Re: New member hello, 1936 120B Business Coupe clutch
Posted by HH56 On 2022/6/28 10:04:03
Welcome. When you do get around to working on the car one thing you will probably notice very quickly is the components are twice as big and ten times as heavy as those in your MGB. 😋
Other than that, there is nothing too different about the basic clutch setup on the smaller Packards than was in any other comparable car of the era. A nice thing about the mass market Packards such as the 120 is once they had a good working design it usually stayed virtually unchanged for several years to follow. Many mechanical parts used in the 120 were interchangeable over various models even thru early postwar years. Others on site are much more versed in that model than I and will surely give any specific pointers or cautions if needed.
It would be kind of nice to know exactly what the symptoms were to understand your fathers "seized" comment. A frequent issue on sitting Packards is in colder or moist conditions, condensation can form on the flywheel and pressure plates. Water runs down and effectively glues the clutch disc facings to one or the other metal surfaces. Sometimes the disc can be broken free by releasing the clutch and putting the trans in gear then have friends try to rock the car or even trying to start the engine with clutch released but trans in gear. That procedure can be hard on the starter and ring gear so is not the best idea. Often neither works so it takes removal of the lower flywheel cover and blocking the clutch pedal in the disengaged position so you can use mechanical means such as a thin piece of steel or a long putty knife to reach up and pry the disc off the stuck surface.
For some reason Packard did not provide clutch info in the one 36 service manual we have on site but here is a bit from the 37 120 C book on how to access or remove the clutch.
Attach file:
120C.jpg (335.06 KB)
Other than that, there is nothing too different about the basic clutch setup on the smaller Packards than was in any other comparable car of the era. A nice thing about the mass market Packards such as the 120 is once they had a good working design it usually stayed virtually unchanged for several years to follow. Many mechanical parts used in the 120 were interchangeable over various models even thru early postwar years. Others on site are much more versed in that model than I and will surely give any specific pointers or cautions if needed.
It would be kind of nice to know exactly what the symptoms were to understand your fathers "seized" comment. A frequent issue on sitting Packards is in colder or moist conditions, condensation can form on the flywheel and pressure plates. Water runs down and effectively glues the clutch disc facings to one or the other metal surfaces. Sometimes the disc can be broken free by releasing the clutch and putting the trans in gear then have friends try to rock the car or even trying to start the engine with clutch released but trans in gear. That procedure can be hard on the starter and ring gear so is not the best idea. Often neither works so it takes removal of the lower flywheel cover and blocking the clutch pedal in the disengaged position so you can use mechanical means such as a thin piece of steel or a long putty knife to reach up and pry the disc off the stuck surface.
For some reason Packard did not provide clutch info in the one 36 service manual we have on site but here is a bit from the 37 120 C book on how to access or remove the clutch.
Attach file:
120C.jpg (335.06 KB)
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