Thanks Dell and Howard. Rhode Island wiring sent the wire harness with spade lugs not a bullet type connector. My 40 160 Sedan has the bullet connector. That's why I was going to try for another terminal block. The parking light wire in the car now is just a wire that was twisted and wound with black tape. I could try the modern type bullet connector, that would be quick and easier.

We added more fluid into the drivers' side front knee shock absorber. It is always low and I can't see where it's leaking.

I bled the front brakes and the brake pedal was near the floor and is now half way up and feels great.

The parking lights are not grounded. I will try to cleanup the metal where the parking lights are bolted on to see if that helps for a ground. The car came with a wire stuffed in with the light bulb and that wire going to a screw on the headlight bucket. At least it worked and you couldn't see it.

We took it for a spin and it seems to creak when we turn left. I have greased all the zerk fittings I could find. I looked in the steering column box and there is liquid in there. So I'm still looking for the creaking noise. I want him to drive it but it is over 100F here in Phoenix and won't cool down until November.

It still need a muffler and the top does not work automatically. I wonder if I need to put it up and down a few times to get it working. It hasn't been used in a long time.

Thanks for the information regarding the tires. I do like the bias ply tires because I know they will last longer than the steel belted radials.

As for the 41, the tires are too big, but we will leave them on until we wear them out. Then we'll buy the right size.

I just put in a new headlight wire harness. Now I need to figure out how to get the parking lights grounded.

I also need to figure how to put on the chrome surround on the headlights. The top does not fit. See pictures. How does the tab fit into the chrome piece?

The parking lights have a rubber gasket to keep it from scratching the paint but it also isolates it from ground.

I need to add 2 more spots to the wire terminal block for the turn signals. The turn signals were just twisted wires, wrapped in black tape. Just didn't look good.

Attach file:

---

  (28.06 KB)


  (32.03 KB)

Here's a 1941 Packard 120 here in Phoenix.
I know of a few other Packards, but since Craigslist is charging $5 to list, these have dropped off.
48 Super 8 Sedan
50 Sedan
36 120B Sedan
51 250 convertible
51 200 Sedan
51 Patrician, work in progress with parts car
53 Clipper
55 400
56 Clipper, hasn't ran in years

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/d/peoria-1941-packard/6929507847.html

Thanks for the picture and the tip, Owen. I do have a 40 160 Sedan and I think these are the same on there as well. But the 40 160 has been put on correctly.

What size tires go on here? The owners manual says 6.5x16. What is on the car is 8.2x15. The inside of the front tires rub on the steering arm, which is why there are spacers on the drum before I put the tires on.
I'm guessing the 6.5x16 tires would not rub on the steering arm and the 8.2x15 are way too wide. Would a 6.2x15 tire work?
The current tires are in great shape, but they are so big, and probably will stay on until they are worn out. So that means the spacers are going back on. I wonder if I need to replace the drivers' rear spacer as well, because it broke when the wheel fell off!

Nothing happened in a week except the drivers front knee shock was out of fluid again. We did not go for a drive and don't see where it is leaking.
I decided to lube the front end thinking that too may help stop the creaking. So I removed both front tires and then decided to look at the brakes. I know I should have started removing the drums as one of the first things I should have looked at after finding the lug bolts were loose.
The brakes are fine, the drums are fine, whoever was the last one in did not put it back together correctly. One side had one leg of a cotter pin being used, the other side had a cotter pin stretched flat holding the nut in place. The nut with the bump to hold the washer was pointing out, not into the washer. This was done on both sides of the car. I am looking in the forum to see if there is a picture of how it goes together and I'm always in a hurry and can't find it. There are 2 nuts holding the bearing in. A plain nut first, then the washer with holes and a tab that goes in the ridge of the axle. then there is a nut that has a bump that is supposed to go into the washer to keep it from spinning. I know the order is wrong but some thing is missing.
Can you post me a picture?

Thanks for the idea Howard. I'll save that task for later.

The driver's knee action shock absorber seems to be leaking. I fill it up and go for a 1/4 mile spin, then the next week it seems to be low. I don't see a leak. I know I am spilling the fluid but I can't see it any where else, unless it was totally empty. Then I haven't put enough fluid in the shock absorber. How much fluid does it take to fill it?
The creaking noise is still there. I will take a grease gun to all the zerk fittings next week to see if the creaking noise stops. And I will fill the shock absorber again and try not to spill as I am filling it up.

Howard,
When John pulled the knob to lower the top, I grabbed the top bow and moved it and lowered the top. They tried to do it without the car running and couldn't. The top is now down and they'll leave it that way for now. He is not worried about the top working yet, he wants the car road worthy so he can drive it (especially with the top down!).
I pulled the vacuum hose off the carburetor while the engine was running and the engine started to run rough. I put the hose back on and it smoothed out. The top hasn't been used in some time, it looks good. But I don't know if it is a switch or the cylinders. Could the cylinders need some lubrication?

We went for a spin with the top down and heard some clicking noises when we hit a bump. We put the front end up and found the driver's side knee action shock was full of dust! I scraped a lot of dust out and tried to put in some hydraulic jack oil. We went for another spin and it is still making the clicking noises when we hit a bump but not as much. Cleaning the dust/dirt out of the shock helped and adding fluid helped more. We will try to drive it and add more oil and see how it goes. The clicking sound is only on the driver's side. The passenger side had fluid in it and only needed a topping off. The driver's side has 7/16 bolt for the oil fill while the passenger side has a 1/2 bolt for the same oil fill. I'm guessing one of these was changed without the other.

We also have a noisy exhaust, the muffler is worn out. When the shock absorber is fixed we'll get a new muffler.

I replaced the frayed battery cable and hooked the battery up correctly. Now the car starts easily.
Now when I put the battery cable on, I noticed a spark. I pulled the wire off the ARM terminal of the voltage regulator and there is no more spark. I pulled the voltage regulator off and will get it checked. The 1942 shop manual says, "Cut-out relay points will vibrate and burn if generator polarity is reversed." When the engine is running, I am measuring from the engine block (ground) to the starter battery post and the voltage fluctuates so much that I can't get a solid reading. When I check the same point with the engine off, I get a solid voltage reading. That's why I pulled the voltage regulator. The voltage regulator also got hot while the battery was connected.

I do have a question about the power top. While the engine is running, I push or pull on the convertible top knob and the engine sounds like it's under a load and the top does not move. Where do I go from here?

I also fixed his drivers' side door handle. I had to re-tap the handle and put in a bigger screw and washer. At least the screw now matches the other side.

Howard, Thanks for the info. I did just buy an new battery cable and will swap the battery back to original.
No this car is not the one on Craigslist.

John did say nothing was working on the dashboard.
He did have someone fix the gas gage so it would work. I believe this car came from a dealer in Texas, I don't know which one and it does have running boards.

The door handle's screw is stripped. Should I go with a larger screw like the other side so it matches? Or is there a better (right) way?

Hi, this is not my car but John's, a friend of mine. He bought this car 5 years after missing owning a 1937 Super 8 convertible.
He just got his Packard back from a shop and I discovered the battery is in backwards, 6V negative ground. Now I know it is supposed to be positive ground. What should I look for to put it back to being positive ground.
The car was driving a month ago. John took it around the block and in front of his house the left rear wheel fell off! No one was hurt and from 20 feet away you can't see the damage. He called me and we found the lug bolts still in the hubcap. The axle nut was missing it's cotter pin! The other 3 tires were loose also. I tightened the other 3 and put the one that fell off, back on. The car did start and run before. I even had the headlight on and rev'ed it and the headlight shown brighter. The battery is not being charged. I still think the battery is hooked up wrong.
After cranking the engine over, the battery cable is too hot to touch. It starts cranking slow and then speeds up after the 2nd turn. It would start like this and I don't think it charged the battery. But now it won't charge. The ammeter doesn't move, even though the gas gauge works (I think the shop fixed that). I just bought a new battery cable, the old one has bare wires showing up to 3 inches from the battery, but I haven't installed the new cable yet.
This car has other issues, but I will start with this one.

Attach file:

---

  (82.50 KB)