Those who attended the Packard Centennial in Warren, OH in 1999 had the opportunity to see and hear a running Packard/Merlin. I don't recall who owned it and brought it, but it sure was a pleasure.

There has been enough written about this oil pump and its contribution to the V8 lubrication issues to fill a good-sized book. I personally believe that the Packard revisions to the oil pump (pressure relief valve) were attempts to solve a problem that never existed in the first place. Yes, a better-engineered pump might have had an upper bushing, yet the pump from my 90,000 mile V8 shows no appreciable wear at the shaft and still produces great oil pressure, more than 35 psi at hot idle and over 40 at road speed. My personal belief is that among the revisions to improve lubrication that Packard made (changes in rocker arm oil holes, changes to cam plate and timing chain lubrication, higher capacity lifters, etc.) they missed one -- the floating oil intake screen should have been mounted a bit lower in the pan, and this explains why so many high mileage V8s have quieter lifters when running 1/2 quart over full on crankcase oil. In any case the debate over the oil pump will go on for as long as Packard V8s are on the road.

How accurate static timing will be depends in part on how careful you are. What I've often done is to use a rubber band hooked onto one end of the rotor and gently remove the backlash in the distributor drive shafts and gearing. Since mechanics back in the days before strobe lights succeeded to getting accurate timing, so should we be able to. You really should have no apprehension about it.

I've done my 34 Eight that way many times; you can get quite accurate and with a compression ratio of only about 5 to 1, a few degrees either way doesn't make any difference anyway. It was only some time later that I realized that by 34 there were timing marks on the front vibration damper as well, have you checked yours carefully?

Just as different chassis and bodies had different shock absorber tuning (valving), if you check the parts book you'll see that they also had different spring numbers (rates) for different body weights and passenger loadings. In earlier years Packard did quote the spring rate in the parts book so perhaps if you have a 41 parts book you could find that data for your specific chassis and body type which your spring maker would certainly need. But though I appreciate the shipping cost issue, I'd recommend buying new springs from someone like Kanter's who has already done all the work to spec them out.

The spacer you see if a cheap way to restore car riding height by compensating for spring fatigue by jacking up the coil. Though a common enough practice years back, it surely detracts from ride properties.

Thanks!! Precisely what I was hoping someone would have.

Does anyone have any authoritative information (as in a Packard Service Letter or other communication to dealers) about what I'm calling an ?air draft tube?, a horizontally mounted thin wall tube about 1-1/2 inches OD and 10 inches long, fastened by two welded legs to the engine oil filter bolts? It's located at the front upper left side of engine, above the oil filter, and in line with the oil filler cap. This part is seen on some 356 engines between 1941-47 but has no numbers or markings on it and apparently is not listed in the parts books. Its purpose apparently is to direct a small portion of the engine fan draft to a slot opening the oil filler tube cap. Its been suggested that it was provided for customers who complained about ?oil smells? and functioned by pressurizing the crankcase and forcing fumes out of the road draft tube when the car was not moving forward.

Haggerty collector car insurance offers a road service plan, though I believe it's an option to their basic insurance and don't know what transport limits are available. I don't carry special collector car road service but have used AAA with complete satisfaction on two occasions over the years though both were local (up to 125 miles is free on my plan). I've insured my Packards with J.C. Taylor for more than 40 years, only had 1 claim (stolen radiator cap) which was settled almost instantly and the settlement included reimbursement for my phone calls, postage, etc.

Grundy is extremely well know, and a collector of vintage vehicles as well, as one of the long-standing top-shelf insurers of collector cars, along with J. C. Taylor, Haggerty, and others. You can't go wrong with any of them. You should get an appraisal of your vehicle and insure it for replacement cost.

Not sure how you could believe the drum could come off without first removing the nut! But when using the drum puller shown by another poster, many folks will leave the nut on by a few turns so when the drum breaks loose, it doesn't fall to the floor and possibly get damaged.

And don't forget when reassembling, DO NOT lubricate the axle taper or taper inside the drum, the precision of this dry fit is what actually drives the car and if you lubricate it the key alone will not withstand the torque. And the torque on the axle nut is important when reassembling.