If in fact you can successfully make a correlation between casting numbers and the various finished part numbers that were derived from a single casting, it will be quite an achievement. These casting numbers which appear on cylinder heads, oil pumps, etc. have confused a lot of folks over the years, thinking they are part numbers. Good luck on your venture.

I assume you're familiar with the Service Counselor issue which discussed the change from machined to cast domes on the (1955) 320 engines and the resultant change in casting numbers? It notes that the characters "CD" will be added to the casting # 440854 for cast domes (though it was not added for the earliest cast heads). The cylinder head with the machined domes was 440689.

The casting number on my spare 56 engine (Utica #D-6748)which I believe to be unmolested is #6480408CD, as is the number on my 56 Caribbean (Utica #C-1137). Hope this helps.

PS - I looked long and hard at the last digit of the 56 casting number and believe it is an "8", not a "6", though it's less than perfectly clear.

I assume you took the compression with all the plugs removed and the choke valve held open? And did you do it "dry"? If so, I'd add a tablespoon or so of oil into each spark plug hole, crank the engine over several times, and then take it again. If the readings increase significantly it indicates ring and/or cylinder bore wear, if they don't it indicates leakage at the valves which is far easier to deal with. L-head engines of this vintage typically need a valve grind every 30,000 - 50,000 miles, sometimes more frequently if driven consistently at higher speeds.

Not yet...I am seeing him in a couple of weeks. Will ask then if I haven't sorted it by then.

Quote:

That is the great mystery of Peter F. Hartmann, use up one name until you've worn out your welcome, then change names and start all over again.

Quote:

Petey, if I may call you Petey that is,

Thanks for being concerned about maintenance issues with my '38 Eight. But Packard maintenance techs are pretty thin on the ground down-under. A bit of background to the car itself first. It was restored about 20 years ago by the previous owner, a mechanic, who has also restored a number of other cars including Packards, most to concours standard, but is now a good "20 footer". It was used extensively over those years and clocked up an unknown number of miles, the odometer being broken. It's not lack of maintenance just the passage of time that's contributed to "yellowish" headlights as reflectors dull, lenses scratch and bulbs loose their effectiveness over an extended period plus this happened in daylight hours and was thrown in more for the storyline than as a statement. The matter of the wheelnuts however is more recent and I believe this stems from the repairer of my front fenders having the flu while doing the work and missing tightening that wheel properly.

And some further background to the car itself. It's believed to have been used by the US Army during WW2, to perform a return mail run from Melbourne(2400 miles approx) or Adelaide(1800 miles approx) to Darwin every fortnight. This was over unmade roads when there were roads and along railway lines, dry creek beds or anyway they could find a way if there weren't roads, which was most of the route! When being restored, the only rust was the bottom of the fuel tank. And mechanically, although the engine had been replaced with a '37 in Darwin after the original "blew up" it needed a thorough restoration including replacement of the "knife edged" gears in the transmission from the unknown number of miles it had accumulated.

I see from this and your other posts you really are concerned with the driveability and performance of our Packards and ensuring that all aspects contributing to those ends, including maintenance, are accounted for.



PS - Why has your Forum member name changed recently? It's now "PackardV12fan" and was previously "Packard Twelve fan"?

Quote:

John,

Have you spoken to Peter about these matters? He might be able to offer some insight or advice.

Thanks all.........I'm getting 75lbs. At least they are all about the same.

Quote:

John,

Sorry to hear about your problem. Don't know that I can help on the diagnosis but give me a yell if you want a hand with anything!

Glad to see you're getting them too, we went through a week of nothing but rain here last week. It's beautiful now!

Compression ratios for the 1941 Six were 6.39 std and 6.71 optional and I'd guess that 1940 was about the same, so I'd think compression readings of about 90-95 psi should be expected.