Re: 55 newbie Questions

Posted by Packard Don On 2017/10/31 15:25:53

I was amused about the distance to your car! My own Packards are about a 10 hour drive from where I live so I generally fly up every couple months to get a couple weeks' work done. Just returned from there last Friday.

Since Packard was an independent that made its own parts, you'll likely not find much that will just bolt on from another make. On the distributor, for example, I would get the proper one, then convert it to pointless which is easy to do and you can also get a high power coil that looks like an original. As I recall, 1955 Packard was 12v POSITIVE ground so you would need to be sure to get the proper unit. Gas tanks and straps are available new and probably most steel fuel, brake and other lines can be purchased new in steel or even stainless, which would be preferable even if it costs more.

First thing to do is to get an ignition key made, which should also fit the trunk. You can worry about the door locks later. Go through the brakes thoroughly, flushing the system and rebuilding or replacing everything no matter how good it looks on the outside. Then take an inventory and acquire all the missing parts (original parts are better and will help maintain future value). A good used radiator should be easy to find and other parts too. Other than making sure it isn't actually stuck, don't try to turn over the engine when its internal condition is unknown until you've at least checked the oil to be sure there is no water in it, then have changed it and the filter. Without a dipstick and with loose valve covers, water could easily have gotten inside.

Probably too late but the last thing I would have done was to break off the tangs from the brake drums in order it put on different wheels. Since Packard uses bolts rather than studs, those tangs are crucial to being able to mount a wheel, especially when beside the road in the dark with a flat! They hold the wheel in place while putting in the bolts so now you'll need to replace all the drums too, an expense and effort that would have probably been unnecessary.