35 Terraplane straight six overheating issue

farmermike

I just purchased my first Hudson, a 1935 two door Terraplane coach. The car came from Haysville, Kansas. It starts and runs just fine but boils over after running for only a few minutes.

I pulled the radiator to get it cleaned out and checked the water pump. The pump looks to be in good shape for its age and nothing appeared blocked. I then decided to pull, what I am calling, the water inlet housing on the side of the block. What I found was the block was almost half full of sediment, sludge, and gunk. We washed it out as best we could with a garden hose and had to chip loose some of the harder deposit.

There was some sort of aluminum baffle behind the housing that has some holes to direct water flow. I need to replace the baffle and the inlet housing as they are in very bad shape. Do any of you guys know where I might be able to purchase either of them?

I will try to post some photos of the block.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike Schlepp

 

Geoff

 You need to make up a new water jacket plate with the holes as in the  original.  Make it out of stainless or copper,  and sandwich it between the outer jacket, using two gaskets. Also  check that the  bottom hose is not collapsing. 

PAULARGETYPE

I ALWAYS HAVE THE NEW WATER JACKET COPPER PLATED A FEW TIMES AT MY LOCAL CHROME PLATER SO IT DOESN'T CORRODE SO FAST

I WOULD MAKE A NEW INSIDE PLATE ( REMEMBER THE NEW PLATE HAS TO HAVE HOLES THAT ARE LARGER AT THE REAR OF THE ENGINE AND SMALLER AT THE FRONT AND SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CENTER)

 I WELD IN THE NEW PLATE SO I WILL ONLY NEED 1 GASKET  I WOULD SAND BLAST THE OLD OUTER PART  FIRST TO BE SURE IT WAS STILL USEABLE AND SOLID :: GOOD LUCK :-)

Jon B

These used to be a common item and replacements were available at your local parts dealer, made by Dorman, I think.  And they fit a good number of years of Hudsons.  Because there used to be so many of them around, you can still find an occasional one on Ebay, or at a Hudson flea market.  You do need to verify whether the later ones will fit your '35, of course.  I read somewhere that the 1936 through 1947 were identical, but I'm not sure what the "spread" was with the pre-1935 ones.

The "welded plate" replacement will probably be the quickest and easiest way to solve your problem, assuming (as Paul says) that the outer jacket is not about to rust through in a thousand places.  (If that happens, you could write some of the Hudson parts vendors in the WTN and ask if they have a good used one for sale, which you can then use as the basis of your repair.)

Of course, you may want to verify that your engine is indeed from a 1935, and not a later (or earlier) one that was replaced by a previous owner.

ski4life65

I have a couple of these NOS (or ones made by Dorman). They are really dirty from sitting on shelves for 80 years, but otherwise in new condition. let me know if interested. I also have a couple of good used ones, and some for other models too.

 

Don

farmermike

Thank you guys for the help. I really appreciate it. My water jacket is really in bad shape. It has been repaired numerous times and looks like swiss cheese once you start to clean it.

Don, if one of your NOS ones will fit my motor I would be interested in buying one from you instead of trying to repair mine or a used one. You can email me at schleppranch@gmail.com or let me know how to contact you.

I can't find a serial number on my engine. Where did Hudson stamp the number? If the number on the old title is still good, it is 113,783.  The serial number on the car is 516,794. From what I have been able to gather here and on the HET website is that my car is a model 51. Thought I would throw that out there so folks know what I am working on.

 

 

Ric West IN

Looking at the picture of your engine , I can see both the casting number and the casting date.
Both correspond to 1935.

Take a close look.

"Ric"

farmermike

Ric,

I went back and took a closer look. I did find the serial number stamped on the engine. It is the same number that was on the original title so she still has the factory installed engine. I have no idea why I did not see it before. My 60 year old eyes are not what they used to be.

Thank you,

Mike 

farmermike

I was wondering if any of you folks have heard about or used a waterless coolant made by Evans Cooling Systems,Inc. in any of your cars?

I have seen this product listed in some of my farming publications for use in Tractors, Combines, etc. . They also have a product for car and light trucks. It's good down to -40 degrees and has a boiling point of 375 degrees F.

If you wanted to look at what I am thinking about using in my 35T. their website is: www.evanscooling.com.

I have never used it in any of my farm equipment but thought it might help my overheating issue on the 35 unless you guys think it might be harmful in some way.

 

Thanks,

Mike

StillOutThere

Once you have your water distribution jacket problem cured, there is another overheating component not mentioned here.   That is the engine front and side "pans".   These sheetmetal parts are attached to the bottom of the frame around the perimeter of the engine compartment.   Often called "splash aprons" they function equally importantly to most efficiently take radiator heat back to the toeboard and under and out of the engine bay.    Many were lost my mechanics cleaning the oil pan.   Many hobbyists think they restrict getting rid of the hot air.   Engineers put them there so that the hot air coming off the radiator would not be swirled by air under the front of the car.  Lack of these pans can CAUSE overheating.

farmermike

Oh wow, I have no idea what you are talking about. Do you have a photo or picture of what those are? 

Thanks,

Mike 

 

 

35 Terraplane

Mike,
The attached pictures are of the side pans on my 35. One looking down front above the other from under the car on the driver side.  Same on the passenger side just opposite hand. They fill the opening between the engine and frame.
Tom

Jon B

Farmermike, while everything's apart, remove the thermostat housing from the top of the head and check the condition of the thermostat.  You can do this quite simply by suspending it in a pan of hot water on your stove, and note the temperature at which it opens.  Once in awhile they will close up tight!  (This happened to me once in my Terraplane, in a faraway town.  The temp gauge pointer went right to the top.  The radiator made like Old Faithful and drained itself in a minute or so.  Quite dramatic, actually.  A friendly radiator guy diagnosed the problem immediately and simply yanked out the offending thermostat. 

There are two types of these thermostats, depending upon how yours is installed. The "bypass" type is a bit harder to find than the standard one, but neither is difficult to obtain.  Yours might not be stuck shut, but possibly it is staying closed too long or does not open fully.

farmermike

Tom,

Thank you for the photos of the side pans. My car doesn't have either of them. Hopefully someone on the forum can give me an idea on where to get a set. I'm trying to get this overheating issue solved once and for all.

Jon B, it is my understanding that my car didn't have a thermostat. At least I cannot find a housing for one anywhere.

Mike

Ric West IN

Yours would have had an "inline" thermostat installed at mid point of the upper radiator hose.
Were usually rated at 155 or 160.degrees F.

tigermoth

A couple of years ago the guys at northwestern auto supply in Grand Rapids, mi. had several of the by-pass type thermostats in stock..10 bucks ea. VERY good people to deal with. Strong supporters of the hobby, excellent service. I have no affiliation..they are just great guys. Regards, Tom

http://www.northwesternautosupply.com

farmermike

Tom,

Thanks for the information, I will call them tomorrow. Besides the water jacket problem, which Don has cured with a NOS water jacket, the radiator shop called me today (after 4 weeks) and said that they had opened up my radiator and could not believe how full of crud the cans were. They did get it rodded out so I do not need a new core but the cans will need some serious attention.

Thanks again,

Mike

farmermike

It appears that I have the overheating issue resolved. the radiator was 80% plugged. The new water jacket ( thanks Don, Ski4life65) was a godsend. To make sure that I do not have a repeat of the issue I took the radiator shop guy's recommendation and placed a screen in the inlet side of the radiator (photos 714 and 715) to catch any debris before it got to the radiator. I then installed a " gano inline filter" into the inlet line of the radiator just above the water pump outlet. I had run across these in a farm publication and thought the 35T could use the help. I purchased the clear one so I could monitor when it needs to be cleaned. photo 716 shows the filter installed. Hopefully this will rectify any overheating issues with this motor.

Mike

farmermike

m6rider,

You are right about the oil pan. Check out my other discussion at: 35Terraplane 6 cyl. oil pan cleanout.

It was bad.

Good idea about a youtube video of the motor running.