I'm curious about opinions, comments or favorites of the '55-'56 Packard and Clipper hood ornaments. All I have read about their origins are some comments about how far removed from the "Cormorant" the '55 and '56 senior ornaments were, and the tussle about whether the cormorant was "really" a Pelican and should be referred to as such.

For the longest time I thought the ornament on our '55 400 was a jet plane! But up close, you could still see the bird and it did have a little "pouch" under the head.

I can't remember what the '56 senior ornament is like up close, but I think the '55 is a little cleaner design and more in keeping with the bird motif. Wonder why they changed in '56?

As for the Clipper, I believe the design was the same in '55 and '56, but not sure if they made some changes. I think that the V8 Clipper winged planet or whatever you want to call it is one of the best of the big hood ornaments ever. It is just a fine, uncluttered design--but what's it supposed to represent? Some of the kids in my neighborhood ( my contemporaries at the time) thought it would be a great design for a spaceship. I would think it is supposed to be something a bit more "nautical" than that.

You could (and somebody probably already did) write a book about the earlier Packard ornaments, but how about some comparisons of the unique '55 and '56 Packard and Clipper ones?

Quote:

Good idea to check the manual, but my gut tells me to always pack 'em, even if they can be lubed from an external grease fitting or internally from the axle. At the least, it will assure they have initial lubrication as soon as the wheel starts to roll. Just like in an engine, the most wear comes in the first few seconds until lubrication gets to all moving parts.

If I'm all wet, someone come in and give me 20 lashes with a wet noodle.

I can't wait until they put the spark advance/retard back on the dashboard so you can tune 'n' drive. It's getting closer with all the interactive stuff on the hybrids and electrics. People will actually have to know a little something about how their cars work. What a concept!

Quote:

That sounds cool, more info please! Is it a dial setting, or what?

Mity good idea there, Brian,

This thread really has a lot of good info on a topic that isn't discussed much for some reason. About the only thing not yet addressed is centrifugal advance inside the distributor. Specs on that would be a nice addition. And a reminder that poorly functioning centrifugal advance/retard can really louse things up, (as of course, a wobbly shaft can).

When you get down to it, the electrical system from the distributor to the plugs is one of the most accessible and important maintenance areas for any vintage engine with point-type ignition. Few special tools are needed and dramatic improvements in economy and performance are possible with little time invested. Plus, it can be fun!

Anybody here remember the old "Magic Window" on GM distributors? A nifty little design when it worked, which was most of the time. It was actually designed to help set points "by ear" with no gauge needed.

With the various carburetor types and brands used on Packard V8s, (and even the possibility that someone has adapted an aftermarket carb), it's a good idea to verify how things are set up for any particular engine. It's simple enough to check whether vacuum advance is a factor in initial timing (at idle). Pull the rubber line off at the diaphragm fitting and put your finger on the end while the engine is idling. If you feel suction, there is vacuum present and disconnecting the line will affect initial timing. If you don't, it won't.

But this is assuming the line is connected correctly to start with. There is often more than one place to tap into manifold or carb vacuum. The shop manual might show the routing of the line, if it gets that detailed.

Following the manual specs for initial timing gives a good starting point for reference, and may well be the best setup in the end. If that nasty Engine Rattle persists with 5? BTDC initial timing, good points set to spec, and all else in good working order, there are other possible causes besides "too much" timing advance that could be the problem (carbon build-up, lean mixture, bad gas, etc.). Good idea to check for these conditions, because simply retarding the timing may get rid of the noise, but result in other performance problems, like poor mileage, poor throttle response, loss of power or hesitation (to name a few).

When in doubt, try it out.

That must be the prettiest that Packard frame ever looked, including when it was new.

Thanks for the Eastwood reference and the pics of the process. I'da had a heart attack seeing how it looked after the first "stage" without some visual to go by.

Note to self-- do not spill in lap.

Oh, yes. An open vacuum line will make an engine run "funny." I should have mentioned that.

Thanks for the kind words and additional info from 47 and Owen.

The "on-the-road" timing technique may be best of all, but it is probably better for the novice "timer" to get the feel of things while the car is in the garage or driveway.

Also, it can lead to the dreaded OTD (Obsessive Tuning Disorder) in which the ritual is repeated at least once after each fill of gas and sometimes more often, with very impatient passengers in the car who may conspire to put it in gear and punch it, just to "put the poor b*stard out of his misery".

This is kind of long but I think it could help:

A quick way to set the timing without any special tools or instruments is to loosen the distributor bolt so you can turn it with some effort--not too loose or it will slip out of place easily when you start up. Pull the vacuum advance tube (often recommended in tune-up manuals). Start the engine and let it warm up until it is at regular idle. Put on leather gloves to avoid shock and turn the distributor. You don't even have to know the direction for advance or retard. Just listen and the RPM will drop when moving it to retard the spark and speed up as you move it to advance. As you advance the timing, stop when you hear the engine start to stumble slightly or sound a little "rough." This is often the best setting for economy and performance, but it may cause detonation. The way to tell is to tighten the distributor bolt and drive the car until its at operating temperature and do some hard acceleration and drive some hills. If it doesn't detonate but has a hesitation in throttle response, it could probably use a little more adjustment--probably advance.

Remember if you change or adjust point dwell (gap) do it before you time the engine. If your points are bad, might as well put in a new rotor and condensor, and check the distributor cam lobes to make sure they aren't worn and none are flattened out. Lube them and the "rubbing block" on the points with a little grease. Do this even if you don't adjust or replace the points.

The reason Packard V8'scan need different timing is the range of compression ratios. They all call for 5? initial advance, but the compression varies in '55 from 8.1:1 on the 320 ( Clipper De Luxe, Super and Panama), to 8.5:1 (on the 352 Clipper Custom and Constellation ,Packard 400, Patrician, and Caribbean). In '56 all the Clipper 352's were upped to 9.5:1 and the 374 Executive, Patrician and Caribbean were 10:1. The 9.5 or 10:1 was a lot of compression for those days and now will probably require unleaded high test, probably with an octane booster (there are non-lead types). Or, if you're lucky, you might find some "clear" non-oxygenated gas that is usually high octane and is legal in "classic" cars and some off-road vehicles. I've found it most often at Mobil stations that have one pump with it.

Also, older engines can have carbon buildup in the combustion chambers, effectively increasing compression ratio slightly and causing "hot spots" in the chambers. A little "steam cleaning" by drizzling water into the carb throat with the engine running and warmed up can help, or a "top cylinder lubricant' such as Marvel Mystery Oil can be squirted in the carb until the engine stalls and left in it overnight. Be ready for lots of smoke when you start it, but it'll be cleaned out and maybe unstick some rings.

Another possible source of detonation and poor performance is a lean mixture, especially if you drive at high elevations. Short of changing jets, you can go with a little less timing, especially in mountain driving.

Finally regarding the column shift Twin Ultramatic, there are two small trianges on either side of the D. The right one is for "quick aways" in stop and go traffic. The left one is for cruising easily around with grandma in the back seat. It's easy to remember which "range" you're in because the extra downshift to a lower starting gear is set with the shift indicator on the triangle nearest the L. It's really not a good idea to shift these transmissions manually for mechanical and driveability reasons. The shifter isn't that precise, and you can over or under shoot the position you want, even possibly ending up in N or P!

The impression you get that your idle is fast may just be due to the whine that seems to occur when you shift into Neutral or Park. I'm not sure what this is from, but I think it has to do with the transmission "freewheeling."

Hope this is of some help.