As a followup on this particular conversation, I found my trouble. The oil pickup one some point in its life had been (damaged) and brazed back together at the curved pipe that allows the pickup to float. During the repair, the pickup was not "set" to the correct angle, which allowed the pickup the possibility of rising so high that it could be struck by crankshaft #5. The built-in stop did not have the ability to stop the collision in this case. I cleaned up and used an oil pickup from another engine that operated at the correct angle and its stop prevented any collision with the crankshaft. End of story....quiet engine. By the way, the oil pickup does indeed rest on the bottom of the oil when all oil is removed. You can tap the pan and hear it, but floats up when oil is added. My two dipsticks are slightly different on their marking levels, but I don't think enough to cause trouble. I add 5 1/2 quarts (with filter).

Now, if I could figure out why I have violent judder when I let out on the clutch. New clutch plate, pressure plate, TO bearing, spring, resurfaced flywheel. Clean surfaces with no oils. Maybe I have some kind of tension problem with the throwout arm. ? Some people say it might take a while to seat in correctly though.

Thanks for talking about this guys. I put 5 1/2 quarts in...one 5 quart jug and a 1/2 of a quart bottle. The specs for a 245 Six call for 5 quarts, so I would not think 1/2 quart would do anything unusual. The "stand" that the pickup mounts and floats off of seems sturdy and not bent.

Thinking about the physicals here, it seems improbable that the oil pickup could collide with anything else under there, but yet that gash in the top of the pickup is suspicious...and it seems freshly made.
Entertaining the dreaded topic of bearing failure, would a main or rod bearing failure sound and feel like your knuckles knocking on the oil pan ?
In comparing the oil pickup with another engine, if I don't find anything to blame there I would then need to start pulling bearings caps and investigate. Oh my....

This weekend I had a new diventure (that's actually a dilemma disguised as an adventure). I have a newly rebuilt 245 six that I have started 4 times...sounds wonderful. I shut it off, made some adjustments, started it back up and heard a knocking sound in the engine. I crawl under the engine while it is running and feel something hitting the inside of the oil pan. I thought maybe the oil pickup was banging the bottom of the pan. Cut the engine off, and each time I tap the bottom of the oil pan, another metallic sound echoes this on the inside. Surely, something is loose in the pan...baffle or oil pickup. I pulled the pan last night and see that the baffles are tight and oil pickup is still attached, but loosy-goosy on its pivot mount, and a gash on the top side of the pickup like the crankshaft hit it. I cannot visualize dimensionally the amount of clearance needed for crankshaft/oil pickup/oil pan, but certainly there is something not right here. Bent oil pickup? I have another old six that I could pull the pan and oil pickup from and investigate that. To deepen the curiosity, I noticed the dipstick from my 40 six had the oil level lines etched at the different point on the dipstick than my 41 six. Why would the oil level be different on these sixes, unless the oil pans are different, or perhaps one has the wrong dipstick.
Anyway, I wonder if anyone else has had an oil pickup banging problem, and what they did to correct it.

One of my favorite places to search for unique hardware that cannot be found at True Value & Ace is McMASTER-CARR out of New Jersey. They have a nearly-4000 page catalog that contains items that you would have thought was discontinued many decades ago. They do have a website, but for me, the paper catalog is as entertaining as it is functional.
Be glad you're only looking for correct Packard hardware. Real frustration comes when you delve into an old British car with Whitworth gauge hardware.

I installed an oil filter on my 1940 engine as bought from one of the known Packard vendors. As I was changing the oil yesterday I realized the canister has no drain plug. Pulling the lid and cartridge out reveals about 1/3 to 1/2 of oil sitting in the canister, just below the hole in the central tube. I thought "why would they make an oil canister with no drain plug?". So I removed the canister from the engine and drained it in a bucket. Sure would have been easier if they had installed that inexpensive little plug.

I have two 1940 110 clutches and both are exactly like the upper photo, with the solid clutch material. I recently sent one clutch to be rebuilt, and they said they had some of the original style solid clutch material to use for the rebuild. So I got it back looking exactly like it did. Also, both clutches had the PACKARD script engraved into the center hub. My 120 clutch is not out to look at that though. With this knowledge, I would say the upper photo is PACKARD, the lower photo is an unknown.

I have a vague notion that I read about the 1938-1939-1940 Junior Coupe bodies before, but I cannot find it, so I will open it up again.
What is the interchangibility between the 1938, 1939, 1940 Coupe bodies ? I know there would obviously be differences in the front clip of the eights vs. the sixes, but speaking of the body tubs, doors, rear fenders, trunk lid, windows...are they interchangible ? Some trim and garnishes I know would be different, but I am thinking Packard used the same basic body stampings for these 3 years of the Coupe. True or False ?
40 Clubcoupe

"there was no 160 Business Coupe". (In 1939)

This statement by Ozstatman made me go off and do some research, but that is correct. They had a Super Eight (160) Club Coupe in 39, 40 and 41, but a Business Coupe only in 40 and 41.
I see a Twelve Coupe listed as available for 2-4 passengers, but they do not call it a Club Coupe. Was that a rear bench seat or jump seats ? Quite an attractive car...boy wouldn't that be the ultimate coupe!

40Clubcoupe

I am interested in this upgrade. I have an early 40 110 that has stabilizer links that actually look like links...a tall sausage standing up holding the horizontal stabilizer bar. The bar inserts into the top of the link similar to the photo shown, with no access hole. What is in the lower body of the link, I don't know. My problem is not that the rubber has deteriorated, but that Packard used a small undersized mounting stud on the bottom of the link. I suppose the rubber bushings at the mounting stud collects road water and rusts the stud. My mounting studs wrung off the second I put the wrench on them. I thought about welding new studs onto the links, but I still might have the rubber failure shortly anyway.
Would you be using my horizontal bar, with new links ?

Yes, Mr. Cole is correct. Dropping the pan for a clean is the only way to go. I had a bit of oily slime on motor components as viewed from the bottom looking up, but the sludge in the bottom of pan was too hard for kerosene to have done anything...that's putty knife action and then clean it spotless with kerosene. I have the 110 six and 120 eight engines. I believe I saw where Packard advised dropping the pan for a clean yearly, but perhaps with faithful oil changes and a bypass filter I can eliminate that yearly.
I have used Henry's Radiator Shop in Beckley,WV many times for gas tank work. The Packard was the highest I ever paid at about $250. Perhaps that sounds like a lot, but it's peace of mind for me. GasTank Renu stands behind the work and I have never had any tank failures since using them in the early 90's.
40Clubcoupe