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Kansasboy,

to the Site.

If you haven't already done so could you add your '48 to the Owner Registry including a pic and it's history. if known?

Eric,

You might have a Packard friend closer to home now rather than 10,000 miles away!

Saturday 5th July 2008

Got to the workshop before Wade, intending to re-file the bottom of one of the battery clamps but found Wade's Super 8 distributor still in the vice so that task was put on hold. Fortunately Wade arrived soon after and gave me a tutorial on how to set Packard tappets. He left me to this while he turned to the Super 8 getting the distributor back in and getting it fired up and re-tuned He had some trouble get it to start as the battery was almost flat but with a boost it roared into life.

Meanwhile I was doing the tappets, and doing the tappets and doing the tappets. You get the picture? It's like this, I'm slow, although that doesn't really explain why it took me all morning to do before I was satisfied that all was well. It might be age related, as my concentration in identifying whether I was adjusting an intake or exhaust tappet was frequently awry. Muttering, cursing or even praying didn't seem to help either. So I settled down on the stool, going tappet by tappet, down the line once, then twice and so on until after the fifth time and with a couple of random checks along the way I was reasonably confident they were all properly set. During all this Wade passed by a number of times and suggested part way through the third run through that it would be easier if I marked say all the exhaust tappets with a spot of paint. But by this time I was determined to do it myself without reference to visual aids so carried on. Don't know how many revolutions the engine did as I turned it over by hand using the fan blades, and skinned a knuckle in the process as the radiator surface is remarkably akin to a cheese grater! Anyway got it all done and by this Wade was finished with the Super 8 so did some checks of random tappets and I must have done something right because they checked out! And now I can say, at the age of 61 plus years, "I've set the tappets". Then it was on to re-installing the tappet covers together with new cork gaskets and a coating of Loctite gasket cement. Next was pulling the old spark plugs, they'd been loosened off and were just sitting there, gapping the fresh plugs and tightening them up. Last task, which was to be the first, was to re-file the champhered shoulder on the battery clamp and re-install it.

And now a lighter side to the zoo, I mean workshop. John has a dog, Misty which is the workshop dog. It's a cross between a blue cattle dog, referred to as a blue heeler, and a labrador and you can feel it in her coat which feels like that of a labrador. Mentioning her coat brings me to a little snippet of workshop life because every 2nd Saturday Misty gets a wash. This is done using a mobile dogwash service with a trailer equipped for the task. And does Misty like getting a bath? No way! The lady who washes her rings ahead and Misty is chained up as otherwise she'd shoot through when she saw the trailer coming. She's then literally dragged and carried into the trailer and washed. Once washed she then has to have a release of the built up tension, together with a bit of self drying, doing this on an old blanket where she nuzzles, burrows, slides, rolls and shakes until she's satisfied all is now well and that awful experience is over. Well at least for another 2 weeks when it all happens again!

And then there's Charlie. Charlie is a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, a native bird of Australia. I think Charlie is Rick's bird and apparently he was left with Rick by a mate to mind for a couple of weeks a number of years ago! Seems like the mate never returned, so Rick ended up getting the bird! Charlie's cage is located next to the big steel rolladoor at the workshop entrance. But, he doesn't spend much time in the cage as the door's always open and he's got a few old branches sticking out of the cage bars and he walks around on these outside perches. Charlie can't fly, usually, because his wings are clipped periodically. Although I believe he literally has flown the coop on a number of occasions. Charlie can also talk, but with a limited vocabulary, greeting everybody who enters with "Hullo Charlie". And he can BITE! Check that sharp beak. Cockatoos are notorious for their destructive ways ripping shrubs and trees to shreds usually for food but most is wasted ending up on the ground, also wooden decking and railings and anything else they can get their beaks into. So in passing Charlie you usually don't get too close unless you maintain eye contact with him until you're out of range so to speak. You can pat/scratch Charlie on his head, but maintain eye contact otherwise Mr T's friend Pain makes an appearance.

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Guy's welcome to the site. As I'm a novice I'll leave the advice to the experts.

But, could you guys add your Packards to the Owner Registry please? And include a pic and, if possible, any known history?

and again

Friday 4th July 2008

First up, on this very auspicious day in your history, a happy 4th to all you Packard guys and gals in the US. enjoy your holiday break.

Now back to the more mundane. Down at the workshop started by tidying up yesterday's painted parts, cleaning off some overpaint and re-assembling some of the painted parts. The '41 has an original coil and armoured cable which at Wade's suggestion I'd disassembled from the coil body yesterday. Doing this revealed the wire connecting the cable to the coil had a break in the insulation. So today Wade shortened up the wire and resoldered it to the contact terminal, also slipping on some heatshrink tubing, but still leaving enough length for re-assembly. During this process Jeff, the guy with the '52 who thinks he could have burnt some valves on the way back from Wagga Waaga early last month (he was only cruising at 60mph) had arrived. Jeff was borrowing Wade's heavy duty valve springer compressor and his piston ring compressor also as there is a thought he might have a broken ring too.

Then, after Jeff left fortified by Wade's coffee and in possession of the necessary implements, we returned to our task. This was now re-assembly of the distributor, and this is where my limitations are very apparent, as my recall of dis-assembly was virtually non-existent. Fortunately, through a combination of Wade's expertise and experience and the picture of the distributor I'd posted here yesterday, Wade was able to get it back together. It needed cleaning of the plate and the ball bearings under it's circumference which had seized with the gunk in it. Although this is a later model, "1947-52 Packards 2200,2300,200,250,300 w/dist #1110811&25" distributor with a "DYNA-FLYTE" aftermarket dual-point setup in it, only one set of points is operating and it'll be left this way for the time being. I'll be looking for a single point distributor to take it's place. Must mention here that I'd ordered a new cap, points, condensor and rotor button back in December thinking I had a '41 distributor but at least I was able to use the new condensor! Turned over the engine and Wade got TDC on #1 and explained how he did that by watching the valves for both #1 & #8 to determine this. Distributor was then installed and tightened up, but not fully, as no doubt adjustment will be required when she's fired up again. Also twice filled the shaft grease cup and tightened it up.

At this point Wade went back to work on his Super 8, having taken out the distributor yesterday afternoon because it would advance but wouldn't retard. On the bench he found that it was gunked up so badly internally that you almost couldn't move it. So he was cleaning and re-setting it ready for re-installation. While Wade was doing that, I cut out a rubber cushioning mat for mounting of the battery on the frame behind the steering box. Will need to re-file the angle on the rear clamp as it is a bit out of kilter and cut some more thread on rear mount and that'll be that.

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The "old fogeys" of the world, your's truly included, might not always fit in with the younger crowd but at least we retain a modicum of taste. We'll leave the zing and bling to the younger generation. In the meantime I'm looking forward to the colour combinations and co-ordination you choose and apply to the Speedster!

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Kev,

Know exactly how that feels, I've got one in my car too!

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Tom,

I don't know is the short answer and like you I couldn't tell from what I had to start with. I'm not doing a "correct" restoration and haven't researched what the colour and finish should be on the engine items. Just freshened up the engine and all the accessories and fittings so it all looks nicer. I'm sure there will be others who can advise on what the colour and finish should be.

Thursday 3rd July 2008

Kevin & Jeff, Thanks for your advice re the manifold gaskets. Forgot to have a look today at the ones I'll be using but I think they'll be OK, being donated to the cause by Wade and he wouldn't use them if they weren't up to the task.

At the workshop cleaned and Marine Cleaned a few more smaller pieces then Metal Readied the parts to be painted and POR-15'd them all black.

John. the owner of the '39 110 dropped in to see Wade and also drop off a manual for the car and some spark plugs, including a dozen Edisons in their original boxes, and other bits. Tells me he bought the '39 about 6 years ago from the son of the bloke who restored it and also that had it been previously owned by a publican who had it in storage for many years.

Left Wade working on the water pump for his '37 Super 8, it's been a source of annoyance to him for a while now as he thinks the guy who did the machining on it when he put a new seal in for him, and it wasn't Ivan, stuffed it up! Now off to see the grand-daughters.

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Wednesday 2nd July 2008

Before leaving for the workshop this morning had a call from Tony at Reconditioning Services to say the intake/exhaust manifold was ready. Drove to Auburn and picked up the manifold which had about 2mm, or about 0.080", taken off the block faces to remove the irregularities present.

At the workshop I started cleaning still more parts. Surely there can't be too many more to clean now? Dis-assembled the distributor so I could clean the body, cleaned the relays, coil and the dipstick. Biggest task was wire-brushing by hand the intake/exhaust manifold assembly. Thought at first I'd never get there but, with progress being made at a very slow pace, results did begin to show. Finally it was at a state where I was able to Marine Clean it and the other parts. Then before going home applied a coat of POR-15 Grey Manifold Paint to the manifolds.

While I did the cleaning, Wade worked on his '37 Super, he'd had the carburettor bloke around the corner overhaul the carby yesterday so needed to re-install it. Did that but not without incident as the new needle and seat in the kit was different from the original one in the carby and the fuel line then didn't fit! After Wade solved that problem then couldn't get the Super 8 to run smoothly. After a bit of hair tearing Wade was talking to John who suggested "check the points, if they've closed up that'll retard the spark". And lo and behold that's what the problem was. And yesterday, after taking out the last of the linkages for the '39 110, Wade took them to Ivan in the machine shop around the corner so that new pins and bushes could be made, the originals being very worn.

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