What is the best material ( caulk ) are whatever to seal the center line of hood . I have hydroloc engine twice till I figured out .
DeJa'Vu. We had this conversation last year. Technical - Cowl hood seal | The H.A.M.B. (jalopyjournal.com) Can you post pictures of your engine bay?
There has to be more of a problem going on than a hood seal. I have never seen an engine fill with rainwater.
Leaked thru the center hood hinge on my kids '34 truck, pooled in the depressed center of the air cleaner lid, ran down the stud into the carb and intake, thru an open intake valve, and collected in at least one cylinder. Does happen.
Soooo, a domed air cleaner with no recess is the cure? Hell, am upside down plastic bowl over the center of the air cleaner or shipping tape would fix it.
You were lucky, I traded for an Allis Chalmers Tractor that had set outside with vertical exhaust. They had tried to start it, and it locked up. It had one short rod, now on my wall.
I've got 120 louvers in my hood plus the chrome strip that isn't sealed in any way and V8 or straight six never had an issue with rain water getting in the engine. There is something else going on on that Olds that isn't being mentioned and good clear photos of the engine and hood would help a lot.
A lot of the old cars had 2 piece hoods. Some had a chrome strip running down the center, over the joint. They were a real pain when they wanted to be. The center joint would start leaking and on 4 and 6 cylinder flatheads it would fill the spark plug recesses with water. Easy fix. Remove the center trim if it has one and neatly caulk the joint between the halves with the goo of your choice. Put the trim strip back on. For cars that have an open hinge like Model A and Model T for example, A little sheet metal trough made of thin sheet metal can be fashioned and attached to the under side of one hood half. That will catch the water and cause it to run to the front or back, your choice, and keep it off the top of the engine. For V8 engines, like old Fords, for example, have a stock air cleaner that can be a problem. Center of the top half have an inverted dimple that the wing nut sits in. They also can have a top half that is a little smaller diameter than the bottom half. If exposed to rain, they can leak water into the carburetor or collect runoff into the bottom half. A gasket and washer under the wing nut can cure that problem but if it gets into the bottom chamber (oil reservoir), regular checking is in order.
I lost a good V8 in my Plymouth coupe because of the center hood seam leaking rain water onto the top of the air cleaner. That hood was 2 pieces with rear mounted hood hinges, and a stainless trim bar covering the seam between the two hood half pieces. The car got pushed outside for a higher priority (earning a living). It was outside for a few months. The car had a hood and the motor had an air filter housing so there shouldn't be an issue, right? WRONG! When when it was brought inside, I had loosened and removed the first 3 clutch cover bolt before I realized the motor wasn't turning at all. After I figured out what the problem was. I pulled the drain plug out of the oil pan and filled a 6 quart oil drain pan with pure rain water, had to reinstall the plug, dump the drain pan, and pull the drain plug again. Nearly filled that drain pan again before I got all the water mixed with the oil out of the pan. The original motor in the car was a flathead 6, with the carb well off center. The only thing that would have filled with rain water would have been the depression around the plugs in the head. The centered air filter housing put the wingnut directly under the leaking two piece hood center line. I was so peed off at the time I welded the seam closed. I would not recommend doing that. It solved the rain water leak, but it also warped the crap out of the hood.
On hoods that do not have a chrome strip that covers the seam, I have used paintable seam sealer. Put it on and smooth it out very carefully with some enamel reducer on a rag, then paint. Makes the hood look smoother also.
Back in the late 1980's, a friend and I louvered the hoods of our old pickups - Under hood temperatures are a problem here in Arizona. We replaced the dished air cleaner tops with spun aluminum wheel covers (Generic "Moon" disks, probably from CalCustom or Ansen - I no longer remember - Don's Hot Rod Shop in Tucson had them in stock). Replaced the carb center stud with 1/4"-20 threadall and used a rubber washer under the wingnut. No more puddles on top of the carb. Russ
This is a situation I have been looking at for both my coupes, since the hood opens on each side and the center hinge is needed. One section does have a trough on the bottom side, but it is small. I am considering putting a larger one below it on the car getting a V8. The other one a straight 6, so not as concerned.
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