Re: Packard Mortality Statistic

Posted by Tim Cole On 2021/12/29 16:45:39

I remember Doug Heinmuller had a 51 convertible stick overdrive with 50,000 miles on it when he got it. It was a nice car. The original owner stored it because a valve cracked at shutdown after a long trip.

So Doug was up in Maine driving around using overdrive. At the bottom of a long grade is a stop sign. He steps on the brake and nothing happens. The system was overheated. The same thing happened to Ted Kavenagh in his 1930 Packard with mechanical brakes. He came down a hill on the Merritt and there was a traffic jam. He drove past in the median unable to stop.

Those were cars with good parts. If somebody doesn't have good parts that sort of situation can happen a little too often.

As well, if you look at the 1955 LeMans when the drum braked Mercedes couldn't stop behind the disc braked Jaguar (actually a drum braked Austin-Healey swerved into the Mercedes lane and the Mercedes couldn't slow down), you will see that is exactly the same situation that will happen on today's motorways when the monster truck dude pulls directly into your lane and slams on the brakes. It can be a matter of avoiding the loose nut behind the wheel of the other car.

I remember moving a V-12 with Billy Hirsch. He's driving his modern car 50 mph in 25 mph streets and I'm trying to keep up without getting killed. Suddenly he stops. The power brakes really weren't working very well, but I managed to bring that V-12 to a stop about two inches from his bumper.

As well, there is the sign at the top of steep hills - "Trucks must use lower gears" and heavy trucks have the engine brake that unloads the compression force at the top of the power stroke. That prevents engine runaway.