The only thing wrong with the six volt system is rotten repair methods.

Conversion to 12 volts only serves to advertise that reality.

I used to hand fit off the shelf 160 thermostats to those Packards. I always added a bleed hole to unify warm up and eliminate air pockets as well.

On cylinder heads I used the postwar chart as a guide.

It is a modified cross pattern.

I think those thick gaskets tend to compress as they age and thus the issue of multiple torque. However, in the old days we didn't have that problem.

Today we have blue Loctite which avoids those problems. Especially on the main bearing studs into old aluminum which can pull out or snap. Yes, the torque on those bolts is pretty darn high, but Packard liked to use superior materials and I never saw one of those bolts snap.

I have tested blue Loctite under very severe conditions and it has never failed. I still have test units rattling around out there in severe service.

The hot rodders love those Stromberg gas dumpers and it would be great if those reproductions would fit on Packards.

You can run the car with the top removed to check the float action. I had a problem like yours with a rebuilt and it turned out to be chunks of dirt in the main jet wells. Don't ask me how it got there.

There used to be an outfit called Tire Trading that was the official Stromberg distributor. The owner was a whack job and only a few people got to know what he had in stock. Somehow a brand new 34 Su8 carburetor came out of there and the difference was so spectacular as to render the old unit junk.

Rebuilt carburetors are never as good as NOS. Just ask any old timer who worked in a dealer.

Without the fender trim the car is a total headache. The older I get the less interested I am in driving a "dead man's" car which is what all of this stuff is. I hear these rich people saying things like "I had to wait for George to get sick and die before I could get my hands on his car." Yuck.

When I see shows like chasing classic cars I get nausea hearing them talk about how lucky they are that so and so is dead. Being rich only means that everybody is your friend because they want your money.

Call me a loser but I keep outliving a lot of rich people.

You can reference ASTM tables for torque standards. They have lots of different types.

The table below is one example. I would use the grade 2 figure for paper gaskets and gradual hand tight for imitation cork gaskets.

If you wanted to be super scientific you would put a bore gauge into the cylinders to check for any distortion from uneven torque.

The system is not pressurized so lots of torque is not necessary.

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Fuel bowl draining on those units is caused by clogged air bleeds in the main jets. The rebuilder obviously cleaned those and fixed that problem.

The car will run with the top taken off the carburetor.

You can check the float function that way.

I've had sticking accelerator pumps cause overloading power valves when they don't return.

You can remove the valve and inspect it, if it is leaking the car should be loading at idle as well.

I read "Unsafe at any Speed" and I think the opening of the book was too distracting from the central issue. However, I saw a girl's face after hitting the dashboard of a Corvair and there was nothing left. Worse than being kicked by a horse. When Nader was in college he hitch hiked across the country and witnessed the mayhem taking place at accident scenes. I'm fortunate to never have been in an accident. When I was a kid I lived next to a gas station on Route 22 and saw cars with blood spattered throughout the interior. So I would heed Nader's advice and drive those Packards in a conservative manner.

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Radial tires require higher pressures to compensate for the lack of sidewall bias.

Thus, unless bias ply tires are being used the Packard pressures should not be used.

Those higher pressures do increase stress on the rims, but if the wheels are not stock who cares?

Sticking valves