Valve guide rework Cadillac 59

[german4inline]

Guys,
I´m aware that a 59 Cadillac is no speed talk topic at all, but I hope that somebody is familiar with this engine by the way for a simple question. I´m just going to rebuild my wife´s darling and found the valve guides amazingly in an acceptable condition to refrain from rebore or to replace them.

But I would refit them with stem seals what they don´t have in stock. Now I´ve heard rumours about a tool with what one can cut a special shape on the upper side to make them accept a valve seal. I´m German and can´t surely lend such a tool, but if the rework is not that complicated, I could rework it on the milling machine. Which stem seals will fit, does anyone tell me a source? The valves are 8,7 mm in dia., for you 0,3425"

I have to admit furthermore that I didn´t find out if the guides are pressed in or are drilled into the solid material. Looks more as pressed in, bechause the lower end in the port looks not as part of the head cast, it looks like a turned part. I will find it out tomorrow certainly, but probably someone knows confident. If I decide to replace the guides, have I to ream the bores after pressing in or are they stiff enough to keep the size?

Thanks a lot for your advices !

[engineguyBill]

As I recall, just about all (maybe all) early GM V-8 engines had the guides cast into the head. If it looks like a steel guide sticking out, into the valve pocket, it is possible that the guides have been replaced previously. I would recommend that you use a guide repair sleeve, such as those available from K-Line in Holland, Michigan. These items and the installation tools are readily available and should be available in Germany too. These guides and tools are also available from manufacturers such as Regis, Goodson, etc. These manufacturers can also supply you with positive-type valve seals and the tools to install them.

[enginenut2]

We used to cure a lot of oiling problems in the pre 1970 OHV engines with the installation of the Perfect Circle valve guide seals. GM was as hard headed as Henry Ford in claiming their engines didn't need them BUT---.
Looking at my PC book we see that that the 390 Cad was said to have integral guides but earlier 331 could be found with removable. The recommended PC seal was VS-10 (rubber with Teflon insert) using a cutting tool # VS-1811 to make the guide .531 OD. Probably your most easily obtained would be seals for the 1980 and up SBC with the .343 stem, but if your guide top is smaller than the chevy, just turn out a small sleeve -pressed or epoxied on to bring it up.
If your guide top OD is larger make a flycutter like tool to fit on an old Chev valve stem with a HSS bit turned inward that will duplicate the Chevy guide top dimension.Run it in your hand held drill motor.
Well worth installing on any engine that oils through the pushrods. The Caddy got by because of much less oil to the overhead.

[PackardV8]

The tool you need:



they are $50 - $100 USD and seals are inexpensive.

If you can't get them shipped, I can probably help put together a kit for you.

[pamotorman]

if there is room inside the spring you can also use umbrella type seals that requires no machine work. they move up and down with the valve

[ProPower engines]

As I recall most of the older model caddy's used the umbrella seal on the 11/32" / .3425"stems. We used them back in the 70's on sm blks and other stuff that needed a shorter umbrella type stem seal

[PackardV8]

If he should decide to settle for the umbrella seals, I'll provide them just for the cost of postage. We have plenty to spare; we use positive valve stem seals on all our obsolete builds, now including flatheads which never had any seals of any kind.

[Truckedup]

Umbrella seals on a Chevy was a quick easy fix for moderately worn valve guide oil use...Around 2001 I put garter spring guide seals on a GMC 302 inline 6 I built..The guys running old stuff and Internet BS of the day said the valve stems would gall from lack of oil...Nothing galled...

[PRH]

I rebuilt some 58 Caddy heads last year.
On those heads the guides were press in.
The factory retainers had an internal shield that shrouded the top of the guide, and the typical Teflon and rubber type seals discussed here wouldn't fit within that shield.

I ended up just using the stock correct style o-ring seals which were available from Fel-Pro.

[Keith Morganstein]

Even if not factory press-in guides, by now anything that old usually has had heads rebuilt at least once and .501” OD conversion guides are a very common repair.