You are certainly a man who has a sharp eye and knows his Packards.

On cars with hanging brake pedals the Frame is grounded to body thru the brakes lines.

Come to think of it, i think i will install a frame to engine ground strap just for kicks. Most cars i've seen with such straps are usualy unibody construction. But i have seen them on ladder frame type vehicles too. The body mounting bolts are not reliable due to rubber insulators and potenetial rust.
It is MOST PRUDENT to always use internal or external tooth (shakeproof) washers on ground wires as well as other electrical connexions.

Hmm, Brian's request is unusual and my oldest daughter did turn 48 this year?? Nah, too much logic in one family - it'll never work.

No, but I am a charter member of the Dorfan Dust Society
Along with Rich Fletcher, Al Clarke, Don Lewis, Alan Grieme and Milton Forcheimer.

Randy--are you a member of the "Dorfan tape measure club"?

Adding a frame-to-engine ground somewhere unobtrusive might be a good idea but really isn't generally needed because of two reasons: (1) there are MANY points of metal-to-metal attachment of car bodies to frames (for example, all the body mounting bolts), and (2) very few cars (our TL equipped V8 Packards the exception) have any electrical components that are frame-mounted. One the other hand the engine-to-body ground strap is important because once batteries moved out from under the front seat, they were generally grounded to the engine block and the driveline, being mounted in rubber mounts and further isolated by lubricants and moving connections, can easily lack a good ground. Another place to consider adding a ground is the gas tank; in restoration often the frame is heavily painted as is the tank, which itself is often isolated with webbing in the straps or retainers. If the fuel line (which is the tank ground) is interrupted for an in-line electric pump installed with rubber tubing connections, then this ground is lost. In such cases I usually install a ground from one of the fuel sender capscrews to a convenient frame rail.

Dan,

My experience on my 56 Carib matches the comments of Packard V8. I have attached a picture of the strap from the back of the cylinder head to the firewall and the only other ground is the front of the opposite cylinder head to the negative battery post.

Robert.

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WOW! Absolutely fascinating and impressive!! I will keep on the look out for a short cab 3245!

Robert.

Thanks. But shouldn't there be a frame to engine ground? Also, I found a small woven ground strap that was broken but attached to the firewall near the groment for the transmission wires. It was about one forth of an inch wide. I am not an electricion, but I would assume that poor grounding can be the cause of all kinds of problems in these old cars.
Any thoughts on this?
Dan