1937 tempature controlled radiator louvers

[Eric 21341]

Does anyone know if all 1937 Cadillacs all came with the thermostadt controlled louvers or was it an accessory? Mine doesnt have them, I dont know if it ever did. If it is supposed to they are missing, I would like to find some.
Eric

[John Tozer #7946]

Eric,

According to the shop manual they were standard equipment on all (V8) models.

That said, the fact that they are missing is not unusual - I am in Australia and they are damned hard to find down here - I suspect because, with our high summer temperatures and relatively (compared to most of the US) mild winter temperatures, anything that got between the sidevalve engines and the open air was a pain in the butt!

There are probably a lot of them hanging on a nail at the back of a lot of old sheds!

Depending on where you are and where your car spent its life, this could explain why the louvres are missing. Doesnt help with locating a set - I have seen them on ebay but very, very infrequently. Fortunately for you, I think they were common over several of the side valve years commencing 1936 so there were, in theory, quite a few produced.

Good luck with the search,


John Tozer

[Ty Stinson CLC #22330]

Were these louvers used on the V-12? If so, where were they mounted?

ty

[Doug Houston]

Thermostatic controlled shutters were used on all Cadillacs through 1941, starting probably in the late twenties. Unfortunately, when the thermostat failed, it failed with the shutters closed. On many models, the shutters can be removed, because they had separate monting to the radiator frame. On the 41 models, for instance, they were an integral part of the radiator panel, and couldnt be removed as a unit. But, as John has already said, if the car is used in warmer climates, either the shutters were wired open, or taken off completely. Naturally, they differed from one year and series to another. On one of my cars, just to be safe, I had the rediator re-cored, and the thermostat hole soldered shut. I just didnt want to take a chance on the thing overheating, and I drive it in the summer all the time anyway.

It would cost me points in judging, but I never have my cars judged.

[Harry Scott]

Ty, Your car should have them and they would be located in front of the radiator. They are hard to see. Try shinning a light through the grille. Harry

[Bill Sullivan]

I dont have them on my 37 LaSalle and dont miss them.  My 40 LaSalle has them, but we leave them wired open all the time.  I had rebuilt the thermostat on the 40 and it worked for a year or two but the working fluid leaked out again.  I suppose the shutters might be important if you drive the car in below freezing weather, but I must say I have not noticed any difference with them working or not.

The good news on the 37:  as Harry points out, you can barely see the shutters to tell if they are even there!  (They are easier to see on the 40).  The car will probably run cooler with the shutters completely removed, these cars need all the cooling they can get on a hot day.  I may do that with our 40 someday, but it is a fairly big job to extract them, they are welded into the front clip.

Bill.  

[Eric 21241]

Thanks to all for the responses to my question on the shutters.
General consensus is they are a pain and Im better off without them if I want to drive the car, especialy here in California.

[JIM CLC # 15000]

05-06-06
ERIC, I would be amiss if I didn,t tell you about my 38 La Salle which has Shutters. The Shutterstat on my car is inop. and I have a choke controll cable connected to  the shutters to operate them. They remain closed most of the time.
I see you having three options as to what to do.
1. Make sure the shutterstat is operating properly.( Even   if you have to replace the shutterstat.)
2. Install a manual control to operate the shutters.
3. Remove the shutters. ( if you chose this option, I would advise that you remove the shutters with the idea that either you or some future owner will reinstall them and exercise option number 1, above.
Good Luck, JIM

[T.L. (Ty) Stinson]

Harry: You are right. They are there. Look like 1 1/4 inch vertical slats in front of the radiator. I did not know they were there. Seem to be about half open.
Ty

[jack oconnor 18960]

 I have a complete louver. seems to work well. Removed from 1937 sedan. If you need it let me know. jack

[Byrson Talamini 21505]

Eric, They are a pain- fix them open & plate the hole like Doug says. Near the top of the inlet hoses you can install 2 inch diam x 160F buy anywhere thermostats;  first grind the diameter down to a 35x30mm oval and they will slide inside the hoses on an angle. They will give beautiful temp control with some bypass for initial warm up. Email me if you need more detail.
Bryson in Oz