Re: 55PackardGuy's '54 Clipper Deluxe

Posted by Don Shields On 2015/7/6 22:29:28

Re your $64000.00 question I just removed the temp sender from my '54 359, but it sure wasn't easy. It had to be removed due to stripped threads in #8 spark plug hole, necessitating a visit to the machine shop. I just couldn't generate enough torque to break it free with the head on the block. On my car the convertible top pump is directly beside it and it's hard to fit a socket wrench or anything other than an open or closed end wrench on it. I pulled the head with the sender still attached. With the head on the floor and a pipe extension on the socket wrench it finally came loose and was removed intact. Even though it's a brass sender in an aluminum head I'm putting anti-seize on those threads when it goes back together.

I'm intrigued by your off-idle hesitation and bogging. My car was hard to restart when warm. I found the high-tension terminal in the coil badly rusted so I replaced the coil. Could not duplicate the hard start after this, but just then the performance deteriorated noticeably, it barely made it up even slight inclines. Checking further I found #4 plug wire arcing to the air filter resonance chamber; it's a shame they couldn't flatten the bottom of the chamber so it's not sitting directly on top of #4 and 5 plug wires. So I replaced all the plug wires and the condenser. The points and point gap are fine. It ran much better, no problem with inclines, but I felt the idle could be just a little smoother and your off-idle hesitation and bogging is present, like when accelerating lightly to get off the street and into the garage. If I had a lead foot I wouldn't even be aware of it. I was pulling the spark plugs to check them when the problem developed with #8 plug threads. All the plugs are fine and will be going back in when the head is back from the machine shop. I hope this posting will give you some things to check over on your car.

Please keep us posted on what you find with the off-idle hesitation/bogging. I'll be following this thread intently. Thanks.