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Yes, one would obviously want it totally clean, before reinstalling the new one. Not much point in removing it, if you were not going to clean the passage. The reason I was concerned about getting one is that the boys at Kanter said they used to have a guy making them, but he passed away a while back, and they no longer had them available, nor did they have a source. They said told me to start looking and wished me luck. I worked on mine again this morning, and was able to gently tap in to within less than an eighth of an inch of its original position. I then.reinstalled my new aluminum radiator and water pump. After 30 minutes of run time, at varying RPM ranges, the temp gauge never rose to above mid-point. I had ohmed out the sender using a heat source, and it was functioning perfectly. I think I will roll the dice, and leave it alone.
Thanks Again
Boodog

"New aluminum radiator".
Is that a reproduction Packard radiator or did u determine some modern radiator from some other car that would fit?????

I'm not familiar with the distribution tube. Is it just a solid wall tube or does it have holes drilled in the sides??? Or just open at each end???

I'm not familiar with the distribution tube. Is it just a solid wall tube or does it have holes drilled in the sides??? Or just open at each end???

Varying sized holes on sides which are generally directed toward valves and seat areas and particularly the exhausts. Tapers slightly -- wider at the pump end but narrows slightly and has a closed rear end. Most are thin brass but there have been a few aftermarkets found that were made of ordinary sheet metal. Those tended to be thoroughly rusted and many were in pieces

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At some point mine was replaced with a sheet metal one, and it was a royal PITA to remove, in many pieces. I have a brass one now, and when a pulled it a few years after installing, it slid right out.

I've pulled four tubes out of four different engines. Each of them were brass, and easy to remove as long as you used a long rod to hook it at the far end, rather than the end next to the radiator. The last one I removed was from an engine from a car that had been in the junkyard for at least 40 years and it came out easily.

Like Ken P, I've encountered NORS steel tubes (Dorman); apologies for posting this picture yet again. Ken's comment that it was a royal PITA to remove is an understatement.

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HH56. Thanks for the pic and the details of the distribution tube.

From HH56 post #14 above the tube appears to b a 1/2 hexagonal tube. The tube is also TAPERED from front to rear. Therefore i assume there is probably 4 supports inside of the block that mite resemble cam shaft web supports.

OK. So it mite be rather ez to repop the tube:
Use 1 or maybe two ROUND brass tubes. Cut four (or however many needed) brass blocks say 1" thick, shaped like a 1/2 hex. Drill 1 or 2 round holes into the brass support blocks and slide them over the round brass tubes. Drill holes in tubes to correspond to OEM tube hole locations.

A good homemade fabrication??? No stamping required. just stock brass tube and brass plate and some Ag solder or maybe even brass set screws, no solder.

Bad idea?????

Not a bad idea at all. Could even cut a couple of pieces of hard wood for patterns. One could be a flat template for drilling or punching holes and the other could be formed to wrap thin brass around it and shape the tube. Tube could be made in one or two pieces and silver soldered instead of having the rolled crimp on the back.

If it is a fact that Kanter or Max have none and no repros are being made then seems like an opportunity for a low volume garage operation. You could make a half dozen of a particular model at a time which would probably be enough for a years stock. Getting ahold of a decent one of each configuration for long enough to copy would probably be the hardest part.