1930 V16 air cleaner questions

[hankslick]

I recently inherited my father's prized Cadillac which needs some maintenance after mainly sitting for 5 years. I've got the original service manual but can't figure out how to service the oil bath air cleaners (which I assume are on this car.) Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Henry Selick

[Chris Cummings]

Hi, Hank.  I got to know your father briefly before he passed away and I liked and admired him.  1930 V-16s didn't come with air cleaners for the carburetors.  They did have goose-neck-shaped air horns to keep road spray and debris from entering the carburetors directly.  These are just wide tubes and require no service.  If you send me a photo of your engine ccummings*at*cftc.gov, I'll try to help further.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Chris Cummings
CLC 20072

[hankslick]

Hello Chris
Thanks for the reply and kind words about my father. Okay, so no air filters at all on the '30 V16. Should I consider shoving some sort of filtering material up the air horns? I plan to start and drive the car a short distance about once a month (and will avoid dust storms).
I may send pictures for further discussion after the holiday; have a good Thanksgiving and thanks for your help.
Henry S

[Chris Cummings]

Henry,

Personally, I haven't heard of anyone inserting filtering media into the air horns.  I think it's probably not a good idea for several reasons.  The filtering material might get drawn into the carburetor, blocking the auxiliary air valve open, or even sending bits into the intake manifold.  If the filter material stayed put, the air flow might be restricted enough to mess with the mixture proportions.  And anyway, only part of the air for the carburetor comes in through the air horn.  The air that goes through the primary air duct bypasses the air horn altogether.  I'm assuming your Dad had a shop manual, and if you read over the section on the carburetor, you'll see what I mean. Finally, you don't plan to drive on long trips or through dusty conditions.

Beginning in 1932 the V-16s did use air cleaners that were really more about silencing engine intake noise.  But those cars also used different carburetors (Detroit Lubricator brand) from the type used in 1930 and 1931 (the so-called Cadillac-Johnson carburetors). 

I would love to see photos of your father's car.  I have a small photo on his business card, and I'm sure it's a lovely car.

Best regards,

Chris Cummings

[hankslick]

Hey Chris
Been reading the service manual as well as owner's manual; I know a bit about old British sports cars (Triumph, Jaguar) but this V16 is a whole new adventure. Just changed oil and filter today, had to ask Pete Sanders if I needed to split the new oil between the two oil filler caps (shows you how much I've got to learn!)
Anyway, here's a photo of the car arriving to California a couple of days ago. I've got the shades and that's my brother Barry with me. I put the side curtains on back in New Jersey in case it was raining when the car arrived.
Thanks for help on air intake on this car.
Henry S

[Chris Cummings]

Henry,

That's a spectacular car, and you two look great with it.  Enjoy!  It's really fun to learn about these cars and the care and thought that went into designing and building them.

Best regards,

Chris

[hankslick]

Thanks Chris, it was Dad's pride and joy. After changing the oil, the coolant, the battery, the gas and inflating the tires, I took it out twice this weekend with son George, 13, in the back. Man it was great! I'll be back with more questions as the adventure continues.
Henry S