Sorry folks, I made a mistake above. Yes the gray color started with 1948, though there are some unquestionably original 1948 cars with green engines, though they are all (to my knowledge)Custom 8s with 356 engines. And Packard couldn't have been using green on the 356 into 1951 because the 356 engine was discontinued with the 23rd series except for the marine engine series, in which it was painted gray.

Not sure about 1951 though the answer can be found easily enough in the parts book, but the 1954 thru 1956 Senior cars with Ultramatic used a different ball and trunnion (front) joint that the junior cars. If you have a senior and need the housing, buy it at any price as they have been nearly impossible to find for many years, to the point where people are spray-metallizing the old ones and remaching the internals. The rebuild kits are still reasonably plentiful and may interchange with Chrysler, I don't know; they contain the balls and caps, needle bearings, pin and boot. I also don't know if the Chrysler ball and trunnion joint interchanges with the junior or senior cars, but it would be a useful answer for someone to determine and post here.

Radial tires have a lot of advantages, though steering more easily than bias ply when the car is at rest is not one of them.

Your engine should be gray, no question. There is a bit of controversy over whether the change from green to gray occured during the 23rd series (1950) or at the beginning of the 24th series, but no question that all the 51 motors were gray, as were all the engines thru 1954 except the 1954 senior (359) engine which was bronze. Perhaps someone in the past repainted your engine. There are differences with motor mounts, waterpump etc. starting with 1951 so I coubt your motor is an earlier transplant, though anything is possible. Check the motor number if in doubt.

The last Packard bought new for White House service was a 1951 Patrician 400 (2406) by Derham purchased in the Truman Administration but apparently retired shortly thereafter in favor of Lincolns who offered special incentives.

Source of this information is an article on White House Packards published by the Smithsonian which I'll add to this site under Misc. articles. Hope you enjoy.

It could be so many things, but first of all, the comment about the engine seeming hotter after you shut it off. Of course it is, that's normal. The engine mass is a huge heat sink and once you turn off the system it uses to disperse the heat, it accumulates and the temperature in the block goes up for a while. Should be no concern.

The fact that it finally does crank over suggests the battery is OK and the charging system working normally but these are always worth a second look. A poor electrical connection could easily be the problem; have you removed the battery terminals and cleaned the battery posts and cable ends? Are the cables correct for 6 volt ("0" gauge at the least? How about the ground strap connection to the engine block (it's in an often dirty, oily place and could have not been tightened if the generator was recently removed)? The starter motor armature could have a bad segment, but I think you'd notice that all the time.

My leading suspects would be poor connections and the starter solenoid, despite it's newness. I'd suggest that next time it happens, take a single battery jumper cable and bypass the ground strap by going direct from the (+) terminal to some good naked contact on the engine block (you can leave the existing cable in place). If that doesn't do it, then use the cable to make a momentary contact between the (-) battery cable at the terminus of that cable on the starter solenoid.

Let us know what the results are. Others I'm sure will have some other suggestions.

I too had never added my state (New Jersey) to my personal info but have done so now. And likewise if you experience Packard problems on tour and find yourself in the Northern New Jersey (Bergen County) area, you'll always find sympathy, help, and a fair stash of parts here.

Yes, the manifold was Packard-made. It can mount either a Carter WCFB or a Rochester Quadra-Jet (original equipment on the Patrician). Although my 56 Caribbean has the original dual Quadra-Jets, I've always considered the Carter to be a superior unit. As to the specifics, I'll leave that to others as I like to adhere to authenticity and your car should give excellent performance with either OEM carburetor, and parts/rebuild services are plentiful.

Having owned and driven a 1934 Eight 1100 for nearly 45 years and being involved with many other Packard engines of this vintage, if you truly heard a "loud" banging and found significant metal in the crank, it's probably much too late to avoid rebabbiting the rods (at least one of them) at the least, and almost certainly the crankshaft will have to have the counterweights removed and turned undersize. Crankshaft grinders who can do this long and complex shaft aren't found on every street corner, and it's going to be expensive. Sorry to be the bearer of what may be bad news, but if one wants to avoid the crankshaft job, you need to stop driving immediately after you hear even the slightest rod knock, often first heard at a hot idle.

I heard just the slightest rod knock on mine about 45,000 miles ago, and immediately stopped driving. The crankshaft was still OK and I just had to rebabbit one rod, though at 89,000 miles the engine did need a complete overhaul.

PS - I meant to compliment you on the work you're doing on your car - very nice indeed and you'll certainly benefit from it later with a well done and comprehensive job.

With the exception of AMOCO premium and perhaps a few others, all gasoline contained tetraethyl lead until perhaps 20 years ago. Also gas in that era had the octane rating determined by the "motor" method, whereas today it's done by an average of the motor and "research" method. Without going into the differences, regular unleaded (87 octane) is more than adequate for your car. As far as the tetraethyl lead goes, if you're going to make a regular habit of agressive, high speed driving, you might consider buying the lead and adding (here in the US it's legal for you to do that, it's just not legal for a gasoline retailer to dispense it into an automobile).

If the time comes for an engine rebuild and you are still intending to drive regularly at high speeds, you might want to consider modern metalurgy exhaust valves and hardened seat inserts.

As far as engine wear goes, the prior engine condition and your maintenance and driving habits are the most significant factors. Of course you should drop the oil pan, clean it and the inlet screen of the pump, and as the engine has been idle for so long, make your first few oil changes at relatively frequent intervals.