Thanks Dave,

I will email M.M.

Chris

The heat riser valve on my '39 Six was rusted frozen in the 'weight down' position when I got the car. The spring is missing. I was able to free up the valve with rust penetraters and it flops up and down very freely now. My initial take was that the 'down' position was the valve being closed and that the spring would heat up and lift it open, then as it cooled off, the weight would pull it down. I subsequently wired it in the 'up' position so it wouldn't over heat and at some point posted same here on the site. Somebody said that was incorrect and I removed the wire. The guy helping me with the car now, thinks it should be wired up - can somebody give me a definitive answer???? The manual says the proper function of the valve is critical to the engine operation and I agree. I guess the other question would be 'does anybody know where I can find a spring??? I am guessing the way the spring would install would make the answer self explanatory. Thanks to any answers....

Thanks, I stand corrected and better informed!!! Apprec. Chris

Sadly, David's advice is spot-on. A 110/Six 4Dr, even in pristine shape, will only be worth $20 - $35K US and with the price of 'all things restoration' these days, one would be lucky to get the body and paint done for half that. Interiors are very expensive, as are engine rebuilds. After that, the 'small stuff' can really add up.
I guess if one does it for the pure love of old cars and the hobby aspect of it and doesn't care about the numbers, it can be rewarding. It definitely is not profitable.

Hi John,
It's one of those deals where I THOUGHT mine had one contact with 3 wires and 2 with just 1 wire, but now that you say that, I am rethinking my recollections of the switch and think you are probably right!! I think I'm getting old?!?!? That would make sense too, in as much as each headlight has 2 wires for the high and low beam and the other contact would go to the dash light switch. Sorry to 'confuss' the issue....

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. It would seem that 'stalling' is a long-standing issue in Packerland with many root causes. I have owned many, many vehicles and have NEVER had a problem like this with any other engine before. The way MY stalling issue presents, the car is flooding out, rather than starving for fuel. When I ordered a replacement rebuilt carb and it didn't seem to change anything, I (maybe falsely) presumed I could rule out carburetion. In reviewing some of the You Tube instructional videos on the Carter WA-1, it would seem that float levels are both critical and finicky with that particular model. I also see lots of mention of the metering rod and its spring being a possible cause of incorrect fuel delivery. Irrespective, my problem is from too much fuel vs. insufficient delivery and I am approaching it from the standpoint of trying to determine WHY?? While I realize collapsed tube layers of hose can cause weird and intermittent performance anomalies, I don't think it is has anything to do with my car's 'sickness'. I still am not convinced that there might not be some other underlying issue, like a cracked intake manifold or even some strange internal problem like a crack in the head or block that manifests when the engine gets up to operating temperature under load. If and when I do find the problem, I think it will be a major 'AHA' moment and it will make sense. It sure doesn't now, that's for sure!!!!
Thanks again for the input and time taken to try and help - much appreciated. Chris

Just had mine out as, when we removed the front end clip, we had to disconnect the headlights and signals; then when we went to put things back together, found issues like you are referring to.
We found the only way we could get things to work properly was to use the second position of the switch (first is parking lights only) and the third made the driver headlamp go bright and dim but not the passenger side. According to your description, maybe that is how they're SUPPOSED to work???

The dimmer switch can be easily removed be taking out the 2 slotted screws in the floorboards and pushing the switch outward. Then if you go under the hood you can reach down and grab it and all the wires are accessible. Mine is 3 contacts, 5 wires, with one contact having 3 wires. I believe the 3-wire contact is the switch leg with 2 wires going to the respective headlight pots. My switch was okay, but I have replaced lots of those floor switches over the years, as they get moisture in them from snowy boots, etc., and corrode. Holes in floorboards don't do them any good either! LOL Been there...
Grounds were also an issue with my wiring, so be sure and clean all your ground contacts. Good luck.

Reasoning this through with all the 'Packard minds' online contributing really helps guys, - THANKS!
I finally have a guy helping me who is competent and he is of the mind that whatever the problem is - it is fuel related. He removed the new spark plugs and they were absolutely black with soot and my oil went from new to black very quickly. I thought this was maybe a result of the car being run more and picking up 'old dirt' in the crankcase, but now - not so sure.
Another thing: we teed a fuel pressure gauge into the line yesterday and it started at 4 PSI and at some point stopped showing any pressure, yet the engine continued to run. This coupled with the blackened plugs and the flooding and I think it is possible the float system in the carb is not working properly. This decries my earlier theory that once the carb was changed, it should eliminate that as a problem, but my friend says he has had more than one carb 'out of the box' that did not work properly. Also, to properly describe the stalling issue, it doesn't sputter or 'conk out', it just slowly 'coasts to a halt', if that makes any sense. Then to restart, I have to wait a minute or so and floor it, and it starts exactly the way a flooded engine starts. If it is being over-fueled, the wait could be the hot cylinders getting rid of the raw gas enough that it will start. Before anyone says it - I KNOW this is a bad thing for cylinder walls, fuel in the oil, etc., and once I get this sorted, I will again change the oil.
I have thought through the ignition switch shorting out and the electric fuel pump is on the ignition circuit and it is steady without cutting in and out, so I am leaning more to an over-fueling issue at this point.
My friend seems very confident that we can suss this (me, not so much) and he is very dogged and systematic when it comes to tracking down an issue. Wish us luck?!?!?!?!?
Again, thanks for all the input.

Hi Dave,

For what it's worth, I am not a big fan of automatic chokes and when I ordered the replacement carb, I had the option of auto or manual choke and chose the latter.

The vacuum issue is 'on the docket'... will report my findings.
The more I think about the ignition switch possibly shorting, the more it makes sense to me, as, if I lose spark and the fuel is still flowing, it will flood the engine and stall it.

With carbs having been switched and zero difference to the problem, I am reticent to think it is carburetion.

thanks for the input to you and all who have weighed in, Chris

Hey Pat,

I have done the brakes on my '39 Six and I tried to 'cross over' NAPA type parts with very limited success. Kanters has the wheel cylinders,(and master cylinder) shoes and hoses remanufactured and they are very reasonably priced. Just a tacit suggestion, but I would strongly consider getting 'exact-replacement' parts through somebody like them and then everything fits perfectly and your car stays 'original'. Makes the job a lot easier too! Like I say, just a suggestion....
Chris