Looking very nice--so glad it polished up and that the top wasn't damaged. Enjoy.

If fuel is spitting out the side, then the diaphragm has been breached and fuel is getting where it should not go. Time for a rebuild.

I'm thinking that it would be easier to carry a toolbox with me than to make this thing go--and be structurally sound. Neat little homebuilt with interesting lines.

I social distanced myself a total of 331 miles yesterday, a beautiful spring day with willows and such just beginning to bud. Took the 53 off to my favorite trails in central Pennsylvania being careful to take as many new and minor roads as possible.

Shot 1, the magnificent causeway leading to the equally magnificent Capitol in Harrisburg.

Shot 2 one of the many east/west valleys that compose central PA terrain. Delightful.

Shot 3, Clippy on one of the higher ridges with the Juniata river valley one ridge further on.

Shot 4 Why we drive Packards.

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Yes, 53 was the only year for ruby. The greys used in 51 and 2 and the blues used in 53 seniors and some 54s was very colorfast.

Oh, about 6 months after you place your order.....

So far there are 11 Speedwell Garage Packard Pickups--and counting. Only two have been seniors, a 55 and this 56 Patty.

If you google "Packard Pickup" there are pages and pages of them.

The 23d series Custom Eights were all but unsalable as one had to pay soooo very much more for somewhat better seats and a fine but very heavy engine. Very few people were looking for that. Not to mention that the torque advantage of the 356 made almost no difference when played through an automatic transmission. Who was actually looking for such a car?

The 51-54 cars had fine handling. Much better than contemporary Chryslers or Buicks--probably better than Caddy but I've not had the chance to flog one of them. That would not have been true with an extra 100+ pounds of 356 engine.

The 51s were not rushed, as evidenced by how very few significant design changes had to be made after introduction. The late arrival of convertibles and hardtops was caused by an astonishing lack of vision by management. They weren't going to make any. Can't grasp how they didn't notice how many Rivieras, Coupe deVilles and even Newports were driving by.

Afraid I am not astute enough to fathom your tests other than you are seeing way too much voltage across the battery.

Optimas HATE being overcharged. Ideally you would see 7.2 volts across its terminals with the engine running at a high idle.

Agree you should check the grounding of the gen and reg; running an extra ground wire between the case of the gen and the base of the reg would be a good test.

What I can't recall just this moment is if your gen is a 3 brush unit in which case your 3d brush needs to be moved to lower the charging rate. If not, and the ground wire does not make a difference, then your regulator needs adjustment or is mismatched with your generator.

Make certain, as Howard suggested, that your points are not oxidized and thereby not conducting. That is far and away the most common problem after a a long hiatus. The oxide they form is quite hard; it can take some pretty substantial violence to get their little faces clean.

OK, I will now admit my secret shame: all the old books say never to sandpaper the points. I have done it for thirty years on everything from junkyard ornaments to neglected trailer queens. 600 grit wet or dry paper. Works great and I have never found the downside. Fold a little piece over quadruple so it is stiff, close the points on it and work it back and forth til you get continuity. Follow up with the corner of a 3 x 5 card to clean up. Point files are usually not sharp enough to get that oxide off.