Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

Monday 2nd April, 2018

Topped the shocks up, 12ml in right, less than 2ml in left. Also topped up the radiator, while cold this time, bit less than 1 litre. Started car up and warmed it up, then switched off, let it cool then took some temp readings on the head and top of radiator. Started car again and ran till warm and repeated temp readings. Later still drove the 17.5 miles to Robertson where our Packard Club is joining the Classic Car Show on Sunday 8th. At Robertson again took engine temp readings and repeated temp readings on return home. Couple in the last set of readings are a fair bit higher then their neighbours, thoughts?

Attach file:

---

  (37.50 KB)

Mal, I've been following this with interest, especially the overheating, but admittedly I am very rusty myself on this sort of thing as I am only recently getting back to working on mine after many decades. While waiting for the experts to reply, to me those temperatures seem quite normal. The hotter areas, which do not seem excessive, could be simply flow turbulence or possibly some slight build-up that a proper in-car flushing would fix. They seem to be mostly in the middle which always is warmer. If one end, such as the back of the block, were excessively hot I would worry but not as it looks in your chart.

However, and contrary what others have said, I cannot imagine ever running pure water in a system. Coolant is not just antifreeze but has lots of other properties that keep the cooling system at its top efficiency. I woud put it in sooner than later myself!

Thanks for those thoughts Don. As soon as possible will be getting a good both ways flush done. Just need my man to get back from New Zealand and arrangements made. Hope to have video of the flushes in action.

Sunday 8th April, 2018

Yesterdays events have conspired to put back any work or progress on the Packard. But why is this so? Because yesterday while showing my eldest son the Packard I tripped, and broke and dislocated my left wrist.

Fortunately, on Thursday. I'd polished the bumpers, cleaned and blackened the tyres and cleaned the glass in preparation for the Robertson Car Show today. Also fortunately Noel(aka tabletennissport) was meeting me this morning to travel with me in the Packard to the show. Little did he know he'd end up chauffeuring me in the Packard! Nice fine and sunny day but only 3 Packards at the show and probably about 200 cars all up. What of the wrist though? Comfortable at the moment after the dislocation was manipulated back into place in the Bowral Hospital Emergency Department and a temporary cast applied. Not in much pain and seeing an orthopedic specialist this week for review, permanent cast and further treatment, if required.

Attach file:

---

  (40.73 KB)


  (307.75 KB)


  (368.33 KB)

Mal, get well soon!



image sources
#1 - eBay; item number 291032365142
#2 - unknown
#3 - hiveminer.com
#4 - edwardhandmedicalheritage.org

depiction #4: This was Quarryville's first ambulance, a Packard, shown in front of Swinehart's Body Shop in 1948. James Groff paid for the vehicle. It was second hand, purchased from the Christiana Ambulance Company. The body shop was located on land to the south of S. Book & Brother's warehouses, across Bank Alley. It was torn down in 1953, by Walter Hassel. L-R: Ray Immel, Art Swinehart. (S. L. C. H. S., Leon Landis collection.)

Attach file:

---

  (48.75 KB)


  (56.71 KB)


  (73.01 KB)


  (42.98 KB)

Mal, time to trade for a Packard with an ultra-matic so you can drive with 1 hand.

Get well soon cause typing & driving with 1 hand is no fun.

Sunday 6th May, 2018

Four weeks and a day since breaking the wrist. Had surgery 3 weeks & 3 days ago, resulting in a plate and seven screws now being a permanent part of my physiology. The cast applied after the surgery was removed 6 days ago with the "Orthopod" pleased with how it looked although still swollen. Physiotherapy 2 days a week and a series of exercises 3 times every day at home.

With the wrist going welL, with movement improving every day and pain level good, decided it was time to get behind the wheel of the Packard again. This in preparation for a 60km drive to Berry Showground for a car show on Sunday 20th for National Motoring Heritage Day. The drive to and from Berry is quite "challenging" because much of the route is steep and winding as it is down and up the side of a mountain. Based on the evidence of todays run I think I'll be OK on the day but will temper enthusiasm with reason.
What! Doesn't sound like me, usually it's rip, tear and bust!

Anyway, that aside, on the way home today stopped and took a photo of the car in front of the boyhood home of The Boy from Bowral.

Attach file:

---

  (7.83 KB)


  (375.29 KB)


  (169.24 KB)

Sunday 27th May, 2018

Back on the 14th May received a PM from Allan(70cuda) saying: "My brother is restoring a 1948 Packard Super 8 Victoria convertible and he has problems when it comes to the brake pedals. He does not have the brake pedals, but he could possibly make them out of similar brake parts from other cars, also he does not know what they are supposed to look like, or how they are supposed to be hooked up in the engine bay. We can't locate any info on this for the RHD cars anywhere... So, my question for you is do you have any pictures of the brake pedal setup in the engine bay that you could send me?"

Allan's brother is joborg2 and this is his '49 Super Eight Victoria Convertible Coupe in the Registry. Interesting history on the car. Allan also supplied some further background, being: "He got the car for free around 2010. The owner was gonna scrap it. The owner had taken over ownership of the car from a tenant that had left it in the basement of one of his rental houses and bailed. Tenant is sort of a shady character... The car had been taken completely apart at that time and was 80% complete for parts. The rest of the parts the tenant had stashed at some other house so my brother assumes that is all binned. He is still working on collecting missing parts and wants to make it as original as possible."

Looking in the engine compartment of my '50 you can't see the clutch linkage only the brake pedal and MC. And with my current condition I'm not getting under the car at the moment. So,put out some feelers to a couple of the blokes in our club, only trouble is one is 100 kms distant while the other is about 160 kms away. Anyway the opportunity arose today to visit the guy 100kms away following my youngest grandson's 4th birthday. Called in and lo and behold the rolling '48 chassis he had is no more.....it was cut up a month or so back. But....he saved all the parts off it. Consequently was able to pick up the clutch and brake pedals together with some linkage parts. And here's where RHD differs from LHD.....the clutch is cable operated! Fortunately the cable was there, these are a very scarce item. I was told by one guy he'd seen a clutch setup where a small chain had been substituted for the cable when it broke.

I also picked up the fuel pump and the front shocks to use on my '50 Sedan. I'll have the pump rebuilt, but because my '50 has electric wipers, would like to know: Is it worthwhile rebuilding the vacuum pump side seeing it won't be used? Also looking to send the shocks away to be rebuilt and then replace my leaking shocks. My question here is: Can the shocks on the car just be unbolted and the rebuilt shocks installed in their place? Or is realignment of the front suspension or other adjustments required? Also, the first photo below is of some parts supposed to be applicable to clutch and brake linksges. I don't know but two of the pieces look similar to the stanchions which braced the front fenders on my '41 120 Coupe, while the other looks like a trans snubber. Any help here would be appreciated. Checked the part numbers on the clutch and brake pedals, 379200 and 378457. and according to the 48-54 Partrs List in the Literature and Manuals Section they are correct for RHD 22nd & 23rd Series. What a great resource PackardInfo is.

PS - I now know one of the front shocks has fluid in it. Carried both of them home upside down in the boot(trunk) of the DD only for one to leak fluid. Luckily I'put down a piece of plastic on the boot floor.

Attach file:

---

  (211.58 KB)


  (231.98 KB)


  (227.62 KB)


  (232.95 KB)

For my two cents I would have the pump rebuilt completely since if you buy the proper kit for the pump the vacuum parts should be part of the kit. You can also rest easier knowing a diaphragm is fresh and is less likely to fail and provide a possible path for an oil leak from the cam and crankcase.

Of the linkages photo, the two with rods and the brackets with long slots look to me like they might be the braces that are on the sides between the radiator cradle and frame. I think you are correct on the other one with brackets on both ends. It looks like it is the longitudinal snubber rod that goes between the bottom of trans or OD and the frame.

As to realignment after doing the shocks, I would plan on it because unless you get the old dimensions exact when tightening the upper bolt from the arms to spindle assy plus not having any slop in the holes when bolting the new shocks to the frame so as to get the identical angle, I would suspect there could be enough change in someting that it will be warranted.

On the RHD clutch and cable assy, is the bellhousing a mirror image so the throwout lever is on the right? I couldn't see that detail very well on the underside photos you first posted when you got your car.

Howard,
for the comments and advice.