"owen" Thanks for all that information. I look forward to whatever other information you might have about the Windsor, Ontario operation.

John, Thanks for the information on the British Packard Leonard Williams dealership. I was unaware that it had been bombed during the Blitz. Do you have any information (pictures, address etc.) of the Packard assembly plant located in Windsor Ontario across the river from Detroit. I grew up in Windsor and didn't realize that Packard had an assembly plant located in Canada until about 15 years ago. Any information greatly appreciated.

Mal, Thanks for sharing! Lovely cars!

Different dash I know but on my '47 the O/D light is in the upper right hand corner of the speedometer opposite side to the red high beam light. The O/D light lens is green and is the same size as the high beam indicator.

On the '50 however, after removing the adjusting plug and the outside half of the ball seat, the ball stays in the cross-rod no matter how much I push, pull, squeeze, wiggle, rotate, twist, and swear. It isn't critical that I get it all disassembled, but I would really like to get the 57 years worth of black goo out and replace it with clean grease.


J.D. I recall having a similar problem with my 47 but I persisted and it finally came out. I am wondering if ever so slightly widening the extraction hole with say a Dremel tool might work.

Joe, Thank you very much for all this information. While i don't have an overheating problem on my 47 It does get quite hot during parade or stop and go traffic in summer weather and this fan seems to be very effective. Can you tell us where you bought it?

RedRon, The product I use is WaterWetter. It is a Redline product. There are several others but this is the most common I think. It is not a panacea to fix any of the problems listed by "Owen" but it does seem to keep my Packard running a few degrees cooler in summer weather. The temperature range where I live varies between 90 to -45 so I have quite a range to contend with! Keep us posted on the flex fan experiments and remember that the best engine your car can have is the one Packard put in the car.

RedRon, I don't think the temp gauge reading was unusual for driving in 96 degrees heat. The rad flush was probably the main problem. I have found that filling the rad with water + Waterwetter instead of the 50:50 antifreeze/ water mix really helped lower the temperature in my 47. Just have to remember to change it before the snow flies up here. I would be interested in knowing how the flex fan works to lower the temperature also. The water distribution tube is a pain to remove as you know but it is essential to keeping the coolant evenly distributed along that long block.

Having been to Britain several times I would also caution you to be very careful crossing a street if you are in pedestrian mode. As I recall Winston Churchill was struck by a car while crossing a street in Washington D.C. because out of habit he looked right when he should have looked left before atempting to cross a street. It is something which I consciously have to remind myself when in Britain though so be careful.

Mal, Be sure to come across the Detroit River to Windsor as you seem to be a connoisseur of good brews and would not want to miss the fine selection of Canadian brands.