Hello all!! I’ve come with another update! After a lot of running (and way too much money.) we got our gas tank back today, good as new! So our next step will be getting a new fuel sending unit and figuring out how to get the gas lines off. Stay tuned! Big things are happening

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My apologies, I am fairly new to this 😅

The story of Mark putting this car together and you trying to extend his vision and legacy with this unique combination would cause me to fully understand the Jag engine issues before replacing. I am normally a guy for at least near originality, but in this case, that combination is so far off the norm that it is really likable. Anyone can stuff a sbc into any thing, or even a Packard V8, or a 245, but seeing those cast aluminum valve covers just reeks of specialty. Your car, tough decision, but I would want to understand how far gone Jag engine is before ditching.

Does anyone have a right side tail light bucket for a 1937 120 (or 115)? I finally got around to painting the inside of my buckets white and realized that my right side bucket is rusted through in a couple of places. I only need the bucket, not the stand.

The white paint inside the buckets, definitely made a big difference in the brightness of my taillights.

Might double check that when you were under the dash replacing the regulator that none of the wires going to the fuse block were pulled loose.

The instrument voltage regulator is fed from the Instrument cluster fuse in the block on firewall under the dash so check that fuse. It could be the fuse holder is corroded so fuse is not making good contact but if the fuse is blown, it is a small 7/8 inch long fuse -- AGW 7 1/2 amp. Most fuses in a Packard are specific in length to amperage so only the specific called for sizes will fit in most of the holders or in the fuse block. Napa and other parts stores should have the needed AGW 7 1/2 amp or in most cases an SFE equivalent size fuse that will also fit.

On the brake light issue the most common problem is with the 3 terminal brake light switch which is a well known failure item -- particularly if used with silicone fluid and today's 3 terminal replacements don't seem to be all that great either. Many have switched to a standard easily found 2 terminal replacement switch with a relay added in the circuit to duplicate the function of the third terminal on the original switch to feed part of the Torsion Level system. There is also a 7 1/2 amp fuse feeding the brake light switch. That is an inline fuse in the upper drivers side of engine compt in the area next to cowl and under the fender where the torsion level solenoids and vacuum reserve tank is mounted. That fuse also provides power to the control switch part of the TL system so is fed from another inline fuse in the same area which is a 30 amp fuse that is protecting the TL motor. If fuses and switch are good the brake lights do go thru the round plug connected to the turn signal switch. That plug and bunch of wires exits from the steering column just under the dash edge so make sure the plug is intact.

Radio also has a 7 1/2 amp fuse in the block under the dash but there could also be other things not working as the reason the radio has failed. Make sure the antenna lead is still plugged in tight in the part above the glovebox because without the antenna even if working the radio is mostly silent. There is also another small plug from the glovebox section that goes to the power supply section and if the car has a rear seat speaker a wire going from the power supply section to the speaker fader switch that could have been pulled out. That disconnection would kill both speakers.

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Correct, that was one of the issues post-mortem that we found. The three main things we found to be possible causes of overheating were 1.) impeller too far from the pump housing causing lack of flow, 2.) water distribution jacket holes in the wrong places (person before us home made it), 3.) thermostat installed in the block when it shouldn't have been.

All that compounded on top of the known problems with the metallurgy of the '38 blocks. Now we have a '39 block instead, installed on a '38 crankcase. That involved a whole other set of issues.

-Kevin

Hello Howard,

Some things I forgot to mention.
1. When I reattached the instrument regulator back on the dash, none of the gauges moved. They all stayed to the left.
Separate problems, may be related or separate problems.
2. Brake lights to not light up when pressing the brake, but tail lights do work when headlights are turned on.
3. Radio stopped working.

I will try your suggestions and get back to you.

Thanks,

Joe Jr

The '37 does not have the engine drain, it all drains from the oil cooler through a petcock.
After flushing and refilling with Blue Devil, I started getting 5 gallons. This car is making me think in circles😜. Did it, didn't it, I thought so, I don't know, maybe. My father is having shoulder surgery tomorrow so, I'll be back at the car Thursday. I'm going to pull the water pump and check it for wear. I saw on another thread, KevinPackard's 38 was over heating, and it may have been from a poorly clearanced impeller causing cavitation or turbulence. I'm going to do some digging around the forum and see what else I can find. Sure, seems like this is a common problem with the oldies.

Although I was at my shop in late August and early September, the entire time was spent working on the shop itself. I wasn't moving too fast as I had a fall a couple days after I got there so was very, very sore the whole time. Somehow I had stepped off the wrong side of a two-step step-stool and landed on my bottom on the concrete although my own built-in padding may have helped or else it made me hit even harder! X-rays after I returned found nothing broken, fortunately, and most of the pain is gone by now although I still feel it occasionally when I move just right.

However on the Henney-Packard, I have come to the conclusion that I need to pull the engine to get the studs properly fixed and to get the block thoroughly cleaned which will mean removing it from the lift and putting it into another area of the shop. Unfortunately there is too much large stuff in the shop right now for that to happen so I've got to sell two motorcycles, all the engines and transmissions that are laying around or find a way to stack them so they take up less space! I don't know of any racking systems that can handle the weight of the engines while also being affordable. I have a 1940 245, a 1951 327 5-main with solid lifters, a 1952 327-9-main and a 1954 359 (still in the car). Also, several Ultramatic cores and lots of Packard doors from 1953, 1954 and 1956 Patricians. The shop was designed and built for six cars but there are seven in it.

As for the shop work, I did manage to get good lighting installed on the storage half of it by installing four high power warehouse LED lights high on the ceiling which light it like daylight. As LEDs are very directional, warehouse lights need to be at least 10' high and these are closer to 14' or so. In fact, they have three temperature settings and I chose the daylight one.

Although the recently installed roll-up doors with windows help a little, this was a very dark corner before adding the lights. The little light on the wall over the workbench was all it had! The car is a 1965 Imperial LeBaron and I just recently rebuilt its engine but have not yet assembled or installed it.



This northwest-facing back window doesn’t bring in much light either even though it appears to do so in the photo.



Each side can be tilted as needed and I still need to adjust those to get a little more toward the center but even as they are it’s well-lit.

Just a thought:
I suspect there is a drain on the side of the engine to drain the water jacket, was that included in your process? I am not even sure it is there on your senior car as I have no experience with that engine, but back then it was a common feature as anti-freeze was not always used so straight water would be removed from the engine to prevent freezing. That could be where some coolant is hiding.


I swapped the plug in this shot with a petcock so when I use it I can attach a hose so the coolant does not drain directly onto the starter. I still slip a zip-lock freezer bag over the starter when I use it to keep any wayward coolant from getting into any bearing areas.
Bob J.