Hello,
I have been working on my 1939 Packard Super 8 that was the family car from 1950 or '51. We got the engine running after replacing all of the gaskets in the oil pump and oil manifold (to mains), servicing the oil pressure relief valve, and cleaning the oil cooler. We put in a new radiator and hoses, checked the water pump and some of the rubber around the front of the car (Center Motor mount and spherical rubber bushes on the torque arms).

It runs smoothly and has 60 PSI (after two adjustments of the relief valve) at start up and at increased RPM, and 22 psi at idle after running for 60 minutes.

My father rebuilt the engine around 1951 or so. I am thinking about what I need to learn about the car I wondered if in 1939 Packard used oil control rings on the pistons, if there were oil control rings (as opposed to a plain oil scraper ring - like a compression ring) were they one piece cast oil control rings as I have seen on some rings from the late 40's or early 50's engines.
How many rings in total were used on each piston and where I might find the information (drawings or written info.) on the rings.

Rick M
1939 Super 8 (1703)

the information is in the owner's manual which you should be able to find under Packard Literature and Manuals to the left of this page just above the link for Packard forums. I think I read it in the owner's manual I just got for my car. The manual is now in the glove box and I am away from my car.

I think the country setting only dips the beam that points to the left side of the lane the car is traveling in.

Rick M
1939 Super 8

Well, I just got the 1939 Super 8 running and the oil pressure went up to 75 PSI at ideal when cold so we shut it down and I backed off the pressure regulator a full turn and the pressure went up to 65 so I backed it down one half turn more and the pressure settled in at 55 PSI and did not go up past that when the engine was revved a bit so I think the pressure regulator is working as it should. I am happy with 55 on the pressure gauge I mounted on the firewall. The inside gauge is working and reading a bit lower than the engine compartment gauge.

The engine was very quiet with one tapped making a bit of noise (I removed the followers and checked them for wear and had to take my best guess on the clearance on the two I had to back off to get the lifters back in.).

As you might imagine it is a bit smokey because I had put some marvel mystery oil in the cylinders while it was laid up. I think that some of the rings are a bit gummed up as well.

The engine is very quiet and it started up right away on the remote tank we used. I will be working to run it longer next weekend and I hope that the smoking tones down as I get more time on the engine.

Thank you all for your input, it is greatly appreciated.
I will report back as I have more to say.

I live in the West where what are called mountains in the East are foothills.

The City I live in is quite hilly, comparable to San Francisco where I grew up and last drove my Packard. Our Freeways typically often move at 70 or more.

Since drum brakes can and do fade and driving conditions are not what they were even in the 50's or 60's what with drivers used to modern anti-lock disk brakes will cut in front of you and slow down immediately I want every bit of advantage I can get.

I do not race my cars, and I do remember driving them in the 60's in California so I drive accordingly.

YMMV,
Rick

Pat,
Thank you!

Rick

Thank you for the information. I will be checking the pressure as soon as we fire the engine which I hope will happen soon. We have many parts of this project to work on before we can fire the engine.

Rick M

Opps! Errant fingers here. A 1939 coil is what I am asking about. I will follow the advice and have a generic 6 volt coil handy in the event the coil in my car is not working. I will need to do a bit of research to see the proper way to wire it in since it has been 40+ years since I had a car with an old coil and points iginition.

Thank you all for the information.

Rick M

I have noticed that the ignition coil on my 1929 Super 8 has a armored cable that goes from the dash board to the bottom of the coil. Is there any guide when one has to replace the coil? Are new coils of that type availale for purchase anywhere?

Thanks in advance,

Rick M
'39 Super 8

I am trying a ceramic coating on the outside of my brake drums. It is a gloss black heat dispersant coating. We have used this same coating on the head of a racing motorcycle and found that it is quite effective at cooling the engine. It is so effective that we now do not use it on air cooled barrels as it tends cause the cast iron barrel to not grow enough and can cause the pistons to "nip up" at the recommended clearances. Brad at Performance Coatings in Auburn WA. says that many people have done this on brake drums and report good results.

Since I have not driven my Packard since 1967 I will not really know how much difference it makes but if the cooling rate of hot exhaust pipes is any indication it will help a lot when going down hills in modern traffic.


YMMV,
Rick M
'39 Super 8

Thank you for the advice. I have cleaned and serviced the oil pressure regulator so that it can now function properly.

The only spec I have found for the oil pressure is 60 PSI at 30 mph. I wonder what RPM equates to 30 MPH in top gear so that the regulator can be adjusted without having to drive the car to find the pressure.

What should the oil pressure at idle be, does anyone know?

Rick M
'39 Super 8