures, they only covered with any detail a completely new procedure.. If a new model year service operation was still similar to earlier models it was down to the mechanic to figure out what he needed to do or change for that car. Obviously the water pump and radiator is removed on all models. From there, since the tube length is just short of the block length it is dependent on year and model and how long of distance between block and opening for a straight shot out of the block is available. The tube is somewhat fragile and does not bend so needs to be almost all the way out before it can even be angled slightly..

As to front of body clearance, I believe all prewar models and some postwar cars with the narrow vertical grille openings will need the grille or front clip removed. You could lay a straightedge on top of the head above the tube opening and extend it out to verify if there would be any side clearance at the grille opening. When it comes down to exactly what to remove at that point, several on the forum have said on prewars it is easier to remove the front clip than trying to just do the grill but I don't have experience on those years to say.

I have not tried to buy a tube in several years but I believe there have been some recent posts on the forum saying the posters were able to get one from Max Merritt. No idea what the Kanter situation is since the change in ownership but also worth checking.