Re: Larry's 1951 Club Sedan Project

Posted by Larry51 On 2014/11/13 18:13:27

Had a GREAT drive today with my wife. We traveled over 60 miles up hill and down dale, and the '51 performed very well.

A couple of mates came along in their '53 Clipper just in case, while we visited another Packard enthusiast who is restoring a '35 coupe.

The Auto electrician had gotten one regulator working properly so I fitted that before we left and it seems to be OK now.

Car steered well, climbed the longest steepest hill around these parts in high range (just!) and didn't overheat despite it being quite a warm to hot day. And to make it an even better day, when we got back home there were four new tyres had been delivered there! (The tyres I have on are very old so I don't trust to use them).

Now two problems are to be investigated . . .

The Ultramatic does what it should except it won't release from direct drive (or kick down into converter mode either) but stays locked in DD and I have to select Neutral as I slow to a stop or stall the car. Otherwise the Ultra seems to be very good, changing correctly and no noises / groans / shudders are evident.

I think the DD lockup problem might relate to either a dirty or faulty Governor, or a stuck valve. Will check the governor first as that seems more likely to be the cause.

Second problem is that I have filled the tank, yet found that after just a few short runs I ran out of gas. (Petrol gauge is apparently not working).

When refilling, the tank only takes around 2 gallons!

All I can think of that might cause this problem is the pickup tube could have a hole in it towards the top of the tank, and pump is sucking air after a small amount of fuel has been used. (The tank is in very good condition, still is shiny silver inside so a hole in the pickup is a surprise to me).

Can anyone advise if a small optic fibre camera is able to be used to see inside the tank?

And IF I have a hole in the line, will that mean cutting a hole in the tank to get access to the tube, or is there a better way to fix the hole?

Would chemical lining be a good way to fix the hole problem?