1956 PCV carb gasket/spacer

[Ron Draper]

Hello,

I am looking to make my 1956 Caddy and Olds a little greener.  I am looking for several  1956 PCV carb gasket/spacer (a source).  I bought a used one off ebay several years ago that was from a california packard.  I have looked thru the mr. gasket catalog but do not see anything like it.  It is a thick "plastic looking" gasket with a pipe molded into it to go to a pvc valve and then to a vented cap.  So I guess I need a source for a vented cap as well.

Thanks
Ron

[Otto Skorzeny]

Have you done this before on a '56 or similar engine? I'm curious as to whether it will effectively remove the blowby, etc. The last thing you want is acidic buildup in the crankcase destroying bearings, etc.

Trying to retrofit modern technology to old technology doesn't always have the desired effect. I realize that the PCV system isn't that modern relative to 1956 but you never know what will happen when you monkey with the original specs.

Where will you connect the PCV valve? Will you just put a plate over the draft tube opening?

[Ron Draper]

Yes,
The fellow I bought it from was in california and they require this type of retrofit to cars still on the road.  It depends on the engine's blowby but the Olds I did would would slowly suck your palm into the oil filler pipe.  I was rather pleased as it felt muck like the suction on my 64 impala with pvc.
Ron

[Doug Houston #2257]

Back when I had a '61Cadillac as my everyday driver. My father was in the automotrive service business, and there were  kits for specific cars, to install a PCV system on them. I bought one and installed it on the car, and it worked very well. The carburetor base iwas as described earlier. I think that longer carburetor studs were part of the kit, but I've forgotten what the rest of the kit included. I seem to rremember that the kit was offered by AC division of GMC.

[John Washburn CLC 1067]

Ron,

   i once had a 56 that i bought in Calif, and it was smoged.

You cut a hole in the air cleaner to get the source of vacuum at the pcv valve. I still have an air cleaner, or possibly two, that have this mod. Not sure if the hardware is stii there.

There is a new pcv valve being offered for 1956 cadillac on e-bay, i don't remember which search it came up on, but try pcv vave or such.

john w

[Ron Draper]

I also have a 56 Olds with 2 barrel that I drilled the cast iron base at the rear of the carburetor to enlarge the passageway.   I put a tee in with the power brake used a Chevy pcv valve and modified (eliminated ) the draft tube.  I did this when I was a 18 or 19 years old to eliminate the blowby from coming out under the car - (hey it was my dating car and I was too embarrassed to to show up with it spewing gasses) on the $35.00 car I bought in 1970 and still own today.

Those were some fun times - lots of energy and cheap cars and parts.

I see some pvc listed but they are for the valve and not the spacer block.  Using a spacer block does require longer studs.  I may revisit my old way of installing things (brute force - ha ha) if I can not find a spacer plate.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

Ron, didn't you get my email? Bob

[Bob S]

Hi All,
I want to add a PCV valve to my wife's 59 coupe, does anyone have pictures of the parts required?  I have a spacer plate that I bought a while back.  But what replaces the down draft tube?  My understanding is that there is a part that goes where the down draft tube is.  The PCV valve connects to it and then a hose from the PCV valve to the spacer plate.

Thanks for the help,
Bob (CLC 22117)

[akstraw]

It seems like I saw such a spacer recently in either the Summitt Racing or Speedway Automotive catalog.  I'll see if I can find it again.

Andrew
CLC 21467

[Mike Simmons 938]

If the following pic comes out, the dingus in it was offered on eBay a while back, and stated to be for the 1963 PVC system. It replaced the road draft tube. I believe a rubber tube was supposed to connect to a PVC valve that screwed into a large carb base gasket- if I remember correctly.

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

I have some of these spacers. Please contact me directly. Thanks, Bob

[Bruce (Chip) Iceman]

The 1957-66 Cadillac's came with a phenolic spacer and (Carter carburetors also had a stainless shim) between the carb and the intake manifold. In 1962 there was the addition of a metal tube with a threaded on PCV valve (usually replaced with a fitting for a rubber hose to convert to a standard valve) into the spacer. The tube was quite big 1/2 od that was smashed and bonded to the spacer. In 1963-64 this was replaced with the same spacer that had a nipple molded in the unit. It was a bake-lite type of material then a rubber hose went to a pcv valve and then a length of hose to an adapter that went in place of the road draft tubes of the 49-61 models. As the rubber hose aged they became brittle and hard as a rock and anytime some one tried to pull it off of the nipple on the spacer the nipple broke off. An original space with a good nipple is hard to find and can bring $100 or more. The spacers before 1962 did not have this nipple to connect the pcv valve hose to. If you can find a 1962-67 adapter (the 67 uses the same valley pan but different carb) it will give you a way to tap into the valley pan where the draft tube was. There are different styles but any should work.
My concer would be the carburetor, since you have now added aconstant vacuum leak at the base of the carb this may throw off the settings on the pre 1962 carburetors. Just a thought
Chip

[quadfins]

I wrote an article on PCV retrofit that was published in the June, 1999, Self-Starter. Most of us don't have our back issues at hand (or at all), so if you'd like, I can email you the text, including photos. Contact me via the CLC website section on technicians. My email address is there.

Jim