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Tuesday 23rd December 2008

First up at the workshop cleared any paraphenalia from around or near the '41. Then before starting it Wade ducked under the back end to switch over the taillight and stoplight wires because it appeared they may have been crossed over, and it was somewhat perplexing as there was no apparent change noticed, but more of that later. Wade then moved his '37 Super 8 back to give a bit more turning room as it's fairly tight where the Packards are parked. Then the big moment, behind the wheel, turned the key and pushed the starter button. Turned over but no result, Wade suggested a couple of pumps on the accelerator, and with more turning she caught and sounded oh so sweet. Just needed to pump some fuel through the system after having sat for a couple of weeks since the engine was last ran. Wade grabbed the camera, now that's a role reversal, and took a few pic's as the '41, with it's nervous driver, carefully making it's way out of the workshop for the first time in over 12 months.

Once outside, changed places with Wade and he took us out onto the street. To do this we used a 'Traders Plate' - these are issued to dealers for use on unregistered vehicles to move vehicles to another dealership or vehicle fitter without having to register them. Took a short run down to Shepherds Bay about a mile away where we stopped, took a few pic's and changed drivers. Then back up past the workshop and over to see Sam, the mechanic who will be used to inspect and issue what's termed here as a 'blue slip'. A blue slip is the document which certifies a vehicle is mechanically roadworthy and satisfies the local vehicle registration laws. However Sam's going on vacation today, until January 19th 2009, so returned to the workshop.

Once at the workshop put the '41 up on Ricks's hoist to check the transmission and aerodrive oil levels. Would have been lucky to have had a good cupful of oil between them! Flushed out any residual oil and re-filled both with Penrite 140 weight oil. Because the '41 was up and easily accessible Wade took the opportunity to make a visual inspection of all the undercar components. All checked out OK except for the left rear wheel brake cylinder where there was a leak of brake fluid from the brake pipe fitting. Wade tightened the connection but the leak, although very minor, remained. Wade took a walk around to see Col, from the local brake service, who'd rebuilt the brakes for us. On his return Wade was able to take out the fitting and re-fit it, and this time, no leak! Another thing, with the '41 on the hoist there was now plenty of room behind it, a further check was performed on the brake lights. This time, with the observer back far enough, it was relatively easy to see that the brake lights were working properly

Another part of the registration process here is obtaining a weighbridge ticket which certifies the actual weight of the car being registered. Weight being a factor in the formula used to determine the registration charge to be applied to a vehicle. I'd noticed that there was a public weighbridge at Epping, the suburb where I live, so we proceeded there using the Trader's plate again and had the '41 weighed. The weighbridge is located in what was an old gas station, now a muffler repair business, on the corner of two busy roads. And the weighbridge itself is located very close to the edge of one of those roads. To access the weighbridge you wait till there's a break in the traffic and one of the weighbridge attendants manually holds up traffic while the car is backed out then driven onto the weighbridge and weighed with the procedure reversed to remove the car from the weighbridge. The '41 weighs in at 1662 kilograms, about 3664 pounds. Shipping weight per the Owners Manual for a 1495 Coupe is shown as 3470 pounds, so we're in the ballpark.

Back to the workshop and Wade backed the '41 back into it's spot where it'll now await the new year. Shortly thereafter my sister Chris and her partner Dennis arrived to finally see the '41. They live on the Gold Coast about 530 miles north but on the few occasions they've been in Sydney over the last year hadn't been able to get to the workshop. And for the time being that's where things will stand. No work will be done until early in the New Year. This will give us time to tidy up or finish up a few little things and if nothing else I'll clean and polish the car. I will publish a list in the next few days of the minor matters to be attended to but in the meantime wish everybody a cheerful Christmas and a great New Year.

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Damn - that's a great feeling the first time you take out the piece of iron you've been working on so long and it becomes transformed into an automobile. Congratulations on a fine job and putting another Packard on the road. By the way, it appears that much like my family, the women have all the good looks.

Ya forgot the bloody hubcaps!

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well did not!

New ones are sitting in a box on the bench in the workshop and will be 'affixed' once the '41 is cleaned and polished.

Friday 26th December 2008

A lazy 'Boxing Day' here in Oz -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Day_of_Christmas

On Wednesday I should have included some notes about driving the '41. But first, before driving is starting it, and once there is fuel at the carb it starts right away. When my sister Chris came down to the workshop on Wednesday she started the '41 up and she was impressed with it firing up straight away and running smoothly and quietly. When I drove it out of the workshop I was impressed that it was very easy to steer, requiring little effort to turn the wheel once moving. My reference point here is my '38 which is a real bear at low speeds being very heavy and requiring lots of effort at low speed and parking situations. On the road the totally re-built front suspension and the rear with new shackle bushes and shocks provided a good smooth ride handling bumps and potholes easily. As said, the steering was nice and light, requiring no effort on the road and very little in low speed and parking situations. Visibility is not as great as in a modern car, especially with a smaller rear window, although it does have mirrors on both front doors but they need adjusting. I'll be on the lookout for some better mirrors, in keeping with the era of the '41, as we go along. Driving a Left Hand Drive car on Right Hand Drive roads shouldn't be a drama. The 5 miles or so I did, although in light traffic, posed no difficulties with positioning in lanes. And it's a familiar environment which I navigate every day, unlike when I was in the US driving on what was for me the wrong side of the road. The greatest difficulty I can foresee is parking and restrictive spaces with the different driving position, lack of good rear visibility and the overall size of the '41 contributing something each to these situations. Another thing, when we got back to the workshop on Wednesday, Wade checked the tyres and found three at 22psi and one at 20 psi not bad for not being touched since I bought the car in July 2007, but pumped them all up to 30psi. Noticed the Aerodrive light comes on when the speed indicated is about 22mph as the manual says it should. And speaking of speedos, the speedo cable makes a rubbing sound and the needle is not steady but 'flickers'. Will monitor this situation, in the meantime I'll be on the lookout for a replacement cable "just in case". And speaking of the Aerodrive, not sure if it's working or working at all, only further driving will tell.

And while I sit at home the '41 is sitting in the workshop although not quite ready for the road.

Things to be done include:
- Locate and affix wiper blades
- Find the new Aerodrive knob and install, or buy another from Yesterdays Radio!
- Front end alignment - currently set up using Wade's eyeball measurements!
- Fuse for clock and glovebox light
- Fitting of tilt switch for glovebox light
- Locate and install footrest for rear seat
- Purchase and affix a chromed tailpipe cover (purely for cosmetic purposes)
- Wash and polish to remove the workshop grime
- Paint red hexagons on bumper over-riders, or use an adhesive plastic cut to shape
- Affix new re-pro hubcaps
- Touch up paint chips

Although not all the foregoing are pre-requisites for registration, the following certainly are.
- 'Blue Slip' inspection - Roadworthiness and compliance certificate from an authorised vehicle inspector
- 'Green Slip' - Compulsory third party insurance
- Payment of Registration at local Roads and Traffic Authority office and pick up of pre-ordered number plates.
- Then drive it

While longer term matters are:
- Re-rubbering of running boards
- Clean up and paint of outside of chassis rails when running boards are removed
- Remove and re-install rear fenders using white piping in lieu of the present black. At same time as running boards are re-rubbered
- Locate and install transmission stabiliser rod (no clutch shudder evident at present)
- Locate and install another front stub axle(spindle) with rollers in lieu of brass bushes (one of each at the moment)

Tuesday 30th December 2008

Didn't intend going to the workshop today but my Mum and Dad said they'd like to see the '41 as it was now so close to being finished. And when we dropped in, found Wade was there! Had "Big Red", his '37 Super 8, up on Rick's hoist with all wheels and tyres off. Wade was rotating the wheels and tyres and adjusting the brakes while at it. Introduced Mum and Dad to Wade, showed them the '41 and started it up for them.

Wade had also been in the workshop yesterday and cleaned up the benches, leaving only one 2 litre plastic ice-cream container of parts and bits and pieces from the dozens of containers which had contained parts and nuts & bolts from the '41 over the past year. Much went into the trash, with some going to containers of spare nuts & bolts and the "junk" box, which had often come in handy over the last year. Wade also had been fiddling with the glovebox light but hadn't been able to find a suitable fuse so will replace it with a modern one and also install a tilt switch 'a-la the trunk light'.

And on Sunday, I had also popped into the workshop to pickup one of the wiper arms. I'd found a few wiper blades for '41's advertised on eBay but some had different fittings for connecting the blades to the arms. Then, this morning after careful study of the arm and pic's of the various blades on eBay, I bought 2 sets of NOS '41 wiper blades. Once again can't believe the right part has come up at the right time. Funny thing was, some days ago I'd forwarded the eBay link to Wade about this particular set of blades. And today, Wade told me he'd replied and those were the blades required but I never received his reply! Would have saved some time and worry if I'd received his reply but the vagaries of cyberspace are sometimes incomprehensible.

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Monday 5th January 2009

What to do? What to do? Well after all that's been done so far, not a lot remains to be done. Last week the elves, seeing it was still close to Christmas but turned out to be Wade, had tried to get the glovebox light and clock working and emailed me this ".....As to other news, I have good and bad. The good is that the original tilt switch in your glove box appears to work OK, the bad is that the clock doesn't. I have had a quick look at it and it appears to be in good condition, it's the most complex car clock that I have seen. I will talk to you about it later, but if you like I can take it to Barry Smith to give to his brother who is a watchmaker. He has done some repair work for me before......". And of course I said yes, a working clock should be a normal feature in the '41. Wade and Gina are seeing Barry on Wednesday and he'll take the clock with him then.

A front end alignment is the major job still needing doing so I rang Jeff, a member of the Packard Club for the phone number of Brian in the Willys Club and left Brian a message to call me so I could book it in. But what could be done was wash the '41 of the accumulated grime, dirt, oil spots and grease marks accumulated over the last 13 months. And a great day for it too, about 95 degrees in the shade and who knows what the temperature was out in the hot sun on the concrete in front of the workshop. All I know it was HOT or as said in the vernacular in Oz, Bloody Hot! So donning a wide-brimmed cricket hat, that's sat on the rear shelf of my cars for many years and is slowly bleaching to white by the sun, I started. Shortly after I started Wade came out of the workshop and asked "where's your camera"? Told him "in the '41", and that's when i Had my picture taken for a change. Most of the dirt and grime came of fairly easily but there were oily/greasy spots that took more effort to clean. There are still some "marks" left but I'm hopeful these will polish out when I get back to the workshop later in the week. Opened up the doors to "dry out" the interior because of a number of leaks evident by the washing process. Will be sourcing a new windshield rubber gasket ASAP to replace what's there now. MBM in this case will NOT be suitable. And when I opened the left rear quarter window cracked the glass, as it was slightly stuck in the rubber, and when the open glass front end of the window hit my bicep, off all things 3 vertical cracks appeared! Further rubbers required when this glass is replaced as well. And a little trick I learned, courtesy of Wade, was cleaning the WWW's. Necessitated a quick trip to the local supermarket buying a bottle of household bleach and some scouring pads. Back at the workshop mixed up a 50/50 bleach and water solution used a trigger pump sprayer and sprayed all the WWW's on the '41, and also did Wade's '37 Super 8 which was next to the '41. Back to the first WWW sprayed and scrubbed with the scourer and hosed off. Repeat, spraying and scrubbing and hosing as necessary until a remarkable transformation is revealed. They all look remarkably clean and WHITE now.

While I was washing the '41, Wade was working on some parts for his '34. More specifically taillights, front fender lights and various other smaller parts including the wood screws to hold door handles and such to the wooden door frames. Seems Packard used screws with a slightly domed head for these. Wade was checking he had enough for all the handles and fittings and it seems he has with enough left over if need arises. He also proved an adept hand at gasket making too, with WFI producing a pair of rubber gaskets for the '34's taillights. Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of these bespoke items. Wade also showed me the brackets that mount on the front fenders that hold the fender running lights of the '34. He'd had them re-chromed some years ago, along with a whole slew of other stuff for the '34, and these started flaking almost from day one while sitting on the shelf. He'd been back to the platers but only to be told it was "just the way it is with these old muck-metal parts". They did steer him in the direction of a guy who cast up a couple of replacement brackets in bronze but he died before he finished the job. Wade's now left with a couple of original badly flaking originals and a pair of bronze castings needing a lot of work, including plating, to bring them up to scratch. He's going to try to get the originals re-plated one last time before proceeding to the fall-back bronze casting option.

Then backed the '41 into the workshop. What a nerve wracking process! Besides being unfamiliar with the sitting/steering position and the gearshift lever being on the other side of the steering column, the lack of rearward visibility was quite pronounced. Definitely have to improve the mirror situation before much longer. And Wade says the more you practice the better you get, but I don't want that at the expense of bumps and scrapes, so I'll be very circumspect in these situations. Put the new Bill Hirsch hupcaps on and now she looks complete.

Wade had proceeded to do some work on his '37 Super 8 because it was running hotter than normal. Wade in reading the manual discovered it said that in summer the head thermostat could be removed and the shutter-stat was sufficient. He was going to try that to see whether it improved the hot running of the Super 8, Removed the top radiator hose and thermostat housing and the thermostat from within. Then MBM manufactured a new thermostat housing gasket and the housing and top hose re-installed. Wade tested the thermostat a little later by boiling water and immersing it therein. Although it was opening it wasn't fully opening so this may be a cause for the hot running but time will tell.

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How much for a wash, Mal, I'll run Junior over....?

Mal and Wade,

I have had a bunch of parts for my 34 rechromed, including those brackets. They were in much worse shape than Wade's parts, from what I can see from the photo. The replated parts have yet to start flaking off chunks of plating. Old metal my -ss, I would say the plater did a lousy job of prepping the surface.

Just my 2 cents.

Tom

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