hey, thanks for the advice. good advice on the exhaust gasket and i will follow up with that.

working on the tank has been on my mind. i already bought the chemical kit to clean and etch the tank etc. the insulation for the straps and have located a radiator shop to check the solder points where the drain plug is and the fuel line attachment. I always thought the gas gauge worked , but when i drove it to the station the guage was on empty , but the tank only took 11 gallons. I always thought guages worked or didn't.....
so when i drop the tank i will need to fix the sending unit as well....
so much fun to look forward to.
i agree with you that i need to look into this sooner than later. if not i am better to keep the tank full rather than on the low side.

hello bobby:
you give good advice as i already found out. yesterday afternoon i took off the after market fuel filter, which is less than a year old & looked at it more closely. it was very dirty, looks like rust sediment...... So i replaced that and bought an extra one to have on hand.....
than i went back to recheck the last tune up. i checked the timing and it was off. so i reset it. although i am curious to know why the timing was off........I pulled 1 pllug & it was black.
i took the car out for a drive after i tried to adjust the carb....
the car ran well. much better....
as far as the dirty fuel filter goes i think the last fill up ,( and i filled the tank full) prob loosened up all that debris etc. i never fill the tank , i just put in 5 gal here and there.

while doing all of this i uncoverd another problem:
several wks. ago i replaced the exhaust gasket where the flange is under the carb area. easy job . all went well. after, i checked and no popping noise and i could feel no air leaking out. YESTERDAY I NOTICED IT WAS LEAKING AGAIN.
when i installed the new gasket there was no sign of an old gasket. My quest. is what is the engine telling me.????
advice anyone????
as always thanks for all your help!

Thanks Mr Cole, i will take your advice. I just read about this in another thread . i will check napa . i hope they stock it here on the island. thanks for your help.

I may as well just get a new in line fuel filter at the parts store eeven though i replaced it maybe a year ago. i will add this to my to do list.

thanks HH56
the aftermarket filter on my car is the disposable type . someday i would like to get a more period correct. and when i check the fuel pump i will have a new gasket.
as always thanks for you help

the gas cap...? i don't know, but i will check and research.

thanks for the advice. i will try the fuel pump......
i have an aftermarket filter that i recently replaced. it was on the car when i bought it. it was instaled down low near the pump. i notice yesterday while reading on this site that an original looking filter was located up near the carb.....
thanks for your help

hello all:
been some time since i have checked in. but i always read the post to see what i can learn

about 2 wks. ago i had to take my packard in for my yearly safety check recqrd. in hawaii. on the way i decided to drive to fill up the tank at a station that sells alc free gasoline. the car ran fantastic. i was very excited. (btw i ad a little diesel fuel to the tank as per this site, but did not on this day) when i left the gas station on a 55mph Hwy the car got real rough at about 45mph . I babied the car but it was not doing well at all. I got home very slowly and let the car sit and tried to think about what to do and read stuff in the shop manuel. etc. after a bit i put 1/2 cup of diesel in the tank and was on my way. still the same problem except i could get up to maybe 50 or 55mph.
Today i took the car out and got her up to 55 with no problem . ok for about 20 miles then back to the same symptoms.
I have recently done a tune up , plugs all wirre. cap rotor etc. timing
1. does the carb need adjusting? it sounds good at idle.
2. Is the next step to check the fuel pump??
i would appreciate any advice.

I have the same ?. I have emailed him twice in the last three months and have heard nothing. they say to be patient so i keep waiting. I have been going to check at the packard site , but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

wow. thanks for posting those pics. they are great. i always like it when we get interior as well as exterior shots.