so last night i finally got a chance to tear into my 346 and it's gone fairly smoothly until i got to the valve springs. how in the ****** hell do i get them out? i can't fit an OHV spring compressor in there to do it. is there some special tool that i need to be on the lookout for or are there some tricks that you guys may have for me on this one? i'll post more pics and a proper update tonight, sorry about the bad camera phone pic.
I dug out a couple from the pile of old tools in my garage. I'll bring them by your shop in a while. They are probably ford flattie, but ought to work. We can give it a shot. I've still got to get some checken wire like loburod, so I can hang all that stuff up! Tom
now comes the other question...what's the procedure for using those things? not really sure what to pry against.
Just got back home... It's probably in that '46 motor's manual I lent you. I also have a 1940 ford V8 repair manual on the bookshelf if you need it. I actually organized my old manuals last night and found lots of cool stuff I forgot I had! Tom
I made a short extension out of a piece of pipe that I used with my valve spring compressor to get them out of my FladCad. It was about an inch long, and had four big holes cut around the perimeter so I could slip a pick in the holes and dig the keepers out.
thanks for the tip ebbsspeed one problem with the motors manual tom, it's at home and i'm slow at the shop and wanna play with it now
Well, uh I guess at least you're not getting the book all greasy. I thought you'd have it memorized by now. I'll see what I can find in my other books. Later, Tom
thanks tom. that gives me some ideas but won't work on the cad since it has the lifter blocks rather than the valley in the block like a ford. i'll see what i can figure out here and then pour through that motors manual when i get home tonight.
There is a special tool for them. I've seen them pop up on ebay every now and then. Sorry don't have one myself, (scratching head, I wonder why). It kinda looks like a modified "C" clamp.
'Just happened to be reading my Christmas gift: So-Cal Speed Shop when I ran across this thread. I thought it bit ironic that I had just read an excerpt about Ak Miller using flathead Cadillacs in his hot rods back in '46-'47. He used them because thy were big and had a lot of low end grunt but primarily they were cheap. He said that even the Cadillac service departments wouldn't tear one down-they just replaced them when they need a valve and ring job. He said, further, that "nobody could do a valve job because it took special tools". He also said that he had to have real tall gears at the lakes "cuz if you turned one over 4500 you blow it all over the desert,"
and your point of adding that to the thread was what? first off, most repair shops (mine included) don't bother rebuilding top end or doing ring jobs since the amount of labor involved often ends up costing more than an engine swap. that's what engine machine shops are for. secondly, NO **** i need a special tool for it. it's a 70 year old engine that sat outside for awhile with the carb off. i didn't expect it to be easy. sure are expecting it to be fun though and what would you know, it is. i'm going to be doing a lot of work on it over just rebuilding too and i don't really care what anybody else thinks of my endeavour. anyhow... tom, your ****** motor's manual had instructions on how to take everything out BUT the valves...kinda skipped right from heads to valve guides does anyone else have any input (constructive please) that they might be able to share?
You got blood on my motor's manual! This write-up might help, but the pictures didn't show up for me, so I cant see what tools he's using. http://www.rmrclc.com/waltsWorkBench.html Most of the links I'm finding wont work. It looks like the sites are inactive. Everyone that knew how to overhaul these things must be gone. Give me a call if you'd like me to come watch you work on it this weekend. I dont know what I can do to help, but it might take an extra set of hands to pry those puppies out. Tom
Here's a list of flathead Cadillac parts sources I posted a while back: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229440 One of these guys might well have the tool you're looking for. It may be worth a call. ~Jason
Don't have any pics at the moment, but I had to make one for mine, looks kind of like a C-clamp, with a forked pad to go on the spring. It was still very tight working in there... any updates?
yeah, turns out that there was one of those tools sitting around the damn shop. old tools pop up around every now and then because this building has been around for a few decades. got all the springs out and all but 3 valves. i really need to post a separate update for everyone with all the pics i've got...i'm bad at remembering **** like that though
Glad and sorry to read your post about removing Cadillac flathead valves. I have been thru it last fall and boy it took 2 of us and a modified Ford flathead valve remover. We kept modifying it until it worked good, but got to say it is a slow and tedious task. We found the best position to do this removal was with the engine standing vertical on the rear end of the block on a low but very strong bench or table. I can I was glad when it was finished and would not want to do this again ever. We also used the rope trick to hold the valves when fitting the valve cages. If you are into Cadillac flatheads this would have to be the initiation to see if you are really committed.
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