Now what is this? After I came back from a 2 week business trip the morning after I got up I started up the Patrician to warm it up and take it around the block a bit - I don't want it to sit too long without action.

He started up just fine, idled beautifully. I was actually really surprised after a 2 week slumber.....then, IT happened.

1.https://youtu.be/qPNNS6h3Y_Q

Not sure if I can embed the video or not but the link above is a quick clip. Suddenly the car started idling very rough. I gave it a little gas just in case is wasn't getting enough, didn't help. It backfired and eventually knocked out. I haven't been able to restart it since. It tries like heck, but just isn't "catching."

Took off the air filter, no obstructions, the glass bowl has fuel in it. Brought a friend over who is more knowledgable than I. We checked the battery, it was sitting at 12.3v so clearly that was fine and the generator was working well when it was previously idling because the battery tender had been off of it for nearly a week.

We hooked up a spark tester to see if that could be it:

2.https://youtu.be/MUATFmMojUs

We thought it seemed a little dim and that it was a little odd that the light seemed to almost always be on, but we're both used to newer cars so we weren't sure if that was a quirk or maybe we have an electrical issue here.

Any of you out there have a theory on this? The fuel tank is new and from the outward appearance so is the fuel pump. I'm flummoxed and would like to trouble shoot and repair this on my own.

Thanks for the directions everyone - I was hoping I wouldn't have to be a contortionist but oh well. Oh and, Fred, I wouldn't let Mr. Tiny Hands anywhere near my Packard, God knows what else he'd grab.

Ok, so I've been out of the country for 2 weeks and I know this weekend instead of resting I'm probably gonna get the bug to get that gauges working again. For the life of me I can't find an instructional either in the workshop manual or by searching past posts that outlines how best to access or view the back of the cluster.

Ideally I'd like to not remove it from the car and fix it in place, that way I can still drive it in case I can't fix it and have to resort to sending it to someone to do for me.

Thanks, Howard! Man, maybe it'll just be best to get it out of there and do the work. But one thing at a time and slow and steady.

Dave - wise advice and I will admit advice I didn't follow. I was lucky this time, and next time that batter is getting disconnected. It's so hard to figure out how exactly to position ones self just right to be able to see up in there. Definitely going to need a light and potentially muscle relaxers lol

Brilliant, thank you. It's hard to visualize without actually knowing what is back there...and I think you may have hit it, I must have done something to the ground.

So not even a week in my possession and I broke something.

I was pulling the speedometer cable on my 55 Patrician to get some graphite on the line to help out a bouncing needle. I must have loosened something up when I had my hand up there because now my oil pressure and temp gauges aren't working....and I didn't even fix the speedometer!

So before I have nightmarish visions of a dismantled dash in my car, has anyone else experienced a similar issue and can maybe give me a tip as to what I screwed up and how to put it back to normal?

Or maybe tips of what to look for, it's hard to really be clear on what I'm seeing in such a cramped space.

Finally home, safe and sound. First lesson learned on my first Packard? Let the poor car warm up.

Nervous doesn't even begin to explain how I felt and feel. It'll fit int he garage with practice, but I'm also having it expanded just enough to fit easier.

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If I remember correctly what Fred said was due to the much older nature of the repair it was done with clay, instead of having the dent pulled out. Over time with temperature fluctuations the clay expanded and contracted which eventually lead to the pain failure.

Fred's top notch guys are made sure it was repaired right this time. It was so tempting to do other work, but I'm determined to keep it as original as possible and not make it a showstopper restoration. I want to drive it and not be holding my breath for a stone chip or a little rain....not that I'd seek out driving it in the rain lol

Here are a few pictures I snapped when I went and saw the car for the first time. You'll also see the cracking paint from a very old repair and then finally two pictures of that being fixed.

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