That poor Cadillac V-16 speedster.

I remember when it was a beautiful original car. Since then it has been taken apart so many times I wouldn't give you $50 bucks for it. Junk.

Well if the overdrive wont disengage without noise then I guess the only way to do it is when stopped, but the Packard manual explicitly states that overdrive can be disengaged while moving.

An it will. I know this because I have done units that were added to early cars in which you had to disengage the overdrive to slow the car down.

Years ago the late Doug Heinmuller was driving down a long hill in Maine when his brakes faded. In a situation like that the shift out of overdrive has to be made when moving.

Dear Dan:

To determine the vacuum leak question just disconnect and plug the manifold side of the pump. Leave it that way until you solve the problem.

I assume the full throttle acceleration is good. But ignition problems can be examined with a spark tester (available form NAPA). You should have at least 20Kv at idle. Connect the unit to ground and not to the spark plug.

Now if too much fuel is the problem then manually opening the choke when cold should make the car run better, but it should also be belching black smoke.

If your idle air bleeds are clogged then spray choke cleaner into the carburetor, race the motor and momentarily put your hand over the carburetor. The suction will help clear the bleeds.

You say your motor vacuum is good so I would also check out the electrical on the primary side of the ignition. The amored cable likes to short out, but this whould be revealed in a full throttle acceleration. Ditto a shorted breaker plate.

Finally, don't discount a fuel problem. Packards burn a lot of gas so it's possible you bought some bad gas.

Hope this helps

The manual is a little obtuse but what it says is:

a) there are two ways to disengage the overdrive

1) floorboard the accelerator (kickdown)

OR

2) pull the lock out handle (elsewhere it says to momentarily depress the clutch)

Method 2 will lock out the overrunning clutch and allow engine braking. I recall having just pulled the handle out (at low speeds) with no ill effects on units I overhauled

You really need to be able to function this way to avoid runaway brake fade.

Geewhiz:

In Texas heat how about an oversized radiator core as well?

I would consider adding one of those external trans filter kits given the Ultramatic doesn't have one.

The Packard cooler seems more of a transmission temperature stabilizer than an actual cooler. Of course, to see what it actually does would require a test using bypass and temperature sensors.

Now for something a little more obscure: I would add a good ground strap to the transmission and rear axle. Believe it or not, electrostatic discharge was a cause of bearing wear in RWD cars.

I agree that just using the factory 4 barrel would work better than an after market getup. That is a tuned manifold. However, there is no "WOW" factor.

Perhaps take a look at the Hudson Six. You could just make up the whole thing using the heater bypass for heat riser and separate exhaust headers. Unfortunately I don't think there are enough studs. The big problem is carburetors. By the time you get through that headache it might be easier to convert the whole thing to a computer control.

I've put these to good use. They are very handy for doing small items that can be a problem for a plating run.

In the old days there were platers who could do a strip and dip for hardware that was already strung up on wire.

Nowadays with the industrial base so eroded local plating is hard to find, although for something like the Packard 12 having everything done at a plating shop ($6000 under hood) is probably still the way to go.

One thing about these home plating kits is that, if you are experienced, you can plate things like voltage regulator bases and relay bases that platers simply cannot handle.

Another thing, you can make up a reverse anode stripping tank using Draino (NaOH). And you can make up a pickle bath using muriatic acid (HCL). This will improve results dramtically.

When I was overseas a tire blew off a standard 15" rim and nearly took a fellas head off (It blew up after leaving the cage). It did this because the rim was damaged. Thus, tires on old safety rims should be secured to the vehicle or to a tire machine during inflation. What happens when a safety rim blows is the whole assembly goes airborne.

These dangers can be avoided by using the rubber valve stem extension which keeps your head away from tires when adding air. A cage can be improvised by sliding the wheel under a car or between two stationary objects such as a desk and a wall.

Now I have known people who told me "I would rather see you injured than my car damaged". Unfortunately laws are written to protect people like that by people like that.

Actually I think the 288 would be a better place to start because it is less oversquare and with fewer main bearings it can spin faster. Of course there is no replacement for displacement, but if the objective is turn cash into smoke then a blower on the 288 would achieve that objective.

On diesel trucks they are now using compound turbos. These are really impressive performers to drive, but they don't have a long life expectancy and are not very rebuildable. How these people obtain the cash to waste defies my imagination, which is why I have to settle for a bone stock modern car that turns the quarter mile as fast as a 1961 Chevrolet Corvette and retails for under $20,000.

George Hamlin wrote a lot about the postwar cars, but I find it strange that nobody ever noticed that Bill Mitchell borrowed the 55-56 styling cues for his popular Chevrolets. The 62-69 Chevrolet models, and the Buick Riviera all borrowed heavily from Teague's reverse slant front end. Of course Mitchell made up some cock and bull story about being bitten by a shark.