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You for sure dodged a bullet there!

I got the block flushed out today. It took a little bit and pushing water from both directions, but I think I got it cleaned out well. The drain cock at the back of the block was plugged up and I had to blow some air through it.

Next up is to install the “new” water distribution tube when it arrives and re-install the water pump.

After that, I’ll tackle the timing chain and put everything back together.

I have a question for the group….

Later in the summer, I want to get the front coil springs replaced. First, with my car being a 138CD, it uses a little heavier spring than the 120s. I have found two places where I can get the correct springs.

One is Kanter, the other is A1 Shock Absorber Co. Kanter is significantly less expensive. I know Kanter gets good reviews on a lot of things, but I’ve also heard a lot of concerns regarding other parts.

So, with that in mind, I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts on the coil springs. Any concerns with quality from Kanter. The price with Kanter is just over $400 for the pair. A1 is just under $600 for the pair.

I would also like to replace the rear leaf springs. The only place I have found so far for those is Eaton Detroit Springs. They said they have the specs for the 138CD.

I can’t speak personally for any of these sources but if it were me, I would be inclined to go with the ones that have the factory specifications. That said, in discussions with one of the companies for rear springs for my 1965 Cadillac, they said that they are made to factory specs and they had replacements for my car but they did not differentiate between self-leveling and standard when I know for a fact that they are supposed to be rated differently (the leveling system’s were softer).

Quote:

Both are saying they would be to the correct specifications. I just don’t know what Kanter’s actual source is.

I did some clean up work today.

First, I made a second attempt with the wrinkle paint on the heater. I wasn’t satisfied with how it came out the first time and stripped it all the way back down and started over. It looks much better this time. I found that the key is to lay down a lot of paint.




Then, I removed more of the undercoating on the front section of the frame, everything I could get to. That was messy work. After that I coated everything I could reach with rust encapsulator paint. Here are some before and after pictures.

Can anyone tell me what these numbers that are cast into the head are? One looks like a Packard part number, but I can’t seem to match it up to anything that makes sense.

I asked the same question on the head of my car, I expect it is the same, a series of numbers unique to the casting plant, used for date codes, tool identification etc, as they likely had multiple tools to keep up with required volume. Any issues with castings can be sourced back to a specific tool, but I expect time and records have all disappeared long ago to know exactly what they mean today.
Bob J.

They are the cast number, which often look like part numbers, but are not.

Thanks guys! One more thing added to the knowledge base.