Only Packard I've ever been in is my own '53 Clipper...70 MPH turning 3000 RPM but felt like it was floating on air.

It certainly does help OD for my own information and others as well. The mileage on this car is uncertain showing a little over 52,000 but that could be 152,000 for all we know. I'm sure it would have had had least a valve job if not a complete overhaul by now. Chances are good that it has bad guides since it has decent compression so we will look into that a liitle further. We also discussed not adding oil unless it reaches the "low" line on the dipstick and seeing if the consumption levels off.

1700 miles and no more than 1/2 quart low is phenomenal for a car from the 50's with 45,000 miles on it. My car uses about a quart of oil per tank of gas but I know it has bad exhaust guides and never had any engine work performed on it.

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Bill, the wisp of smoke you mention is similar to this car but it has virtually no leaks....no oil being slung back under the car, no seal leaks and no fouled plugs, good compression and good power. Have you checked the oil consumption of your car vs. say a tank of gas or miles driven? I know you mentioned that your Packard is a daily driver so it would be a good comparison as your leaks sound minor.

We drove it around for about an hour and a half yesterday at variable speeds OD. Mostly around 40 to 45 but pumped it up to 55 and 60 for about a 10 mile run. The dipstick registered about halfway between full and low before we left and we drove it about 30 miles. After the ride, we pulled the dipstick and noticed the oil was down about 1/3rd of a qt. or maybe a tad less. We also noticed that the oil looked quite thin but it was only 75 degrees outside and the engine temp gauge never moved above midway. We've thorougly checked for oil leaks and smoke from the road draft tube. the next thing we're going to try is for me to follow behind him and see if it's putting out a smoke trail although neither one of us has noticed anything beyond a slight puff of smoke from a dead start. What weight oil were you thinking OD? Perhaps a straight weight 30 or 40?

It's not mine OD. This car has no leaks and has good compression and no obvious smoke. The pan isn't dented but I suspect that the exhaust valve guides are bad. Owner says depending on how hard he drives it which is about 55 to 60 max, it will use a 1/2 qt. of 10-30 Castrol in about 150 miles.

I'm curious as to how many other owners of 288 and 327 equipped Packards lose oil after driving their cars for specific distances. I don't mean losing it through oil leaks but rather under normal driving conditions like 1/2 qt. per 250 miles or 1 qt. per 500 miles etc. I've heard of some 327's not liking 7 qts. of oil and tend to throw (burn) a quart out pretty quickly.

Sorry HH, my bad...I mistook the battery photo for the module enclosure. Your design is darn close to being a fully functional 6 volt AC system and is certainly closer than any others I've seen or heard discussed. IIRC, Bill McDermaid said his rebuilt 6 volt generator is putting out 45 amps but that it's the seperate 12 volt system that's straining to keep up with the demands of the various AC components. You would think that someone would have started producing a 6 volt clutch by now as it seems that it's still lone hurdle yet to get over...

Thats trick Howard and very well configured. It acts like a mini relay station where the required voltage becomes available as demand calls for it except it only routes the charge voltage to the one battery when the clutch engages correct?
What type is the auxillary 6 volt battery Howard and is it going to be located under the hood?

Are you planning on using the stock Packard generator or switching to the higher output "gener-nator" type 6 volt alternator?

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Howard, based on yours and Ross's description, I can see how the emblems are held in place now. I didn't look at the new emblems close enough to notice the retaining shoulder that's molded into them. The shape of the stainless moulding is cut so precisely that I can't even catch a fingernail on the mating edge. In addition, the emblem is listed in the parts manual under section 30.79252 and shows the emblem as part# 441654 and a quantity of 2 required. Under the emblem listing, there is also a G271472 which is a #8-32 nut and a quantity of 4 required. Listed this way, I think its pretty easy for someone to assume that the 4 nuts are used to hold the emblems in place. Thanks for the clarification.

Rest easy there BH, the glue will continue to hang on the hook...I didn't delay my retirement to make payments on two emblems for the entertainment...

I just spent my grandchildrens inheritance for the two reproduction Packard emblems that attach to the beltline moulding just behind the front doors of the '53 and '54 Clipper Deluxe models. Checking the parts manual, it appears that the original emblems attach to the moulding with two 8-32 nuts per emblem. The new emblems do not come with mounting studs therefore my guess is that they will need to be attached with emblem glue. Anyone else replaced these emblems using a different method?

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