Thanks for your thoughts. I did in fact change the fuel pump inlet hose when I changed the pump, and there is no hose at the rear other than the tank vent. Also there is no manifold heat riser valve, I removed it when I put on the new exhaust system some years back.

For all I know I've solved the problem without actually seeing it, but I'm not about to go back and try those hills again to see.

Regarding your comments on the cfm situation, the carbs are special units and have two modifications to give good performance over the full range of rpms. They have a ring staked into the venturi cluster on the 4 primaries to improve low speed performance, and both sets of secondaries have a second set of butterflies that limit air flow at low speeds. When these carbs are done right, the performance is great at all speed ranges.

Intersting that you also had low manifold vacuum, do you recall the reading at hot idle? Mine is about 15-16 inches of Hg but rock-steady.

Rear compartment clocks were rather standard in many of the expensive closed cars of the Classic era, and especially on those with a divider window. Usually they were mounted below the division window, not above but in a custom car anything was possible.

Some of you may have noted my changing the fuel pump on my 56 Caribbean enroute to the Henry Joy Tour. Even after the change, fuel starvation problems continued on long upgrades (and it was HOT) though I could still breeze along at 70 on the straight-aways; I thought some of you might be interested in what I've done since.

Checked the gas tank cover to be sure the vent was clear. Drained the gas tank thru a fine strainer, gas was clean. As best I could I viewed the inside of the tank with a borescope, tank not lined but looked bright, shiny and new. Put a filter over the gas line at the front, and blew it from the back - gas was clean as a whistle. Did an autopsy on the removed fuel pump and it was clean inside, as were both the carburetor float chambers. I didn't remove the fuel filter bowl on the road because I didn't have a spare gasket for it and they often break when you remove them, but the bowl was free of sediment. Subsequently removed the filter and did the "blow thru" test compared to a new one, only a very slight difference. Checked the new fuel pump, 4 psi outlet, 10 inches of Hg on the suction side, and just over 2 pints per minute. Did a vacuum test on the fuel line to the tank, held vacuum overnight.

The car always had somewhat low manifold vacuum and only gave good low speed performance with richer main jets so I decided to pull the manifold. It was also a hard hot-start engine. The gaskets were the original NOS-type steel shim style. Checked the choke stove pipe (OK) and replaced the manifold using Kanter's composite gaskets which I like better. Installed two Daytona rebuilt 4GCs. Cleaned the air filters (modest dirt, last done about 2000 miles ago).

Still have to synchronize the carbs, set the 2 fast idles and idle mixture, so I have no road test yet. I'd be curious what you think I may have missed and what the problem might be; one fellow suggested a case of borderline vapor lock. No, I don't have an electric fuel pump. Gasoline I was using was generally Premium Mobil (with EtOH of course), with 1 qt. of tetraethyl lead added every other fillup.

I also don't think it's an export-only issue.

I'd either give the motor to a professional starter shop, or at the least, put the armature in a lathe, cut it down lightly, undercut the mica, test for shorted segments, and probably put in new brushes. For the gear box I very strongly recommend Sta-Lube SL 3303, a product of CRC stocked at many NAPA dealers. If's a graphited molybdenum grease with teflon and very similar to the original special lubricant which Packard never identified.

Sorry, I accidently bleeped your PM with your email address for the contact on other Rollson and Rollston owners. Please send again and perhaps over the weekend I'll have the chance to browse CCCA and PAC for contact information.

In addition to going thru the PAC directory and making contact with other Henney owners for parts leads, one other possibility is the Professional Car Society which caters to owners of limos, hearses, ambulances and flower cars.

Please elaborate on the differences you noted with the Lucas transmission additive.

Put the car up on a lift. The dipstick and filler neck is on the driver side. I've seen some 23rd series with an access plate in the floor board hump, whether factory or put there later I don't know. Many of us use Type F or Type FA fluid.

If you're going to keep the car, you really should buy or download the shop manual.

Yeah, the stories about the 1955 build quality are legion. 1954 models seemed to be up to snuff, but the 1955s were really awful due no doubt to many factors including a car rushed into production and the move to Conner Ave. The 1956 cars were much better than 1955, and with many mechanical improvements as well. I don't think I'd own a 1955 even now.

Your Buick story reminded me, I bought my first new GM car (after several new Chrysler and AMC products), a 1972 Buick Centurion. On the 5 mile trip home the transmission went, and within 15 miles it spun a rod. It ate power window and windshield wiper motors regularly, but paintwork and interior, quality and fit and finish, were really good. Just as my Dad vowed when his new late 1920s Chevrolet which broke an axle a week, it was the last GM car I ever owned.