Sep 27

Thermostatically Controlled Shutters.

This topic is specifically for Roger. Since the touring car does not have shutters it looks like only 4 cars starting with mine have them. That is chassis # 11932, 11961, 11990 (hot rod) and 11993. Mine have stopped working and they are wired open. This winter I plan on getting them to work. Here are some photos.

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Sep 27, 2026

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Replies (13)

· Sep 27

I couldn't find a service bulletin in our library on the shutters.

Hopefully the unit inside a Pines as used on Packard and Duesenberg and my REO Royale. If it is, you can get a lot of parts from Straight Eight.

https://straight-eight.com/product-category/duesenberg-model-j-sj/pines-winterfront-shutterstat-duesenberg-model-j-sj/

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· Sep 27

A shot of the shutters. I read somewhere that the hood was extended 2" and radiator shell moved forward to accommodate them. This was true for Duesenberg when they were added in 1930. Does anybody know where that information comes from?

· Sep 27

Ok, that may be it. I was thinking the shell was deeper on shutter cars. Maybe not?

· Sep 28

Same shell I think, just pushed forward.

· Sep 28

I believe air cooled Volkswagens used a similar bellows to open and close air doors in the tin shrouding on the engine. Corvairs also had a bellows thermostat.
I was told that the brass bellows is filled with alcohol.
If your bellows has cracked and leaked, there should be a possibility to solder the cracks and refill with alcohol.

· Sep 28

@ShawnG Thanks for that lead. I found some good information for VW that could be helpful. They used isopropyl for the higher temp thermostats and methanol for the lower temp. It looks like methanol would be the best for the Pines units because the information that I have shows them beginning to open at 155 degrees F and being fully open by 180 degrees F.

https://www.ratwell.com/technical/Thermostats.html

· Sep 28

It is a good system that works forever (or at least 50 years) if you buy a new bellows. I'm really hopefully Stearns used the Pines system as Straight Eight sells a bunch of parts.

I put all new stuff in my Royale thermostat and it works fantastic. Here are pictures of what we started with and the new parts.

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· Sep 28

The Pines Winterfront building still stands in Chicago at the corner of Division Street and Cicero Avenue.

· Sep 29

Bob Gerdes took these pictures. The first one is the shell and radiator with shutters on his J. The radiator sits back in the shell and the shell sits 1" further forward of the firewall. The second is the rad shell on his H without shutters. The radiator sits further forward in the shell on the H.
I never knew quite how they accommodated shutters. Thanks to Bob for the pictures.

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· Sep 30

Thanks Peter & Bob!
I wonder; is the filler neck moved or is the neck opening in the shell moved? Or is the neck opening in the shell large enough to accommodate either configuration?
R/ Roger.

· Sep 30

The other thing Duane said to me was that you can count the louvers and there is 1 or 2 more on the shutter cars. My car has 28 louvers.

· Sep 30

My guess is the filler in the top of the rad is located differently. I'll bet the shells are all the same.

· Oct 1

Here are a couple more shots of my radiator shell.

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