I mentioned my vapor lock issue to my mechanic the other day and he told me to put clothes pins on the fuel line. I asked him what they did and he had no idea. he was just repeating the old wives' (or husbands') tale. The internet probably helps spread stories quicker than word of mouth did in the old days.

I had the same experience with my 23rd Series. After I jacked up the engine and got the bolts out I did 2 more things to improve the situation:
1. I replaced the motor mount with new fresh rubber from Steele Rubber Products
2. I used socket head bolts for the ones impossible to grip with a box wrench.

With all that the car will be easier to work on 20 years from now.

I appreciate all the advice from su8overdrive. However it sounds like you did exactly what I want to do for the same reasons, so why give me advice? My Packard does NOT have a cooling problem in general because I had all the stuff done to it to prevent that. The car was never designed to idle in a parade of old cars for an hour on a hot day, and amazingly enough it won't do it without running hot. Also if you want modern lights for safety reasons you need more amps. The old 35 amp generator worked just fine in stock conditions back in the day, but we were not dealing with modern freeways back in the day. I know because I lived in San Diego before they built the first freeway.

I am willing to spend what it takes to get the best of both worlds. I like the look of the old car with its old technology and I want to show it off at car shows. However I do not want a trailer queen. The car is a joy to drive, but I do not like boiling over, having the battery dead when I want to start it, or having it die on the freeway with vapor lock. I am a mechnical engineer with a great deal of automotive design experience and I enjoy tweaking the technology to improve the driving experience without changing the basic look or feel of the car. It's part of the hobby for me.

All this stuff I am doing is because I want a more reliable, safe and pleasent old car. When I want new car convenience and performance I jump into one of my 21st century machines and blast off.

As to the apparent high cost, the Gener-Nator cost is quite high when compared to a stock 35 amp generator. I could probably get a correct restored Auto-lite generator and regulator for $500 or so (about a $500 savings). That is true but I already have nearly $50,000 in my Packard, and the issues I am trying to correct are ruining the entire experience with the car. I bought the car and spent the time and money to have fun with it. It's what I want, not what I need.

I talked to Mr. Allen today. He makes the Gener-Nator. This looks like it meets my desires completely. It looks authentic, even down to the wiring and terminals. It operates like an alternator, supplying 20 amps at idle. This is what I need for the 10 amp cooling fan motor plus a radio or whatever else. My need is to find a core generator to send him so I don't have to buy a good one and pay the full price.

Does anyone have an Autolite GDZ-4801T or GDZ-4801V core generator at a reasonable price? All it needs is a decent looking case and end plates. The coils and brushes are not used in the conversion. My car is a 1950 Deluxe 8.

The cost for the generator conversion and full restoration is about $1000. I do not consider that a too expensive for what you get. These units are show quality. The most imporatant item is supplying enough current to operate the car reliably and not modernizing the looks. He will even restore the stock regulator but modify the internals so the terminal and wires are in the correct places for shows.

I just ran across a couple comopanies that modify an original generator and install an alternator inside. This might satisfy my desire for an authentic looking Packard that I can drive reliably. The companies and their product names are:

Dan's Starters & Alternators ("Gener-Nator")

Powermaster Performance ("Power Gen")

Does anyone have experience using these products on a Packard? I suspect they are very costly compared to rebuilding an original generator, but I am still interested.

The car I saw had two of the correct lights for that series.

I recently saw a Packard at a show with 2 backup lights. I wonder if that was an option if you wanted more light.

I ordered a 6 volt 16" cooling fan from Speedway Motors (off Ebay). The motor draws up to 10 amps, so now I am concerned that the charging system may not keep up with that draw during slow driving when the fan will be on. Does anyone have experience with cooling fans?

I am also considering getting the optional larger generator and regulator to put on my car. The larger generator may have been used on ambulances or something like that, I don't know for sure. The generator that came on my car was made by Chrysler, so it does not seem to be original. It does look correct dimensionally however.

I know an alternator is better but I have an old Packard and want to keep it period correct.

Make sure you get a good paint job on the firewall behind the engine. It take a lot of abuse with the high temperature and various fluids. I have tried to clean that part of thge car up for shows and it is near impossible. I suggest using the very best paint and make sure the metal is very clean and properly prepared.

I had the guts yesterday to drive my 23rd series on a 40 mile trip on a 90-plus degree day including mountains and heavy traffic. She ran near boiling. The packard cooling works great when moving, even up hill, but she does not like to sit at idle at lights and traffic jams. I have already done the obvious fixes like a rebuilt radiator and a new water pump. The timing is on the money and the exhaust is new. I don't want to pull the nice running engine now to clean the block, so a quick fix is adding an electric cooling fan in front of the radiator.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a really good electric cooling fan that works on a Packard? Where is the best place to mount it, high or low on the radiator? This could be operated by a manual switch or possibly a thermostatic switch.