Its been a while since I last posted due to life getting in the way. I am getting back to working on my 52' 300 trying to get it ready to enjoy this summer.

It all started when I had issues with the accelerator pump in the carb not working and not allowing me to accelerate. So I ordered a rebuild kit from Max Merritt and rebuilt the carb. Got everything put back together and got the car fired up with using the base fuel screw settings of 2 turns out. It was idling higher than I would have liked, so using a dwell/ tach meter, I am able to watch the RPM and dwell with the car running. Currently the Dwell is set to 24 degrees which is within the spec of 21-30 degrees according to the service manuals. These measurements are taken with the Vac Adv disconnected at the carb and the carb plugged off. I cannot get the idle down to the factory spec of 450-500 rpm without the car dying. Currently its idling around 750-800 RPM with the Vac Adv connected, but has an audible miss at idle. It smooths out when given throttle.

I thought that the timing may be off since it won't idle at the correct RPM. After checking the timing with a timing light and Vac Adv disconnected. It is right on at 6 degrees BTDC which I believe to be within spec. When I check the timing with the Vac Adv connected, the timing jumps up to 16-17 degrees BTDC and continues to advance further when RPM's are increased. It has the Delco distributor if that matters.

My questions to the experts:
1. Is the timing supposed to be set to 6 degrees with the Vac Adv connected?
2. Is my advance of 16-17 degrees with the Vac Adv connected seem reasonable. Is this due to the RPM's being elevated above the normal spec of 450-500 RPM?
3. I assume if I can get the RPM to 450-500 then there shouldn't be any timing advancement from the Vac Adv? If its still advancing at 450-500 RPM is there any adjustment to the vacuum canister to reduce the advancement or does it need rebuilt?
4. Any other suggestions or areas to look at?

thank you for any insight or help you all can provide.

How do I adjust regulator if needed.. it is brand new and specefic to the generator?

Yes, the parts book specifically calls out part 433248 which is a 5/8" x 7/8" copper washer. No need for Teflon tape.

Pretty sure Harbor Freight sells these, even.

Ok thank you .. I will do all the tests in am and report back! Appreciate all the info

YnZ’s Yesterdays Parts offers a beautiful reproduction of the A/C harness which also seems reasonably priced although I got mine a few years back. They actually had it in stock! They also had the power windows/door locks harness in stock with the rubber tubes through the door jambs and even includes reproductions of the switch connectors so no need to use your old ones.

The actual Packard drawing number for the A/C wiring is 1-1363 named "MISC". You can obtain a copy of this from the Studebaker Museum in care of Andrew Beckman. Email address is: archives@studebakermuseum.org. There will be a nominal fee for it, but it is an original Packard wiring print.

Don’t loosen the one outlined in red as that’s an adjustment. Don’t add additives either, especially not the non-slip stuff which is for a different type of transmission. To check the oil level, just remove the upper plug and look inside or stick your finger in. The oil should be near level with the bottom of the hole.

48-54 wheels are all the same underneath.

You could repolarize again. It will not hurt anything and may do some good.

If your voltmeter is reading correctly, with the numbers you reported in your first post in this thread I would wonder if the generator is actually charging or if the regulator is adjusted properly. Standing battery voltage for a charged battery at rest should be 6.3 volts across the battery terminals. When the engine is at fast idle or greater, if the generator is charging and regulator is adjusted properly the voltage produced is generally about 1 volt higher than standing battery voltage so I would expect you would be reading at least 7v and maybe a bit more instead of the 6.6 you reported..

A simple way to test generator or regulator is to momentarily short a terminal to ground. Note that in a working generator this will bypass the regulator and cause the voltage to jump higher by a few volts so try not to have any bulbs lit or accessories turned on when doing the test.

To do the test have the volt meter connected across the battery terminals to read the battery voltage before and during the test. Start the engine and run it at fast idle, then use a small jumper wire to MOMENTARILY short the F terminal on the regulator to ground. Make sure it is the F or FIELD terminal you are shorting. That should immediately cause the generator to go to full output and you should see the battery voltage jump up at least 2 or 3 volts. Only keep the terminal shorted long enough to read the meter. If voltage jumps up the generator is working but if there are still charging issues then the regulator is suspect. If there was no change when shorting at the regulator you could move the test jumper to the FIELD terminal on the generator and short again to rule out a wire issue. If still no change then the generator is suspect.

It is positive ground…