Engine; General Description - Cadillac 1937 LaSalle VVI Information

67
ENGINE
General Description
Four different engines are used in the 37-series
Cadillac and L a Salle cars. A 322 cubic inch
90° V-8 engine is used in the series 37-50 LaSalle,
a slightly larger 346 cubic inch, .90° V - 8 engine in
the series 37-60, 65, 70 and 75 Cadillac cars, a
368 cubic inch 45° V-12 engine in the series 37-85
Cadillac, and a 452 cubic inch 45° V-16 engine i n
the series 37-90 Cadillac.
L A S A L L E AND C A D I L L A C V - 8 E N G I N E S
The cylinder blocks and crankcase of a l l 37
series V-8 engines are made in one casting of grey
iron. The cylinder heads are also of cast iron.
The crankshaft is supported by three m a i n
bearings. T h e main bearing caps are cast iron,
and are held in place with special cap screws and
lock washers. Shell type bearings are used. E n d
thrust is taken by the center m a i n bearing.
Six counterweights are used, four of them inte-
gral with the crankshaft. N u m b e r two and five
counterweights are piloted b y locating sleeves and
held to the crankshaft by special cap screws and
lock washers. H a r m o n i c balancers are used on all
Cadillac engines.
The connecting rods for opposite cylinders are
carried side-by-side on the same crankpin. T h e
large end of the connecting rod is split on an
angle to permit removal from the top of the c y l i n -
der block. The rods are rifle-drilled for pressure
lubrication of the piston pins and the large ends
are also drilled for lubrication of the cylinder bores.
The connecting rod bearings are of the steel-back
babbitted type.
The pistons are of T-slot design and made of
aluminum alloy which has been anodized to
provide a hard aluminum oxide wearing surface.
Two compression rings and two o i l rings are used
on the pistons. The piston pins float in the con-
necting rods and are retained in the pistons by
snap rings. The bore of the piston pins in the
37-60, 65, 70 and 75 engines is tapered to give a
thicker wall at the center than at the ends.
The camshaft is a.solid shaft supported b y three
bearings and driven b y a silent chain. B o t h the
crankshaft and the camshaft sprockets are
stamped with a locating mark, letter " O , " for
timing the camshaft when installing the chain.
• Hydraulic valve lifters are used on a l l V - 8
engines for maintaining zero clearance between
valve stem and lifter, thereby assuring quiet
operation and efficient valve action, besides elim-
inating the necessity for valve tappet adjustments.
A detailed description of this mechanism is given
in N o t e 21, page 83.
T h e distributor and oil p u m p drive gear is
integral w i t h the camshaft. T h e camshaft gear
meshes w i t h an idler gear that drives a single gear
on the shaft that drives both the distributor and
the o i l pump. T h e distributors rotate i n a clock-
wise direction on all 37 series engines.
Oiling System— T h e gear type oil pump is
bolted to the bottom of the crankcase at the left
of the rear main bearing. O i l enters the pump
through a screened and floating intake as shown
in Plate 37, F i g . 37. This intake floats on the
surface of the o i l at all times and draws off only
the clean surface o i l . Sludge and dirt collect in
the bottom of the o i l pan where they will not be
drawn into the lubricating system. T h e oil
pressure regulator is built into the pump body.
O i l is forced b y the pump through a passageway
drilled i n the crankcase to the oil header, which
is drilled longitudinally along the left side of the
crankcase. F r o m the o i l header other drilled
passages branch through the bearing support
webbs to the three main and the three camshaft
bearings.
O i l is carried from the rear camshaft bearing to
the distributor and o i l pump d r i v e shaft and gears,
and from the front bearing to the timing chain.
Oil from the forward end of the header passes
through the oil filter and then to the four sets of
hydraulic v a l v e lifters.
O i l from the m a i n bearings passes through
drilled passages to the crankpins, where part of
the oil lubricates the connecting rod bearings,
part flows u p t o \ t h e piston pins, and part passes
through the small holes in the big end of the con-
necting rod to lubricate the cylinder bores.
A suction type crankcase ventilating system is
used, which provides a positive and nearly con-
stant air circulation thcqugh the crankcase at
all times. W i t h this system, air enters the crank-
case through the o i l filler cap, which is fitted
w i t h a copper mesh air filter. T h e air and any
contaminating vapors are then drawn out by the
two baffled openings in the valve covers. See
P l a t e 37, F i g . 39.
T w o outlet openings are provided in the valve
chamber. A t low speeds, the vapors are dis-
charged through a pipe located in the inlet m a n i -
fold, w h i c h has a strong v a c u u m at low engine
speeds. A t high speeds, the vapors are discharged
through a pipe located at the rear of the air