Sorry to be late to the dance on this, but every 1920s Packard I've seen runs fairly high oil pressure, seems to be normal on these cars. My '29 runs straight Lucas 30 weight zinc-infused oil (I'm in Louisiana, it's always warm here), and the engine idles at 35-40 psi, at speed it usually stays at 40, at higher speeds it will go to 45 or 50. Been driving it like that for four years, it's never caused a problem. Friend in Texas has a '30 coupe, it does pretty much the exact same thing. I don't think you've got anything to worry about. Fantastic car and love those headlights!

They're not factory. I have a '29 and mine doesn't have them, I've looked at a lot of late 1920s/early 1930s Packards, have never noticed any with those holes before.

I think the previous guess is correct, somebody probably drilled them to mount road lamps at some point in the car's life. Although why they did this on the cross bar is a bit odd, most of them were made to connect to front bumper mounts or to the bars themselves, but there really wasn't a need to drill holes unless you really were over-the-top about hiding wiring.

That is some amazing wood work!! I've seen a lot of classics restored and wood is always the most feared part of the job, that is some outstanding work you're doing!

Okay, I've had my 633 for almost two years now and have never been super happy with the clutch. Compared to others I drove long ago, the clutch pedal is almost non-existent.

Just adjusted the rod again, it's almost all the way out, maybe a 1/4" left at the most. The clutch is engaging well and solid with this, but the clutch pedal itself isn't encountering any resistance and is light as a feather until you're 2" or 3" from the toe plate - all the action happens there. Press it onto the floor, clutch begins to engage when pedal is about an inch or two off the floor, at a out 3 to 4" it's fully engaged. It works, just don't like the way it feels, super soft and just no resistance at all.

Adjusting the clutch has been a non-stop battle with the car as it never seems to stay in a happy place for more than a month or two. What's left? Adjusting the pressure plate fingers? Changing the clutch altogether? This clutch has maybe 1,800 miles on it since 2000 when it was put in, but I know based on everything I saw when I got the car, the previous owner knew nothing about the car, bought it on a whim, and I'm sure he'd never driven a car like this before and likely never heard of double clutching.

Anything I can do to get a more "normal" feeling clutch? Don't really trust driving the car any longer distances like this, not to mention other little odds and ends. Thanks much and Happy Easter to all!

Do yourself a favor and get the Chrysler single-point distributor conversion kit - life is a whole lot easier with it and you can then get needed parts from the corner auto parts store. Pretty sure Merritt sells those and they're worth every nickel. Bought the plugs for my '29 off Amazon cheaper than anywhere else.

As for Kanter, I've had my '29 for two years now, I can't ever get them to even return a phone call. Good luck!

Any progress been made on this old girl yet? From what I'm seeing, it doesn't look like the wood wheels are going to be much good and will likely need to be replaced anyway.

I also don't really understand everybody telling you to jack it up - the thing is sitting on the ground - how are you going to get a jack underneath it?

As has been previously stated, probably not economically feasible to do a full-bore restoration on this one, it would cost more than the car is worth, but, would make a fantastic driver-quality and all-around fun car if the initial cost of buying it was reasonable. Personally, I think $13K is a bit on the high side for her given the amount of very expensive work that lies ahead.

Good luck, definitely needs saving.

I agree, adjust them cold, it's not worth the aggitation or the burns and losing your faith in God to do it while the car's running or the manifold is hot.

That really doesn't make any sense, they shouldn't lock up just because they're being turned. It would likely be that the shoes are cranked too far out.

I have a '29 633 and the brakes are a constant source of irritation. That Bendix brake suppiment they put out looks nice but it doesn't solve the problems real world. With my car, I've found that having the car jacked up and adjusting the brakes doesn't do a whole lot of good, because when she goes back on the ground the trajectory of the brake rods changes and everything you just adjusted goes right out the window.

I've gotten now to where I just adjust them with the car sitting on the ground and use trial and error to get them about right. They are FAR from synchronized with each other and the back two do a lot more work than the front two on my car, but, they work a lot better now than when I got it.

Following the manual to the tee, I adjusted mine about a year ago with all four wheels off the ground, set her back down, and both rear wheels wouldn't roll forwards - the brakes locked instantly going forward, but going backwards, they were fine. I gave up using the suppliment after that! Back off the rods a bit, that should solve the problem, but, it's a rather unusual one. Good luck!

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Another vote for these guys. If I ever tear into my '29's rear axle, I will definitely be giving them a call. They did a ring & pinion set for a man not far away with a '30 Cadillac, dropped it down to a 3.55 gear I believe, and what a difference! That thing flies now! Much less notable than putting an aftermarket overdrive on our old cars. If I had that gearing in my car, it would be wonderful!

Give these guys a call, they make some excellent gears!

Not a fan of base/clearcoats on these cars either. I live in Louisiana, lacquer isn't a good idea down here due to our extremely hot weather, it blows apart like old potato chips in about five or six years. My 633 was redone in lacquer back in 2000 in Minnesota, the paint is blistering on the front fenders now and I'm gonna' have to strip them down. Planning to repaint the whole car, but, I'm a huge fan of expoxy primer and using just straight enamels on the older cars like this. You can put on a straight enamel, buff it, and it will last forever and you'll never have to worry about clearcoat cracking or fogging up with age - I've seen quite a lot of that happen as well. As far as painting the hood, last ones I painted were back in the 1980s, we removed the hoods from the cars, put them on pallets on saw horses and painted them flat, completely assembled. Let them dry really good, a week or more, before we put them back on the car - never really had a problem with paint chipping along the center hinges. Good luck!