after replacing the cables for the right gage,replacing the the battery ,rebuilding the starter ,generator ,shielding the carband fuel lines ,shielding the gas tank from the exhaust pipe,adjusting the timing to 6 degrees btdc , and still having hot start problems...
I had a treat today, and after using some new upgraded spark plug and coil wires (accel street avenger)wow I picked up 2 cylinders and have a nice brisk start !

horn wire replacement was a snap with all of the helpfull comments ,thank you forum!

Hi I have a 52 with hot start problems too ,Ive got correct cables ,Have a new 6v battery ,checked the timing ,put a heat shield around the carb and fuel line,rebuilt starter ,

I know the battery isnt enouh cch ,cuz one cant get the specified 1100 cch battery unless you go to a group 3 which would require alteration of the battery holder (im planning this)
Am interested in your high torque coil replacement for the starter ,do you have starters rebuilt on hand with this mod or do you take them in rebuild them and return?

I just had bought some heatshrink for another project ans was thinking I would put it over the new wire ,when I installed it .Ill try it on the old one forst ,I love retrotech !

The wire comming from the little hole at the end of steering box is loosing its insulation becuse of age ,I tried taping it up but its frayed where it comes out of the hole and grounding causing the horn to stay on ,I guess its time to rewire it with a fresh wire ,any advice on going at this ?
I am loth to take apart the horn ring and button at the steering wheel ,because Im afraid it wont go back together but I guess I'll have to ,
attach a new wire to the old one and fish it up from the bottom ,down from the top? any advoce on dismanttelling the horn button without trashing it ?

so I guess the engine answer for me is that my 52 200 had an optional 327 with hydrolic lifters and an oil filter ,smart ordering! engine number =420194 mystery solved !

thank you for the illumination ,I gues my engine,s a clipper 250.300 transplant into the custom 200 .I have an oilfilter .

After inspecting the lifters which I guess cant be adjusted, replacing the oil and filter element ,adjusting the timing ,which had been at 12 d btdc and now is at 6 d btdc (required pulling out the distributer and redropping it ),the mystery noise on the hill is GONE! it Was detonation I take it .Boy it really sounded like a metal on metal clack .

But after all this the valves still have a good clatter ,sounds like a diesal motor running where one hears a fair bit of of valve noise ,does this mean its the valve seats or valves themselves that are bad?The car runs ok and doesnt smoke ,I had heard that these engines are really quiet runners ,I guess since the Packard was a quality car it should be quieter than my 50 chrysler L HEAD 6 CYLINDER 236 engine(DESOTO) which I cant even always hear if it runs or not

Hello !!I found the number but its not on your list! the car is a 52 200 delux and the number is K 420194 ,no h's but it definatly has htdrolic lifters
the listing you provided only goes up through K41500 as an end point and then l series for 53
The engine definatly says k so Im gussing that a K 420194 is indeed a 327 !(thats a nice treat .more cubic inches for free !) ,I know it has hydrolic lifters ,but the numbers for 52 dont go up that high .Hmmm maby the engine was placed in the car from a wreck ,or a replacement?,but from whence?
the head has a casting it says 288 std -327a I guess that means the head is for either engine .
when I replaced the rings the cylinders looked like they were in great shape but ihave a vague memory that they were oversized when I bought the ring set ,such that there must have been a bore at some point too .

I ll have the mechanic check the oil line to the lifter s to make sure it isnt kinked or blocked ,
any Packard archeologists to explain the fossil evidence ?Interesting .

thanks
So hydrolic lifter were an option for the 288 ill find the number and look for an h ,Ill hve the oil passages checked maby ones bent
,maby the excessive advance I HAD is the culpret ,perhaps some top end oil might loosen them up ,marvel mystery oil or something have no idea about the engine wear ,the cylinders were ok as well as the bearings ,ther were a couple of broken oil rings so we looked at various parts of the engine when doing the rings over ....

Good comment about the brakes ,thats why Im so interested in engine braking ,cuz at the bottom of the my big straight long hill the brakes are starting to fade if I use the brakes the whole way .I had the shoes checked they are new ,its a doozy hill .
I stop at the top. put it in low ,then ease down the hill letting the brakes do part of the job intermittantly and the engine do part ,I would slip the thing into h when the hill gets flatter ,and there as a bit of a lurch ,
today i went from l to n then h at the flat bottom of the hill and this seemed to be smooth
going up the hill I can do it in h and I can get about 25 mph ,or do it in l and have the same speed result with the engine revving higher ,in high if the engine bogs down i can do a "pull your foot off of the accelerator" and the engine seems to work at a revving higher speed but still in h .but someone said theres only one gear and then torque converter slip .it does make it up each time lucally but i dont want to hurt the thing .The mystery noise is the clater when the engines working hard up the hill ,maby some thing is shaking or maby detonantion ,I found out today I was running her unexpectedely advanced
remember that coca cola commercial about the nigerian runner practicing for the olympics runs up this huge hill and then gets a coke ,its a hill like that
maby Ill start going the back way