Re: 1937 Super 8

Posted by kevinpackard On 2022/12/13 23:21:02

'37, '38, and '39 Super 8 engines are very hard to find. From what we've had to deal with on my dad's '38 Super we found that 1938 was the year that had the most problems with cracked blocks. Something about the metallurgy of that year, or poor water circulation. And the '39 engine is different enough that some parts can't be easily swapped between the years.

On the second engine that we rebuilt for my dad's car, we found that corrosion was the killer. The donor block had been fully disassembled, dipped and cleaned, and machined. The pistons had to be slightly bored. The corrosion inside the water jacket left thin spots that couldn't be seen. On the first start after installing the engine those thin spots blew open. #2 cylinder had a leak in the wall, and there was a leak under one of the valve seats on #6.

Our third block was in much better shape. We'll be installing the engine again this weekend, and we are hoping for the best.

I agree with what was said earlier about considering putting in a 288. They are much easier to find, plenty of parts, and still maintains the original feel.

As a side note, I'm pretty sure the rods on my dad's car were restored with babbit. The engine had previously been opened, prior to us having the car. But no idea when that was. If these engines were supposed to have bearings, then someone in the past apparently had to do babbit instead. No idea why.

-Kevin