Hi everyone I am working on a 1938 v16 Cadillac and I am looking for a couple things. I am rebuilding it for a customer of mine and can not find freeze out plugs it has brass ones in it, cam bearings, main bearings, piston rings and one lifter. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bruce from Bruce Henn's Garage Inc
Hi Bruce,
Which 1938 V-16 are you working on? Several of us in the club have been trying to keep a roster of the surviving V-16 cars, including the 1938-1940 cars with the side-valve engine. Is your customer a member of the CLC? If not, joining would be a big help to him or her in restoring and enjoying that car.
Have you tried Terrill Machine Inc. in De Leon Texas, or Egge Machine Co. in Santa Fe Springs, California?
Best regards,
Chris Cummings
There are no main bearings to be found that I know of. Your old shells need to be babbited and then line bored in the engine. A careful study of cam bearings dimensions in catalogs will find some close cam bearings. Rod bearings are same as some Chev V-8's but with the tangs opposite. Cut rods for the new tang location. The late V-16 Authenticity Manual has a lot of the details on modern parts interchange although modern in 2003 when the manual was written is now becoming obsolete in some cases.
Do you guys know where I could find piston rings for the 1938 v16 the bore size is 3.278 and the top and second rings are 3/32 thickness and the bottom ring is 5/32. I do not care if they are file fit rings. Thanks Bruce from Bruce Henn's Garage Inc """Also do you guys know how much a 1938 v16 bare block with heads weighs. I have to ship it to a machine shop out of state""