Compression ratios for the 1941 Six were 6.39 std and 6.71 optional and I'd guess that 1940 was about the same, so I'd think compression readings of about 90-95 psi should be expected.

I can't give you any specifics, perhaps others will chime in with first-hand experience, but I can tell you there are people who have removed the torsion bars without the special tool. Cementing eyelets deep into concrete floors, using chains and cables/winches, etc. come to mind. So it can be done.

Solex (tinted) windshields were made available starting in 1952. And to those who have had to buy a new windshield for a 55/56 Caribbean, $325 would be the steal of the century.

No, I don't think so. 55T-16 refers to holes in the shaft itself, while I believe PackardV8 was speaking of the holes in the rocker levers themselves.

PackardV8 asks: Do the rocker arms have an oil squirt hole in them directly above the push rod????

I don't know, I checked the valve area oiling some years back before I realized that there were two different style of rockers, w/ and w/o those holes. And I don't think I've ever read in any of the STBs or SCs anything about that difference. Do you have any reference or information about them?

My car has the dual Rochesters, so I'm giving you this based on what I think the single carb model is like. The vacuum line from the intake manifold runs in a steel tube to the rear of the driver's side cylinder head, and there it is held down to a bolt in the head that also includes the body/engine ground strap and the steel vacuum line from the crankcase. From there both continue with rubber hoses up to a junction block on the cowl near the wiper motor. The block also connects via rubber hoses to the wiper motor and the washer head. Of the 2 vacuum sources, you'll have to grope around a bit to see which comes from the manifold and which from the crankcase. Temporarily plug the one from the crankcase with a bolt or similar.

The wipers should still give decent performance except under heavy throttle load with the crankcase pump disabled. If not, more than likely the wiper motor either needs internal lubrication (I use Mobil Vacuum Pump oil) or servicing. My crankcase vacuum line is intentionally closed off and my wipers are excellent under all conditions except full throttle when they slow down a bit.

I agree with Jack that it doesn't have the correct symptoms for a valve seal problem. Why not take a compression test first before you much deeper into it, and let us know the results. Also how about a manifold vacuum test at idle? How much vacuum and how steady is the reading? And how about running a rifle-bore cleaning rod down the oil return holes in the head - very important! These holes are not overly generous is size and if partially restricted you can get quite an accumulation of oil in the head which could then overwhelm the valve/guide clearance.

And one other thing to do first, take the vacuum line from the vacuum pump in the crankcase (joins to the vacuum block near the wiper motor) and remove it and plug the end. I think there's a very good chance that the check valve on the side of the block has failed and you're pulling oil from the crankcase vacuum pump directly into the intake manifold. Happened to me, looked like I was the mosquito exterminator coming down the street.

Comments about lack of lubrication to the valve area doesn't agree with observations on my 56 Caribbean with 90,000 miles. I don't know the entire prior history of the engine, but think it has never been opened. Though the car is a late one (#254) the engine is an early one (C-1137); it doesn't have the valve spring baffles and the valve area is generously oiled when running, enough to spatter all over the inner fender in just a few moments of running.

No, I don't believe that is correct, though the Caribbeans were in fact delayed because of the seat issue and apparently it proved to be too much handwork to fit the underseat heater, thus they were not installed although allegedly standard equipment. According to an analysis of the build slips, the 3 cars that had the underseat heaters were not early cars, they were #s 1096, 1119, and 1230. It would be interesting to examine one of these and see just how the heater was fitted because looking at my own Caribbean convertible, it wouldn't fit w/o alterations to the floorpan.

I'm often amazed at how often this happens in our hobby, I can think of perhaps a dozen instances in the last handful of years, just with people I know or meet on tour. I guess one reason may be we tinker with our cars a lot, remove wheels often, and our memories (at least mine) isn't what it used to be. Another reason cited frequently is with powder-coated wheels. At least one of the firms that does this cautions you that the coating relaxes (compresses) slightly with time, and recommends that you always retighten several times after installing. In the case cited above, the best of luck is no accident or personal injury, no real damage to speak of, and hopefully the threaded inserts in the drum weren't damaged.

Your Patrician Twelve reminds me of the long-standing rumor of a 1954 Patrician specially built by Packard with a left-over Twelve motor. Rumors always had it that the car was ordered by an influential shareholder and later sold to a livery service in Chicago and that it continued to linger in the dark, dusty corners of that livery service garage. Of course all you have to do is look at the height of the Twelve engine and the underhood space of a post-51 car to realize it was impossible.