Re: Resting to running!

Posted by Wat_Tyler On 2023/3/18 6:35:36

Welcome aboard!!! It's an interesting ride, the entire Packard Experience. You'll meet some decent folks and a couple of twits, but that's almost anywhere.

Hint Number One: don't overpay for Packard parts.

You will need to change all of the fluids in the engine, trans, and rear end, both to get out the old stuff and the water and to see what's living in there. All long term storage cars are not the same. There are rodents in the crankcase stories, and their tiny bones make a lousy lubricant.

The brakes will need to be sorted thoroughly. New parts, including the flex lines, and new fluid. The fuel system could be an issue, depending on the amount of crud in your tank, if any. Same with the cooling system.

Obviously, the more you can do, the less it will impact your wallet.

Try not to take the entire process, or yourself, too damned seriously. Murphy owns several Packards. Yeah, that Murphy. Use lots of penetrating oils - they have improved remarkably over the years. Use fire quite judiciously. Invest in a good grinder, a reciprocating saw and blades, and plan to replace a lot of bolts-n-nuts. Packard often used 14 fasteners where 6-8 would have gotten it done and Ford would have used 2 and a couple of folding tabs. Of course, that's also why my 1946 barn find (one of the lines on Old Car Ad Bingo) doesn't rattle after all these years.

You have found the correct website for lots of knowledge and lots of help, and lots of outside reading to figure out what you want/need to know. Ask away. Odds are, you're not the first guy to encounter whatever silliness you find in your car.

My very best wishes to you!!!