Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

I agree that a tubular radiator looks terrible in a car where the radiator core is in the very front or close behind the shutters. As to Hibernia not knowing anything about engines because they put a tube radiator into a formerly cellular car, what damage/effect is there on the engine?? Just what is it that Hibernia I did not understand???

On the shutter system, yes it will overheat if it sticks closed. The shutter stat is "fail-safe", if it fails the shutters stay open. However the shutter mechanism itself can stick, on the road you just have to put a small rock or stick in it to hold it open

G'day PackardBill,
to PackardInfo.

I invite you to include your '36 Eight Club Sedan in the Packard Owner's Registry.

Ha - very funny.....Fred dosnt fool me - with his statement that the shutter system on pre-war Senior Packards is "fail safe & will open if it fails ".....

C'mon...Fred...you don't fool me - I bet this is your idea of a joke - a "test" by you to smoke us out....see which of us is actually a seriously addicted Senior Packard "buff" with actual experience working on them.

You folks can bet the Kanter boys know ( almost as much as I do...! ) about the workings of pre-war Senior Packards....

For those who do not know why I am teasing Fred about his obvious mis-statement... ( .as the Kanter boys well know), pre-war Senior Packards used a "winterfront" style radiator shutter system, operated by a Sylphon thermostat-device in the radiator.

A VERY powerful spring that holds the shutters tightly closed until the water in the radiator gets warm enough to force the Sylphon's operating rod to push against the lever system that opens the shutters....if your Sylphon fails, the shutters slam shut.

A little side-note as to how over-engineered the Seniors were....even with that powerful spring holding the shutters tightly closed, their cooling systems were so over-engineered....so much excess cooling capacity...so much so that unless it is a really warm day, AND you are really "beating" on the car....it will get hot but not boil over in the event of a Sylphon failure!

My error, my memory failed me. I guess my memory is also not "fail safe"