Re: Shutter Thermostat Mods

Posted by NeedsRestoration On 2017/12/24 11:08:41

THE 'PINES-WINTERFRONT / SYLPHON SHUTTER SYSTEM

I never understood the engineering logic for adopting that monstrosity. Expensive to manufacture, difficult to set up properly. And then what? Your motor takes too long to warm up even in mild temps.

The worst thing you can do to a car motor is run it before it has reached full operating temp - at least 160 degrees "f".

And it wasnt just Packard that utilized the shutter system.

The pre-war Packards had outstanding cooling systems, far greater cooling capacity than necessary to handle even the most extreme conditions of temperature and speed.

That's the problem ! Even with the shutters tightly closed, there is so much water, and significant "leakage" of "bleed air" around the blades, that in the colder climes the car's motor never gets a chance to warm up properly.

That being said, I do think the system is neat! So I did spend the money over the years to keep the system operationa.

Yes - those Sylphon thermostats that operate the shutters are available - but wow...the price! Look at the bright side; they typically are durable - I've only replaced two in the sixty years that I have been driving pre-war "big" Packards on a regular basis.


Whether you decide to keep your Pines-Winterfront shutter system operational or not, I strongly recommend using modern ordinary "pellet" style thermostats - these block off any water flow coming out of the motor block, which means your motor will warm up quickly - again, the faster you warm it up, the better it will run, and the longer it will last.

Here's how I do it on my pre-war "big" Packards. I buy a pair of ordinary "small block Chevy" water outlet tubes. (you'll need two sets if you have a Packard Twelve - "standard" and "Super" eights need just one set, obviously.

Put the thermostats in and bolt em together - of course you want to be sure that the thermostats are facing the correct orientation when you put them in your upper radiator hoses.

Yes - you will be adding a restriction - the volume of water that can get thru a modern "pellet" type thermostat is less than just a straight piece of radiator hose.

Big deal - in the summer, I have found if the air temp. is much over 105 degrees, I have to keep my speed under 60 mph ( or simply remove the "blockage" and install a straight piece of radiator hose if I just HAVE to go faster when it is really REALLY hot....!)