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Both. I go to bed around 10:00 Central Time. Wife and I are up around 4:10 am and we are both out the door by 4:45 am. It does take a toll on me somedays.

Progress on the'41 has pretty much stalled until I can get workshop space to enable me room to work on the car. My tandem garage is filled with the 2 Packards with virtually no room to move. And bringing the '41 out into the driveway is not an option as removing wheels, brakes and other suspension and steering components will disable it and prevent access to/from the garage.

Anyway, until workshop space becomes available I am presently gathering some ?bits and pieces? from eBay and elsewhere in anticipation. And turning over the '41 every 2 to 3 weeks until the workshop becomes available. Until, earlier this week when on going to start the '41 it wouldn't. What followed was an email exchange with my brother who is currently overseas and the mechanic in the family.

Fred,

Yesterday I was going to start up and run the '41. However - there was nothing when I tried to start it. So I took out the battery and re-charged it for about 6 hours, still nothing. When I say nothing - nothing, including no lights at all and manually trying to engage starter, nothing - no clicks and no other sounds. This is with the big battery that came in the '38, it recharged OK when I took it up to Newcastle and it started and ran then and also after the '41 arrived here. Anyway, last night got the battery that came with the car and recharged it, still nothing at all this morning.

What say yea?

Mal

Hi Mal,
Is there a fuse problem or a master switch to isolate the battery, also check that the earth strap is secure, or it could be a case of 2 totally dead batteries.

Cheers from London,

On this advice, checked for an isolating switch and couldn't find one and also ensured the earth strap was secure. With my limited knowledge fuses were ignored. Then my answer to my brother.

Fred,

The answer was 2 totally dead batteries, I took the battery out of the '38 which definitely works as I did about 10 miles in the car this morning and as soon as I connected it up to the earth strap in the '41, this was after the battery cable to the negative terminal was connected, there was a "click" from one of the boxes on the fire wall. So after putting 10 litres of gas in the '41 and priming it with a dash of gas down the carb it started straight away. I then drove it out into the driveway and ran it for 10 minutes, but had to stay in the car with one foot on the brake as the handbrake is useless. Oil pressure went up to just over 40 and stayed there. Temp went to just over 1/2 and stayed there. Ammeter @ idle showed a discharge but with revs went well into charge. And fuel gauge showed about 1/8. As the speedo worked when I was in the US, all seems pretty good in the instrument department.

When I put the battery back in the '38, I noticed that the cable to the negative battery terminal in the '38 had been rubbing and had worn through the insulation. After I taped it up with electrical tape I checked and found it had been rubbing on the tailshaft! So, to ensure this did not recur, on re-installing that cable it was positioned so it did not loop anywhere near the tailshaft.

Another little matter also reared it's ugly head, this time concerning the garage. This was, that on backing the '41 in, the exhaust build-up set off the smoke alarm for the room at the back of the garage. Very annoying to hear a constant "beep" "beep" "beep" until it cleared.

So, another item for the '41 - a battery. May get a gel battery if I can. And although it isn't kosher will probably mount it where "Doc" presently has the battery mounted, on the frame near the starter motor. I will make up a better support and retainer for it, then what can be presently described as a gravity system.

So I'm relieved it was that simple. But when the time comes, I will have Ken Gilbert (Ken restored a '37 120 Sedan) of Tibby Rose Auto Electric at Ryde check out the electrical system prior to the '41 going back on the road.

Mal

So ? will further update when workshop space comes available, and until then will continue to start the '41 up every 2 to 3 weeks, this time with a good battery!

G'day Mal, Good to hear of your progress with the '41. I would suggest that it really isn't necessary to relocate the battery to the front engine bay. Once you sort out the charging system and the battery itself, then they are pretty well maintenance free. How are you managing your batteries for your occasional use vehicles? If your vehicle is not run every week then you need to consider a battery maintenance system, which need not cost a lot of money. If I were 150 miles closer I would drop over and help you. I have about 45 vehicles on maintained battery systems and I currently use battery "minders", which are NOT "trickle" chargers. I find that trickle chargers boil my motorbike batteries dry in about 2 months,whereas the battery minders take about 12 months to do the same. I have 7 Packards on Battery Minders and have no maintenance until 12 monthly battery level checks. I ran my 38 Six on an 8 volt system for 5 years and reverted back to 6V as it was a PIA with a non-temperature compensated voltage regulator.
Let me know when you would like a bit of a hand and I shall come up for the weekend. I could pick up a few dead Roos on the way and we could go through "white line recipies - my favourite cookbook" over a few beers/vinos. Best regards from Canberra - Peter Toet

There certainly were a lot of roo carcasses by the roadside, as we witnessed on our trip to Canberra a few weeks. A little creative socialising to take advantage of this "bounty" may well be a way to utilise this unused resource.

Until the '41 is close to being ready to hit the road, I won't worry about a specific battery for it. I'll just swap over the '38 battery when/if I need to start it up. I won't go to the trouble of a "minder" system.

In the '41, the current battery location is in the engine bay on the frame rail and adjacent to the starter motor. A piece of board is used as a base with threaded metal rods at either end for a retaining bracket. However there is no retaining bracket present and this is why I referred to it as a gravity system. I believe that "Doc" Gulley, the owner of the '41 from 1960 to 2006 did this to all his Packards just for accessability purposes. And although it isn't "correct", I quite like the concept, and intend to mount the battery there but in a secure manner.

And thankyou greatly for your offer of a weekend's assistance. I hope NOT to have to take advantage of this very generous offer because I have already received offers of support from the blokes up here. For a man with as many Packards and Motorcycles, I can't imagine how you think you can spare the time! Unless there is a specific problem, we'll let that rest for the time being. Again many thanks Peter, you're truly a gentleman of the highway.

Things are progressing in the matter of finding workshop space in order to be able to work on, disassemble, repair, replace and re-assemble the '41 in an appropriate environment. A fellow Packard Club member, Wade, has space in a workshop about 2 miles from my home in which he has room for 4 cars. The workshop is actually much bigger, can probably hold about 14 cars, but the majority of it is a Mazda Rotary repair business.

So as soon as Wade gets his spare rolling '34 chassis outside under the ramp, where it will be weather protected, and this is expected to happen this weekend I'll be able to move the '41 in and put it up on stands and start the inspection and disassembly process with brakes, suspension and steering being the early priorities.

Before that though, I'll be putting a new head gasket on the '38 which is displaying the symptoms of tiny bubbles oozing out between head and block when up to running temperature, not a good sign!

Monday 3rd December 2007

Wade's spare '34 rolling chassis was moved out of the workshop and parked under the roof parking ramp. Wade is also going to put a waterproof cover over it to further protect it from the weather.

With space now available, took the '38 down there about Noon. After some shuffling of cars, because parking and space is at a premium, backed the '38 into the workshop.

Then, under Wade's tutelage and advice. proceeded to take off the head in order to replace the head gasket. Quite a struggle for a fat guy to manoeuvre under the dash to undo the three nuts holding the rear of the hood in place, but I managed eventually! Then had to tackle the two front nuts, got one, but because of my girth, couldn't get into a position to get the other. Fortunately Wade came to my rescue and managed to undo it. Then to remove the hood Wade ended up hacksawing off the end of the base of the "Goddess", 1/8" at most, and I can hear the cries of outrage from here at this apparent sacrilege. Relax - it won't be noticed, it's not a show car, and it was necessary to remove the hood in order to provide reasonable access to the top of the engine. Anyway to cut a long story short, removed the head and found signs that there was leaking occurring, also the head nuts required hardly any force to break them loose! Ended the day after cleaning up the top of the block with a scraper and scouring pads and brake cleaner fluid. Tomorrow will clean up the head and reinstall with a new head gasket and this time torque and re-torque the head nuts including after the motor has run and warmed up until certain it has settled properly.

Reason I've put this in the '41 blog is the '38 is occupying the space the '41 should be in now! Tomorrow after the '38 is finished I will take the '41 down to claim it's rightful due. Will further update tomorrow and include link to photos.

Tuesday 4th December

Back to the workshop this morning and cleaned up the '38's head while Wade, having found and tested a thermostat, was making up a retainer to hold it in place in the water outlet neck. Wade also secured a loose stud into the block. The head gasket was then fitted to the tops of studs on the block and the head was gently lowered, well as gently as an inert piece of cast iron can be lowered, onto the head gasket with gravity having it's effect taking both pieces firmly to the top of the block. Then followed replacement of the head nuts and the laborious tightening sequence taking them up in 10lb increments until the correct tension was reached and then repeating the sequence to ensure all were correctly tightened.

The other pieces removed to provide reasonable access were then re-installed, being: vacuum pipe to distributor, lower radiator hose, air cleaner, fuel line and choke cable, then spark plugs one of which I broke(needs a new set anyway) and the plug leads. By this time Wade had completed the retainer and the head outlet, thermostat and upper radiator hose were also installed. Filled the cooling system with water and put on the radiator cap and we were ready to roar.

So into the car to start it up. But after much cranking with little result, including a burst of aerosol starter helper into the carb, checking that spark was there - NOTHING. Just a lot of grinding by the starter. So checked the carb, and found the apprentice(me) hadn't tightened the choke cable properly so fixed that. Wade also said because he'd sprayed a hell of a lot of WD40 into the cylinders the previous day that there would now be probably little compression available because the rings would have been washed clean of oil. Then Wade produced a 12 volt jump starter and proceeded to crank the car directly from that - After a while the desired result was gained when she roared into life, but spoiled a little by the mis-firing of the cracked plug.

The car was allowed to run for about 10/15 minutes, during which a leak from the top radiator tank was observed, But Wade thinks it might be in-car repairable - I hope so! No other leaks or signs were observed however so our work appeared to hold up well. Then came a re-tightening of the head nuts, twice, to make sure they were all well settled. I'll also do this again in about a months time after a few miles and heating and cooling cycles have been put on the engine.

Then, and Peter Toet told me by PM that removal of the hood wasn't necessary to do this job, was re-installation of the hood. Now, being fumble fingered, I asked Wade to do the 2 front nuts just above the radiator but because the car was still hot his first attempts were frustrated by the still very hot radiator. So the fat man, AKA Mal, had to re-install the 3 nuts & washers which hold the back of the hood in place way way way up under the dash. Suffice to say a man of my proportions should not have to be placed in a situation requiring dexterity combined with confined spaces complicated by sweat running into their eyes while doing so. But contrary to what you're all thinking I DID IT! That's one for the fat guys! By this time, and quite a considerable time had passed because of the dexterity challenged individual re-installing the back nuts and washers, Wade was then able to re-install the front nuts & washers 'cause the radiator had cooled sufficiently to let him operate without fear of hot metal burns!

Drove the '38 home, swapped the battery from the '38 to the '41 and after not starting, a little gas down the carb of the '41 saw it spring to life! Then drove the unregistered '41 the 2 to 3 miles to Wades workshop and found the experience of driving a LHD car on the left side of the road not too uncomfortable in the circumstances. That is besides reaching for the column change on the left side of the steering wheel instead of the right on a number of occasions and imagining the law was going to grab me any second.

Made it safely to the workshop, then Wade directed my backing in to the workshop bay which will be the '41's home for the foreseeable future.

Link to photos:http://picasaweb.google.com/ozstatman/WadesWorkshop

Wednesday 5th December

Yesterday, after the days activities with the '41, I typed a post to go into the Project Blog but after an hour and 6 long paragraphs hit the cancel button instead of Send! Not happy!

Now that I look back, you're probably lucky as it was a blow by blow, nut and bolt, account which I now realise would have bored the pants of everyone! So you're been spared.

What it did involve was jacking the '41 up and putting it on stands. Then started dis-assembly of the front suspension beginning with the drivers side, suffice to say there were two firsts, 1) Used a rattle gun and 2) Used a mechanics creeper. I think Wade is still getting over this fat man's attempts to get up and out of the creeper, you know the expression like a beetle on it's back - well, that was me.

The other thing is I am now a blood brother to the '41. In trying to undo one of the inside shock bolts, the long bar I was using slipped and whacked me on the bridge of the nose and I didn't know until I came out from under the fender that blood had been split. In view of the amount of grease and good Idaho dirt caked under the car that I had scraped off it was payback. But a '41 never has to say sorry to it's owner!

During the course of events found the following:
Shocks - shot
Coil Springs - shot
Rubber Bushes - Look very perished
Drivers side location bar - bent
Drivers side sway bar rod - bent
Both front tyre rubbing on steering rod ball ends.

Apart from that all seemed OK.

6th December have things to do this morning but will go back this afternoon to tackle other side of front suspension.

Link to photos:http://picasaweb.google.com/ozstatman/WadesWorkshop

Thursday 6th December

Only half a day available - arrived at Wades Workshop 1:30pm. Since yesterday Wade had pressed out the large bolt at the top of the king pin that the shock pivots on, we were unable to get it out manually and ended up taking off the shock first. Wade had also taken out the lower control arm.

So today, still under Wades guidance, I dis-assembled the passenger side front suspension with the same problems as the other side including the same large nut and bolt stubbornly refusing to budge and my impression again of a beetle on its back.

The shocks are going off soon to an old shock guy that Wade knows who will rebuild them. Tomorrow, Friday, I can't make it to the workshop because of another commitment and on Monday morning I am donating blood, just a little more than was spilt yesterday, so won't see the '41 again till then. At that time Wade and I will sit down and see what we need to rebuild the front end. New springs, all bushes and rubber components are apparent. Will also check whether the drivers side lower control arm is in fact bent and determine what to do if it is.

If some of the terminology I use is unfamiliar or wrong, don't panic. There are some differences in automotive descriptors down under. While my inexperience and unfamiliarity probably account for the majority.

http://picasaweb.google.com/ozstatman/WadesWorkshop

So next update on Monday

Mal,

Wow wish I can be that descriptive. Looks like you have made some good progress. Keep up the good work?