Re: Ken's 1937 120 Touring Sedan
Posted by Ken_P On 2016/5/1 18:08:24
Well, it has been a long time since I've posted anything, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything. I haven't been doing a lot (busy with work, grad school and family) but some parts have been ordered and arrived. I'm done with my classes for a while, so I have a few weeks to devote more time to the Packard.
Some of the minor stuff: drained the coolant, renewing heater hoses and installing a heater shutoff valve.
New exhaust showed up from Waldrons. It is beautiful! I did have to get creative and fab up an exhaust hanger. The one pictured goes just aft of the muffler, in front of the resonator. It hangs in the stock location. I have a generic rubber type on the rear of the car, at least for now. Stock hanger on the clutch cover, now with a fresh coat of black hi-temp paint.
I also rebuilt the exhaust manifold heat riser. Details are here:https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=17526&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0
The carb was rebuilt by Chris's Carb Shop in Dayton, OH. It took a while - shipped in late Jan and got back this week - but it looks great and he was very fair on the price! He also parkerized the cover for the automatic choke.
I installed a new fuel filter, and I will change the oil and filter, full chassis lube, adjust points and check timing before I start her up again.
I need to adjust the clutch. I don't think the pedal has enough free play, and 2nd gear grinds. If the pedal adjustment and a fluid change don't fix it, I will rebuild the transmission next winter. I did inspect the clutch, and it is nearly new.
And finally - I am in the midst of renewing the steering center link bearings. Here are the steps in case anyone is trying to do it themselves.
1. Jack up car. Put drivers side jack stand under frame aft of radius arm.
2. Remove drag link from center link by pulling the pin and backing out the retainer with a spanner wrench.
3. Remove the inner tie rod ends and the outer tie rod end on the driver's side.
4. Undo the four bolts that hold the suspension center links to the frame. 11/16 socket and wrench. Undo the center steering link nut (1" socket).
5. Put a jack under the drivers side radius arm. Remove the drivers front wheel if not already done. Raise the jack until the spring starts to compress.
6. Remove the bolt that holds the upper portion of the steering knuckle to the shock. Mine was serviced relatively recently, so it slid right out. These can be a bear if the bushings are rusted tight.
7. Lower the jack until the spring is free, and remove it by hand. Use some mechanics wire to attach the steering knuckle to shock. It needs to drop enough that the spring can come out, but you don't want to let it drop so much that brake line is pulled taut. The Packard manual states to remove the brake hose as well, but I found I didn't need to. I didn't want to deal with bleeding a brake.
8. Wiggle the mount for the center steering link until you can pull it out of the drivers side. It comes forward and to the left. I did jack up the passenger center link to give myself room to finagle the mount out.
You can see from the pictures that the job was due! New bearings are from Napa and are pictured.
Everything is apart right now, so if anyone needs a better picture, let me know.
Re-assembly should be reverse of the installation. Right now I have paint drying, so it will wait until some night this week.
Oh yeah, I bought a trailer too! That's the last picture. 24 feet is certainly long enough! I'll be able to put a lot of tools, etc. up front.
Attach file:
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(148.86 KB)
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(126.50 KB)
(210.58 KB)
(201.16 KB)
Some of the minor stuff: drained the coolant, renewing heater hoses and installing a heater shutoff valve.
New exhaust showed up from Waldrons. It is beautiful! I did have to get creative and fab up an exhaust hanger. The one pictured goes just aft of the muffler, in front of the resonator. It hangs in the stock location. I have a generic rubber type on the rear of the car, at least for now. Stock hanger on the clutch cover, now with a fresh coat of black hi-temp paint.
I also rebuilt the exhaust manifold heat riser. Details are here:https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=17526&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=0
The carb was rebuilt by Chris's Carb Shop in Dayton, OH. It took a while - shipped in late Jan and got back this week - but it looks great and he was very fair on the price! He also parkerized the cover for the automatic choke.
I installed a new fuel filter, and I will change the oil and filter, full chassis lube, adjust points and check timing before I start her up again.
I need to adjust the clutch. I don't think the pedal has enough free play, and 2nd gear grinds. If the pedal adjustment and a fluid change don't fix it, I will rebuild the transmission next winter. I did inspect the clutch, and it is nearly new.
And finally - I am in the midst of renewing the steering center link bearings. Here are the steps in case anyone is trying to do it themselves.
1. Jack up car. Put drivers side jack stand under frame aft of radius arm.
2. Remove drag link from center link by pulling the pin and backing out the retainer with a spanner wrench.
3. Remove the inner tie rod ends and the outer tie rod end on the driver's side.
4. Undo the four bolts that hold the suspension center links to the frame. 11/16 socket and wrench. Undo the center steering link nut (1" socket).
5. Put a jack under the drivers side radius arm. Remove the drivers front wheel if not already done. Raise the jack until the spring starts to compress.
6. Remove the bolt that holds the upper portion of the steering knuckle to the shock. Mine was serviced relatively recently, so it slid right out. These can be a bear if the bushings are rusted tight.
7. Lower the jack until the spring is free, and remove it by hand. Use some mechanics wire to attach the steering knuckle to shock. It needs to drop enough that the spring can come out, but you don't want to let it drop so much that brake line is pulled taut. The Packard manual states to remove the brake hose as well, but I found I didn't need to. I didn't want to deal with bleeding a brake.
8. Wiggle the mount for the center steering link until you can pull it out of the drivers side. It comes forward and to the left. I did jack up the passenger center link to give myself room to finagle the mount out.
You can see from the pictures that the job was due! New bearings are from Napa and are pictured.
Everything is apart right now, so if anyone needs a better picture, let me know.
Re-assembly should be reverse of the installation. Right now I have paint drying, so it will wait until some night this week.
Oh yeah, I bought a trailer too! That's the last picture. 24 feet is certainly long enough! I'll be able to put a lot of tools, etc. up front.
Attach file:
(117.50 KB)
(201.67 KB)
(148.86 KB)
(220.51 KB)
(151.91 KB)
(126.50 KB)
(210.58 KB)
(201.16 KB)
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