Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

Bad news and good news:

Chris from Arthur Guild Rebuilders has discovered that my fuel pump is too far gone to be rebuilt. He has taken some really clear photographs to show the extent of the problems, which I attach here to satisfy readers' curiosity (thanks to Chris).

So I am going to need a new one. Arthur Guild are checking through their stock for a suitable replacement. Dell, may I please PM you about your spare if Guild draw a blank?

On a happier note, the engine now turns! It has sat for a couple of weeks with the acetone/ATF mixture percolating through and out the sump drain. The ordered Optima battery arrived; I hooked it up and (not sure if I was being completely reckless) just gave the starter motor a quick tease (plugs still out). It instantly turned beautifully and without a hint of complaint. I only spun it for less than a second, but it to some extent allayed my fear that things may have been frozen inside. I'm taking that as a positive omen, though under no illusion that many roadblocks still lay ahead.

Cheers from Tassie, John

Attach file:

---

  (461.32 KB)


  (311.65 KB)


  (217.30 KB)


  (374.60 KB)


  (308.84 KB)


  (418.83 KB)

John; let me know if you need my pump, I can send from here. They are an easy pump to rebuild if you have a kit.

Wow, looks like that pump had a really hard life, both during and after it's service life! The fissures in the casting around the pivot pin are especially suspicious, makes one wonder if it had the proper thickness spacer block installed. Certainly not rebuildable.

That's an AC "494" pump, used by Packard on their 8 cylinder (senior) models from 1933 thru 1937 and perhaps 1938. I suspect most owners who tour in their cars have an extra but beyond that they aren't what I'd call plentiful. It's an especially rugged and competent pump unit.

Thank you Dell and Owen. Dell, I feel it is likely that I will accept your offer, thanks, but should wait for Gould to respond after their stock search. They emailed me late on Friday, so I should give them a couple of business days in this coming week, to respond.

Today I had a solid half-day under the bonnet, just scrubbing things clean.

To add some geographical interest to this blog, I can report that the south-eastern states of Australia are experiencing very heavy rain currently. My Packard is stored in a shed at my parents' property. To access it there is a bridge over a creek. It is currently heavily flooded. To keep my jeans and boots partly dry to work in, I had to strip down to sort the gate out. The rain on the shed roof was torrential at times during the afternoon. More heavy rain to come in the next 48 hours.

Cheers, John

Attach file:

---

  (258.35 KB)


  (271.04 KB)

John, I and am sure many do, enjoy reading your blog. Not only what you write about but the responses from other members. Yours is even more enlightening as we can see if from another place and the difficulties and successes you encounter.
Keep it up!
Barry

Gould's have responded with the attached fuel pump, and will send it to me rebuilt, so Dell yours can be kept in reserve for future needs. Thanks very much for the offer though! I really appreciate the mutual support and unreserved helpfulness of yourself and this on-line community.

No evening Packard time for me this week; it is very challenging just getting around the valley at the moment. Worst floods since 1929; I'm just commuting with some difficulty between home and work, and staying well out of trouble.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-08/tasmania-floods-launceston-suburbs-on-high-alert/7488734?section=tas

G'day from Tassie,

John

Attach file:

---

  (187.30 KB)


  (71.62 KB)

Nice looking pump and a far cry from your old one. Your car should be very appreciative.

Weird weather all over. You have severe "100 year" flooding in your country as does the southern part of the USA and parts of Europe. In California we were cautioned for months to expect and prepare for the coming El Nino which was to deliver California from its drought. It helped in some parts of the state but in other parts rainfall was still barely enough to dirty a car. I suppose the next thing will be record snowfalls for some and extreme temperature summers for others.

A little progress to report this week:

1 The new fuel pump and my dead one are both on their way from New York. Maybe a week or so to arrive.

2 I've been spending countless hours researching various aspects of this project on the web. One research breakthrough is the solution of the carburetor mystery; if "carbking" of the AACA forum knows his stuff. I've been baffled by why my carburetor seems to be a hybrid, but it seems a hybrid EE23/EE22 is the real deal after all (see picture 1). Source:http://forums.aaca.org/topic/97192-36-packard-help-with-a-few-items-carb-ee22-ee23/

3 I've purchased and ordered more necessary tools, including a set of ratchet spanners and a set of hollow punches to improve the quality of my home-made gaskets. Still need to source some thicker gasket material for some of the old crumbled rubber and cork gaskets.

4 Some more scrubbing under the bonnet. Sorting the green from the black and the alloy. It's no longer a uniform dark brown.

5 Visited the local auto paint store with this website's X-ref detail for the Packard Engine Green (Dupont 546A Bell Green); in the hope of repainting the oil filter and associated tubing before refitting. Despite the store having Dupont software and paints, the bloke was unable to make sense of it. More study needed in that regard...

6 In order to faithfully follow David's guidelines for hibernation resuscitation, I need to remove the oil pan to clean and check. Simply too difficult with the vehicle on wheels. Today I battled for hours with my car jack and set of jack stands to gain some elevation. I'm still not happy with the result, but the car is sans wheels and is a little higher than it was. To get a better result I think I need to obtain a decent floor jack. It's a little low at the rear and slightly asymmetrical left to right, which can't be good for structural integrity. I'm not going under it until I've improved the placement and height of the jack stands.

The next week or so looks hectic with work trips to Melbourne and Hobart, so it might be a fortnight before I get back to task.

Cheers from Tassie,

John

Attach file:

---

  (64.31 KB)


  (162.23 KB)

Hands-on progress on the 35 Coupe has been negligible this week because of work commitments, but I can report on a mind-expanding (or mind-boggling) visit to a Packard enthusiast in Melbourne last night. I won't name the gentleman (to ensure a degree of privacy) but I expect some readers will know the man to whom I refer.

Background: I've been spending countless hours doing research in preparation for more ambitious work on my car, but felt that I really wanted the chance to look under the bonnet of something similar to mine, to help me understand what I'm dealing with.
A short-notice overnight work trip to Melbourne gave rise to the following scenario.

I recently received the Membership Directory of the Australian Packard club, and found listed within it a member in Melbourne with a Twelfth series Eight; potentially ideal for me to see and from which to learn. Having a few spare hours in Melbourne yesterday evening, I placed a speculative call. In receipt of a generous short-notice invitation and directions to his workshop, I found myself soon after the call entering a veritable labyrinth of beautiful old cars in various stages of restoration or simply static preservation. I was able to look under the bonnet of his 1200 Sedan, and gained insights from it, but that was merely the start of an incredible evening. The gentleman in question has an astonishing collection of lovely old Packards, some Cadillacs, a Stutz and numerous other interesting projects. There was a beautiful 1936 Super Eight (Dietrich?) Convertible Victoria, for example, and a 1934 Twelve 5-Passenger Coupe amongst many other magnificent if tired Packards. The newly friended enthusiast is chipping away at these and many other projects, but is currently most heavily committed to the rebuilding of a quite spectacular V-16 Cadillac. These are merely highlights of row upon row of beautiful semi-completed projects, any one of which would satisfy the desires of most classic car enthusiasts.

Equally astonishing was his parts collection; so many shelves packed with highly desired components for many classic makes and models. For example of the 1930s Senior car fuel pumps, I saw a pile of I reckon roughly a dozen!

I was enthusiastically guided through the restoration collection until midnight. What an amazing experience! Incidentally, he has a brace of lovely 1954 Packards he wants to sell to make way for two 34 Packards waiting under tarps in the back yard. Very cheap; great restoration project. If you're genuinely interested in the 54s, let me know and I'll put you in touch.

Pleased to report great service from both far and near:

1 The newly rebuilt fuel pump has arrived from Arthur Gould Rebuilders in New York, and to my inexpert eye it looks fine. It was well packed, flew quickly and didn't get stung for import duty. Also included was a generous bag of various fittings for the fuel and vacuum lines. Thanks Chris Wahl of Arthur Gould Rebuilders!

2 The Stromberg EE-23 Carburetor now gleams like a piece of jewellery! I bought the Carburetor Rebuild Kit from Daytona Parts, but I found out about a local carburetor geek in my home town who loves to play with old ones. I thought "who am I to deprive a true carb aficionado of his pleasure?" And livelihood. I plonked the whole lot down on his bench, and for a very reasonable fee he has rebuilt it from scratch. This guy is seriously into carburetors. Loves them passionately! When I went to collect it he talked me through every intricate detail of the rebuild. He needed to machine some components from scratch and I'm convinced that either his hourly rate is low, or he puts in extra time for the love of it. He's run it on his test engine and proclaims it good to go. It sure looks beautiful!

Pics attached, including contact details of the carb bloke; Ricky Hunt.

Cheers from a cold, wet, wintry Tassie,

John

PS: Also included is a view of the 1200 I went to see last week for reference purposes. Might be glimpses of a couple of other Packards begging restoration in that pic...

Attach file:

---

  (197.75 KB)


  (47.93 KB)


  (51.52 KB)


  (35.75 KB)


  (32.59 KB)