Mark, take Joe Santana's and Chuck's advice, go with Diamond Back bias-sized radials. You want a runner, but you'll never be happy with the "off" look of a 215/225 SUV radial. They won't look kosher in the fenders' opening. If you want an understated, softly elegant, international look, get Diamond Backs in black wall. Your car will be, after all, a serious road car, not another local car show/cars'n' coffee tart.

Though radials call for high pressure by about 8-10 lbs. over bias ply's 32 psi max cold, radials' sidewalls have more give than bias ply, so probably not much harder on your suspension components, but have yet to read any serious tech study or SAE-worthy reports on this.

Exhaust cutout.

DM37, good explanation, and thanks.

This is one of those instances when hang "originality." Packards were production cars, more cheaply made as the years passed, certainly 1940-on, when all models, regardless of sound engineering, were bucket mill affairs. From 1941-on, bodies by Briggs strong as Fisher, but not as finely wrought, if we're being honest.

The original chassis black could be wiped off with a kerosene-dipped rag. Why on earth would anyone want to emulate get-them-out-the-door at lowest cost methods on a pricey rebuild/renovation/restoration today? Why not use the best materials to ensure long preservation?

All else equal, the glossier the paint, the harder, longer wearing. If you agree gloss black engine accessories glaring, tacky, knock it down with triple aught copper or steel wool. But at least you'll have the superior protection of gloss paint.

Some of this hilarious, from guys going gaga over Darrins, no two alike, rear inner fenders bashed down with sledges so the top would fold lower, strictly get them out the door, whether LA or Connersville. A couple by Rollson the exception. And if available, Rollson would've used better materials, paints. So would've Packard.

We hear Packard owners telling bystanders how their East Grand Avenue Super Duper Deluxe Custom was "America's Rolls-Royce," if not better. But look how the lowliest postwar Crewe Mark VI, R-Type, Silver Dawn finished throughout, even where few or no eyes see, despite being assembled boutique cars cloaked by Pressed Steel of Cowley near Oxford, who bodied many of England's automobiles of varying prices, just as Budd, Murray; with Briggs supplying Ford to Packard and Pierce-Arrow. Our cars are not so rare that there are no examples in some public or private collection/museum with chassis black and hogs hair carpet.

gr86.org/threads/1946-bulgemobiles-%E2%8 ... %E2%80%A6from-the-tires-down.10826/ Click on picture to enlarge and see rest of feature.

Thanks, Kev. Brillman are good folks. I got a new set of solid copper Packard 440 spark plug wires with Raja terminals crimped and soldered for most reasonable price.

Paul-- So long as you've got the original Packard drivetrain instead of another crate SBC 350 Turbo HydraMatic Frankencar, who can complain about you tweaking a solid Packard for a few more hp, a couple more feet pounds torque while allowing it to breathe easier, which helps the valves? Good going.

Two-Bit, that's hilarious. A replacement plastic float no doubt best, but i and a '35 DeSoto Airflow pal got corks of roughly the same diameter as original--you want the admittedly imprecise gas dashboard gauge to read close as possible-- at Ace Hardware. Dipped them thoroughly twice in POR-15, baked them in the warm sun a week.

Installed this in pampered, dry day garage queen in case caught in bad traffic on scorching day, but never used. Cost new $171.64. Your price, $65 postpaid. After shipping, i'm netting a whopping forty bucks, so you're making out like a bandit. I can use the shelf space.

PM, please.

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Installed this in pampered, dry day garage queen in case caught in bad traffic on scorching day, but never used. Cost new $171.64. Your price, $65 postpaid. After shipping, i'm netting a whopping forty bucks, so you're making out like a bandit. I can use the shelf space.

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Three-inch inner diameter, this is the real thing, for fresh air ducting in various years, models. Rotsa ruck finding this for a decent price. Here are 31 new, fresh inches (this ducting produced for church and cathedral organs), easily stretching to 34 inches, never used, always stored in the cool dark.

$30 postpaid, which covers shipping and leaves me with ten or twelve bucks. I ordered way more than I needed, so my loss is your gain.

Please PM only. Don't reply publicly, or the ridiculously low price goes up. Merry Christmas.

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Packtriot, am sure one of the Cliff Clavins (remember Cheers?) will digress, parse, but don't think it matters which (double aught, please) battery cable is interrupted by the off/on switch. On my '47 dreadnaught, the positive cable is grounded to the engine block, the negative cable goes from the battery to the switch, thence to the starter. We so routed simply as that was the most direct, the project overseen by my aforementioned licensed auto/aero wrench pilot friend, much missed for his renaissance man comaraderie as vast knowledge of old cars and old planes.

When this spoilt gothic-grilled b__ch is sleeping, as usual, the switch is off and the CTEK UC 800 6-volt "Fully Automatic 4-Step Battery Charger" does its thing, which is to trickle charge the battery, automatically stopping when it senses the battery at 100%. I bought that charger because one of Optima's upbeat techs, with no dog in the hunt, so recommended when i asked.
As you may know, any battery kept at or nearly full charge will last double or even treble as long as one that sits at low charge. However, if the car slumbers for months at a time, it's a good idea to turn on your head or fog/driving lights for 25-30 minutes, run the battery down, then immediately recharge it. This is called deep cycling. But never, ever let any battery, traditional wet cell or absorbed glass mat like Optima, sit prolonged low, which encourages sulfation, death knell for batteries.

The only exception, as i expensively learnt, is your cell/smartphone, which thrives between 20 and 80%, and should not, as i did, be maintained days, weeks, months on end at 100%.
This should be parenthetical, because it is the only exception i know to the above.

Mount your off/on switch wherever it is most convenient for you, these being luxe equipages, doncha know, providing the battery cables are as short as possible. Mine wound up under my dash well above my clutch pedal merely as that allowed for the shortest possible battery cable(s).

As mentioned, in my '40 Packard 120, the switch was under the floor, its off/on post through a hole that diameter, an inch or two in front of the driver's seat,
allowing one of the battery cables to be extremely short since the battery box was under the driver's floor.

Hah, so much for weight distribution in my '47 Packard Super Clipper. Reasoning cars often driven sans passengers, Packard might've placed it on the passenger side. Achieving the ideal 50/50 weight distribution fore and aft, the battery in my girl's slick little Miata is in the trunk, as in many English sport cars of yore.

Keep it simple. It's your car. You're hardly desecrating anything but for one (1) hole the diameter of the off/on switch shaft. Should you ever part with either of these darling barouches, the new owner will thank you. The lever itself is held on by a screw to aid installation. Once installed, you'll be glad you don't have to remove your front seat lower cushion, or in my case, open and close your hood constantly, which are both nuisance and declasse.

Let the interminable dissonance begin!