I have 53 clipper. 3 speed overdrive. When I downshift it feels like I’m in neutral till I give it throttle. Is this normal??

An expensive but worthwhile project for someone with the means, assuming it's not rotted out.

Lionel Barrymore's 1941 Packard Eight 180 Formal Sedan. Barrymore's Packard was customized to accommodate a wheelchair. He would get his first Packard customized to carry a wheelchair in 1938 when due to multiple broken hips combined with arthritis, he became wheelchair-bound. That Packard, a 1938 limousine, also still survives today. Two companies at the time (that we know of) did these conversions. One was Bohman & Schwartz of Pasadena, California, and the other was Derham Body Co. in Rosemont, Pennsylvania.
Barrymore was part of a prolific acting family. His parents were actors, and his younger sister Ethel Barrymore and younger brother John Barrymore were also well-known actors.
His nephew (John Barrymore's son) was actor John Drew Barrymore, and John Drew was the father of actress Drew Barrymore.
Lionel Barrymore was known--especially later in life--as playing grouchy, stodgy (but sometimes kind) characters. He won an Academy Award in 1931 for "A Free Soul," but is best remembered for his role as Mr. Potter in "It's a Wonderful Life."
Long forgotten for many years, Lionel Barrymore's 1941 Packard emerged a few years ago after sitting for years in a private collection in Mena, Arkansas. Barrymore passed away in 1954 at the age of 76.
Hello all! I am in Prescott,Az
I have the pleasure of announcing that this Exact piece of Hollywood history is now available for a forever home.
Yes I found it!
The engine still has oil in it, no body damage a total restoration project for the right owner!
I love to get some expert advice.

I wouldn't mind owning one of Dutch Darrin's lead sleds.... the things probably weighed three tons though!

Patrick, here comes my attempt: the catch hook for the engine hood?

I’m sorry, Ernie, but you are entirely wrong. Leeeedy and SuperDuperPooperOverdrive have it right. Someone who takes a perfectly authentic Packard from the factory and starts chopping it up, imposing his own lack of aesthetics on the body is a criminal (IMHO). Wholesale lowering windows, slicing God-given hood ornamentation in half, ripping out beautiful fluted plastic dashes and replacing them with swirly sheet metal from Ace Hardware, hot-rodding it with restomod suicide doors from Summit, well, I just don’t know what to say, Ernie. It just agonizes me to look at how Packards of the late ‘30s and ‘40s were ravaged by the likes of Dutch Darrin. It makes me puke, but I know you disagree. And some other people do, too. Some of them pay 2, 3, 4 times what an untouched, real factory model is worth.

And this guy who deflowered that ’47. Big sinner, totally out of keeping with the times, unless you consider that worthless ’48 Tucker, which if the back wasn’t enough boat-tail, the front was. There is no creativity or craftsmanship in desecrating the purist art deco lines of a ’47 Packard. Just shame.

And these more recent mongrel brands follow in that trash tradition like the Excalibur in my son’s collection. Studebaker frame, Chevy engine, Mercedes grille. OMG, straight pipes and noisy as hell. Pay no mind that Tony Curtis was stupid enough to buy one of these Heinz 57 contraptions, just like air-head Hollywood stars fell for Darrins. Or the fact that they are tons of fun to drive. Some people with too much money don’t have the knowledge to appreciate authenticity. Just to bolster my argument, here’s a photo of me with Tony Curtis on location for The Midnight Story in ’56. Ha ha, Ernie.

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Preload of the worm bearings is controlled by shims at that lower plate. I know on the later cars the shim pack doubles as the gasket for the plate; the gasket is made of multiple thin plies that one may remove as necessary. 39 I don't know, but the shim may just be a ring of paper or steel that is placed in the end of the housing bore before the cover is installed. They need to have a right fair preload on them that is noticeable when turning the shaft by hand.

Another source of play in high mileage cars is the sector gear moving in the sector as those thrust bearings have worn. That will take some creative disassembly and shimming if that is the case.

Good Morning all...I think that this is a nice creative design. It's not a stock Packard, but many people could drive it and enjoy it. Someone had a bit of talent to build this machine! Big Kev is working on a 37 with a Jag engine!...for me, any Packard that is kept on the road, stock or modified is cool. Just my humble opinion...Ernie in Arizona

I am just completing the rebuild of a steering box for my39. Bought a rebuild kit from Max Merritt, all went "OK". Have it back together on the bench, and despite adjusting the gear back pressure screw, seems it has some free play. In thinking about the assembly, I do not see how the two main roller bearings on the worm gear get preloaded. There are no shims and even if there was, they cannot rely on that thin steel cover plate. How is the preload adjusted? Only shims are the ones for the pitman arm shaft and that is actually controlled by the adjustment screw.

This arrived today. I just unboxed it to make sure it was in good shape since the box took a bit of a beating. Then, put it right back in the box for another day down the road a bit.