Randy, Procedure is exactly what I did. Don't remember for sure but think I used small sheet metal screws instead. Didn't have a bottoming tap & thought I'd have to go pretty far to get decent threads at top with what I had. Didn't want to risk coming thru. Whichever I used, they're still holding fine.

If you want to rebuild the entire front suspension, then as a kit complete with just about everything you need, Kanter is about the only choice. I have used one and all was proper and went in without difficulty.

There are lots of pieces and some you may not really need unless the car has many miles or had a rough life. If you want to do a bit at a time, then as previously mentioned there are options. Are you talking about the upper support arm bushings item 15.5035 as having the missing rubber? If so and that's all you need, chances are it can be obtained locally.

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Not sure any are Packard--Quarter window too long & the curve on bottom almost looks GM.

Window regulators: One in center for a front door, other 2 for hardtop or convert rears--can't tell which but could probably fit a Packard--or be made to easily.

Door handles not Packard because of screw holes instead of place for clip to slide into..

Don't recognize anything else.

Loyd, thanks but you give me more credit than due. I've been know to think one car, talk another, thoroughly confuse the two, and all involved. Memory is such a fleeting thing.

Also believe that fabric also has been referred to as a jacquard or some such--but maybe that more because that's the type loom woven on rather than fabric style.

One other question about the extra sleeve for the thermo people. Will the extra mass slow down heat transfer to the choke tube enough that the choke would maybe not work well--too slow on opening because of delayed heat or not closing fast enough because of residual when engine turned off for a period. Don't know how much extra it would take to mess things up. Might be a consideration because of bulletins that sometimes recommended a change of a notch richer or leaner on choke for some reason or another.

Believe I read it was referred to as nylon metalasse with an accent mark. According to a dictionary means a fabric woven in such a way as to look padded or quilted but is not. It can have accent threads of contrasting materials which is what I always thought the metalasse meant--so learned something.

One thing that strikes me interesting in so many of Mal's posts is the phenomenal luck getting parts.

Who would have thought in a country 10K miles away, where an old out of production foreign car is a rare sight that you could pop over to a local bearing supply house or repair shop or whatever you need shop and find a part or someone who even knows what you are talking about--let alone those who know how to work on an old item on a routine basis--speedometer cable or shocks for example. I don't think we can even do that here in 99% of the country.

Did you guys buy up and corner the market on 75 year old parts and that's why we can't find things?

Measure carefully what you have or need. If memory serves, there were a couple of discussions recently about wheels. Apparently 54 is a transition year for wheel & bolt patterns and model interchangeability between years is not necessarily what would be expected.

Brian, did I miss something. Thought he has a 54 S8 Clipper-not V8.

Don't recall a spring on that side of engine however the original accelerator spring on drivers side was sometimes not enough so another could have been added somewhere. The rod does flop a bit but not too much. Should be held on with a spring washer, flat washer and cotter pin. Probably the most important adjustment on the Ultramatic so make sure it's working well.

The Easamatic uses ordinary DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid. The large square is the fill plug and level should be just below the lid. It is not under pressure. If the Easamatic has not been used much, it would be a good idea to have it gone thru professionally. There are some on the forum that have had some bad experiences with sudden failure. Believe the brake light switch in mounted on the end of master cylinder at bottom end of Easamatic. If not there, then on a brass fitting on frame rail and connected by a short piece of tubing to end of master cylinder. The switch at base of steering column is probably back up lights.

No idea what the mysterious casting is without a picture--only thing I can think of might be the the stove area for automatic choke and a screw is missing from cover or the heat riser valve under carb. Both of those on exhaust manifold.

The lights may take a bit of detective work. Staying on means a short in wire to door or post switches or maybe the headlight switch. Will look at diagram and get back to you on a couple of suggestions there. There may only be one front light on the Clipper--will check or others will know for sure. The trunk light would be located right in middle of trunk lid and operated by a gravity type switch when lid is raised. Feed wire came from left side and up left hinge.

EDIT The dome light has 2 back door switches and the pillar switch in parallel--all going to ground. If staying on, either one of switches is bad or the wire to them is shorted.

The radio light depends on type radio. If just standard pushbutton, believe inside case at bottom of dial and radio has to be removed. If auto tuning type it is probably at center top of dial with same type holder as instrument lights but still have to pull because I don't think there is enough room to remove socket.

EDIT: Trunk light is optional and there is only one front lamp on Clipper. It should not be on the rheostat from head light switch--instrument lights should. There are two sections of the rotary part of headlight switch--a simple on off that gets a ground to turn on courtesy and is in parallel with both door switches and a rheostat for instrument lights. Sounds like headlight switch is miswired, or if changed maybe wrong one. Check the diagram and wiring is shown as if you were looking at switch from the top. The 4 terminals closest to knob are the rotary ones.