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David, glad to hear of your success. "Ether" is the name for a very large group of compounds, all ethers. Do you happen to know which specific ether you used?

The "Ether" used was the same as that used for anesthetics, It is not readily available here in Australia however I was able to obtain a very small quantity from someone working in a medical laboratory.
I had been told that the bellows were originally charged with ether and when I opened the hole in the bellows I think I could detect a faint smell of ether.
It is possible that methylated spirits would also work.

Perhaps then it was diethyl ether, perhaps the most common of the family. Pretty dangerous stuff!! Extremely flammable (flash point well below 0) and IIRC it can form explosive peroxides on prolonged storage.

Automotive Restorations here in NJ rebuilds the earlier style Sylphon, next time I'm there I'll ask what fluid is used.

So we better delete that recommendation!!
Is there something else , less dangerous, that would provide a similar liquid to gas volume increase at about the right temperature.
The difficulty would be in getting the correct quantities so that the bellows open at the correct temperature.
Mine tend to open prematurely so maybe I should have used less ether. The car still warms quickly so its not a practical problem.
Digressing a little Restoration Supply Co. have in line thermostats for the water circuit that fit into the radiator hose in cases where an original type is not available

Methyl alcohol is a readily available liquid that can be used in sylphon bellows type thermostats.

Link and attached file, for a good "how to" description.

http://www.secondchancegarage.com/how-to/thermostat-1.cfm

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That is excellent information , thanks or posting it.
I had another 1929 Packard 633 that had a Sylphon thermostat with cracked bellows so it was beyond repair.
I made a new thermostat driven by a Tridon Type TT8800 -170P thermostat. This is a modern wax filled thermostat, tiny by comparison with the original Sylphon unit. I was told that its application was for large Caterpillar diesel engines.
I made the housing from brass for ease of machining on my small Myford lathe.
It has been in use for some years now and works well.

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A little more information on making a new shutter thermostat, although my previous posts were for a 1929 Packard, I believe the modern Tridon thermostat could be adapted to drive a shutter thermostat for any model Packard providing a housing is made to suit using the key dimensions of the original. The attached photo and previous sketch are intended as an example of what could be made.

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My alternative method: I had good luck manually operating the radiator shutters on my 39 Cadillac 60 Special with a choke/throttle cable. Disconnected the failed thermostat and connected the cable wire to the shutter operating lever. Mounted the knob end of the cable under the instrument panel with a shop made bracket using existing holes. This "fix" looked good and worked well. However, after some time I bit the bullet and got the proper rebuilt thermostat. An inexpensive and easy alternate fix. JWL

32model901,
Exactly what I'm looking for, thank you very much for that link !

DavidM, I cannot access your photos


JWL, I might do that for a temporary 'solution' :)

And thank you all for your replies !

My '39 is now in the Registry ;)