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

I'm preparing to install the Sylphon thermostat on my '32 901and have several questions.

1. Is the brass housing that covers the bellows painted black
2. Is the rod that passes through the radiator nickel plated
3. Is it correct that the bellows travels about 1" when it is at a temperature of 160 to 170 F
4. Are both sides of the bellows exposed to coolant in the radiator
5. What thickness should I use for gasket (1/16")
6. And is there somewhere to read to help figure out the easiest way to adjust the whole thing

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Marston,

1. None of the parts that are inserted into the top radiator tank are painted black, including the brass housing that covers the bellows.

2. The rod is not nickle plated. I've removed and cleaned a few '32's and they had no trace of plating, they were only painted black.

3. Yes, the travel is right around 1" when heated to 160-180 deg. F.

4. If you have the original '32 type Slyphon thermostat the bellows will be immersed about 1/2 to 3/4 in coolant. The replacement units sometimes have the bellows covered in a brass shell.

5. You will need two gasket. 1/32 thick is closer to the original. Be sure to check the flange on the radiator tank and the flange of the cast iron housing for flatness. As long as these are flat the 1/32 thick gaskets will work fine. One gasket goes between the radiator tank flange and brass shell, one goes between the brass shell and cast iron housing.

6. Adjust the unit so the shutters are closed when the coolant is cold. They should just start to open when the temp. gauge is 1/4 the way up and fully open at the 1/2 way mark.

7. One trick to eliminate leaks on at the unit is to use new packing material on the shaft that exits the unit, the one with the packing nut. Also put a little black RTV on the screws holding the unit to the flange on the top tank of the radiator. The screw threads are very close to the edge of the flange and coolant sometimes gets to the threads and leaks out. The RTV will seal up the threads and prevent a leaks.

A few pictures to assist you:

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32model901

Thanks for the assist. The pictures were a great help.

I got everything painted and installed the Sylphon . Mounted the shutters on the radiator and thought things are going too good. Then I place the radiator shroud (which I had previously checked to make sure it would fit on the radiator correctly) over the radiator/shutters only to discover that the shutters were sitting 3/8" too high for the three pieces to all be screwed together. I think if I elongate the 6 holes in the radiator's side mounting brackets I can bolt the three together.

Thanks again for your help.

I had to use black RTV as mine wanted to leak even with a 1/16 gasket. Classic and exotic sells a replacement lever. Mine was worn in the openings which made it difficult to work properly. There's also a guy that will repair the sylphon. If you go thru Hirsch he uses the same guy, Jim Otto who also builds repo units. The repo unit's flange needs to be modified because of size and hole placements for 32s.

I keep a replacement unit as a spare as they take a while to get rebuilt.

Adjust it so the shutters are just shut when cold. Travel can be test by sticking the sylphon in a pan of water.

Dear Marston:

Hold it. 3/8 inch is huge.

If you continue on your present course the hood won't fit.

Recheck your parts. You may need to use a drift to line up the holes, but files are definitely not necessary.

Marston,

Do you have the radiator mounted on the square rubber pads, that sit on top of the frame cross member? These are about 3/8 thick.

You should not have to file anything to get it to fit.

I've attached a few more pictures that may give you a clue of where things are off.

Regards,

Dave

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