"For the want of a pin......"

Posted by Jim L. in OR On 2012/7/25 18:39:56

Today I had arranged to take my '55 back to my mechanic's shop to have a couple of adjustments taken care of and I almost made it.

About half way there I was cruising along around 60 (I can tell that now since I rebuilt my speedometer, thanks to Howard) when I started losing power and then the engine just stopped. I tried to restart but no dice. At least I got to the side of the freeway. Whipping out my tool box (AKA - Cellphone) I called AAA and after about 20 minutes the flat bed ambulance arrived. With about a foot to spare from the right hand lane and a foot and a half between the car and a retaining wall, there was no way I was going to try to find the trouble myself there.

Got to the shop where I tricked the T-L into raising the rear end enough so that the tow truck driver didn't have to use all the wood he had with him again to unload the car. He had never heard of the Torsion-Level Suspension or probably Packard before and he was amazed.

I then decided to take a look under the hood to see if I could spot something amiss. It didn't take long. The pivot pin on the fuel pump had just about worked its way out. It was my mechanic who had rebuilt the fuel pump.
He was pretty good natured about it as I said the famous words "when you want something done right....."

Anyway I was just very grateful that it wasn't anything more serious.

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