Thanks Guys,
All good info and if the peak horsepower is at 3200, redline should be about 3850. That makes sense to me. I have the Coker radial 6.50 X 16's on the car and I believe they are 29" OD. My engine doesn't have that many miles on it since rebuild so it may still be a little 'tight'. It turns over easier now than when I first got it back. I'd have to go back and check but guess there is between 2 & 3000 miles on the new engine. I'm thinking of getting a tach and would probably just hook it up to 'learn' the engine and then remove it as I like the stock look of the plain dash. In the meantime, I did buy one of those digital doo-dads that Kev mentioned in another post where a reflective piece of tape is adhered to the harmonic balance and then you 'shoot' it with the ensor and it gives you RPM. I bought it to synchronize the upper and lower tachs on the diesel on my boat and will bring it home next trip and see what I can find out on the 245. Will post findings then. In the meantime I'll stick to the good old ear; if it sounds too high, it probably is!!! Thanks again for the kmow-how. Smart bunch, you all are! Chris.

Hi Don,
Thanks for weighing in. I know you have said numerous times that you drove your six at 65-70 MPH all the time with no issues or apparent damage to the engine. I wonder what kind of rear end your car had? You also say you could spin the tires from a stop so it couldn't have been geared that high. I feel like I have a pretty good ear for listening to an mill rev and with my car, 50 seems like the 'no-load' range, 55, she's working and 60, it's 'starting to scream'. Many others on the site have stated that 50-55 is about all you should push these cars to and based on the sound(s) of what I hear, I tend to agree. I just thought if I could get a documented redline and put a tach on the engine, it would give me a more technical baseline, than just 'by ear. Chris.

Hi 29tons,
Big Kev & Howard have certainly outlined the potential issues, one of which being the steering box. I had this symptom with my '39 and before I got it resolved, the steering locked right up! I was driving on the highway trying to figure out what was going on and when it locked, I was forced into the oncoming lane. Had there been any traffic, my Packard days (and probably me) would have been over, but I got it over to the far shoulder and worked the steering wheel back and forth and it 'let go' and I could steer again. Scared me to the point of soilage and I limped it down the shoulder to a nearby garage and there a mechanic tracked the problem to the steering box. There are small ball bearings races on the cross shaft (in the '39 anyway) and one of them had disintegrated letting the balls fall down into the gear oil. eventually one of them got caught in the steering pinion gear and that caused the lock-up. This may or may not be your issue but just wanted to issue a 'word of warning' to you on my experience, as the consequences could be dire. Chris.

This may be a question previously asked and if so, apologies, but I have searched and cannot come up with any definitive specs. My question: is there any published info regarding RPM redline on the 245 six? Or does anyone have an educated guess? My estimate would be 5K but even that may be too high. I do know that many on the site warn of driving these motors past their 'usable' power range and I cetainly agree, but would really like to know more about what the revs actually are at highway driving speed and where the 'too-much' line is. Thanks in advance for any info or informed opinions.
Chris.

PGH Ultramatic, Duh... sorry, I totally missed that! Puddin' head. Chris.

Rlark, just out of curiosity, which of the gentlemen is your Grandfather?? Chris.

Rlark,
That is a great picture! My Six shows as being delivered to a New York dealership in '39. I wonder if that might have been the selling dealer. A Six would have never made the showroom floor, but it could have been in the 'lot line-up' of new Packards there perhaps? Chris.

Leeedy,
The 'Frame Head Tube'.... I knew there would be a proper name for it, (not 'fork post') thanks for clarifying that and the additional info/answer as well. Chris.

Gents,
Oddly enough, I tried again this evening and it popped right up. Didn't do anything different, just clicked on the link, same as this morning... no idea what's up with that?!?!? Chris.

I had dealings with a 'Jim Smith' operating under a different name a few years back and sent a clock to him for repair. Twice it came back and didn't work. I was out the freight both ways and had to get the BBB involved to get my money refunded. I eventually did get things resolved but when it was said the he 'seems to flash in and out of communication', it sure sounded like the same guy. Tacit advice: proceed with caution. Chris.

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... pic.php?post_id=198637&keywords=jim+smith+clocks