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Hi All,

My shutters suddenly quit opening. Last time I drove the car they opened fully, now nothing. I checked for coolant level, right up, I checked for any obstructions to the assembly and they open fine if I push on the rod, so I'm down to the T-stat. Can they be had?? Possibly rebuilt (although I have removed mine and it is a solder-sealed unit) or are there any other fixes, short of wiring the shutters open?? I can and would do that if I had to, but the opening and closing of them has always been a cool feature of this car and I would dearly like to keep them functional. Any help or direction much appreciated. Thanks, Chris.

I think I saw Max Merrit had rebuilt when I was looking to price a replacement for my '41. Some prior mechanic wedged a bolt in the connector to the unit to keep the shutters open on mine. But then, it is a Florida car.

Thanks for taking the time to reply CartRich. I think I have kind of answered my own question here. Further sleuthing online uncovered a couple of sources for these, both rebuilt and reproed. It seems like the old story: nothing that can't be fixed if you throw enough money at it!! The reproed ones are $500 give or take and I am waiting on a callback from a Jim Otto, who can apparently repair them for around half that. I'll see where it all takes me... $500's a chunka, though!
Chris.

Chris, I would be interested in what your learn about getting it repaired. Could you drop me a note when you know unless you don’t mind putting it out here.

Last I heard (a couple of years ago) Bill Hirsch Auto still had the exclusive supply contract with the original supplier (Fulton Sylphon) and his units were current production and not reproductions.

Some repro service parts for the Pines Winterfronts including the earlier type thermostat bellows and perhaps others are available from the old Brian Joseph business which I believe is now straight-eight.com

Here are some rebuild instructions if someone has nothing better to do and wanted to give it a try.secondchancegarage.com/how-to/thermostat-1.cfm

Have you confirmed that the shutterstat is indeed non-functional? Heat up a pot with about one inch of water on the stove to about 150 degrees with the stat in it and check for movement of the bellows. After warming up, let it air cool back to room temperature (don't shock it) Also, you should have a low tension return spring on the top end of the shutter assembly to help the shutters close. I'd have to believe that the spring takes a lot of stress off the stat during the cool down.

PS - If you have a problem that money can fix, then it really isn't a problem.

On a related note, I pulled my shutterstat off yesterday cause I had a slight drip. The radiator flange is less than perfect -- what would the preferred gasket sealant be for this application? RTV Silicone?

I think in addition to the applying the sealant to the flange, I'm going to have to apply it to the inside of the cover too given the design of the works.

Thanks for the replies. Dave, I did check Bill Hirsch and they list the exact unit, but the availability status shows as 'Currently Out of Stock'.
I did test the unit in a pot of water on the stove and had to boil it to get movement and then only about 1/8". As yet, no answers from rebuild sources.
Chris.

Chris, I believe your Packard will take a conventional thermostat in the water outlet housing. Packard recommended them along with the shutter controller for use in cold climates. You may find just using the conventional one and blocking the shutters open will work and save you a bunch of money.

I did a temporary work-around on a defective shutter controller on my 39 Cadillac. I rigged a choke cable to operate the shutters. The Cadillac V-8 could not fit conventional thermostats. Later, I bit the bullet and got a rebuild controller.

Ideas...