Hi Willis,
If what you have is a paper filter, it's an aftermarket latter day item meant for some other vehicle and modified to fit your Clipper. The 1954 Specifications show an oil MESH filter is standard equipment with an oil BATH filter as optional equipment. Checking the parts list, page 200 group 9.102, all the 54th series filters are described as oil BATH. So we have a nomenclature discrepancy, but it is clear that your car came with an oiled air filter.

It looks like you have a choice between finding a paper filter like what's on your car now or sourcing an original oiled filter from someone like David Moe in Seattle. Were I in your driver's seat, I'd try to get the optional oil bath unit that was standard on the Packard car line; I've read that they are actually superior to the paper filters used these days.

Howard, you show exactly what I was thinking of for this application. I had a '41 160 that had been restored in Phoenix, AZ. The two piece windshield glass was new as was the windshield gasket. The first time I had it out in an East Coast rainstorm it leaked pretty badly at both bottom corners. The leak on the left side drenched my left shoe and pant leg every time I operated the clutch. I guess they don't get much rain out in Phoenix. Anyway, I bought the flowable silicone at Pep Boys (now $4.99 here) and spread it along the windshield's lower edge. Unlike regular silicone that just beads where you put it, the flowable silicone soaks into the crevice between the gasket and glass. It stopped the leaks entirely. I'd recommend it to anyone dealing with this condition.

Hi Casey,
The amp readings of either generator look good and the battery seems to be holding its own also, assuming no major electrical accessories were on when tested. You might want to see what the output is with the high beam headlamps on (14 amp draw) and the under dash blower fan on high (10 amp draw.) I'd let the car idle for a little while with both accessories on to deplete the battery some and then rev the engine over 1000 rpm and see what the generator is putting out with those loads. If the output rises proportionately then the generator seems to be OK and the cause of the slow crank on a warm restart most likely lies elsewhere.

I note that the specs for '51 call for a 40 amp generator, changing to 45 amps in '52 and up. I'm thinking they did this in anticipation of the return of air conditioning as a factory installed option.

Great news! "Who'da thunk" out of round rear drums could cause such problems up front, yet there it is. Anyway, another Packard mystery is solved. BTW, your mechanic's prices are very reasonable, or at least they would be in these here parts. Enjoy the ride!

A prior owner had my car converted to 12 volt negative ground and installed an alternator. This alternator has two wires coming from it and unfortunately they disappear into a wiring loom. I suspect the heavier wire joins the battery cable at the starter motor and the lighter wire supplies the "Gen" light on the dash, but perhaps someone better versed in this could advise you more authoritatively than I can. I do know that the vast majority of alternators are regulated internally and do not use external voltage regulators. The regulator you describe is clearly for a generator and would be useless if you install an alternator.

Before taking that step I suggest that the electrical system should be checked. The battery might be on its way out and should be load tested. The system should be checked for drains or draws such as a trunk or glove box light staying on and draining the battery. With the condition present, the starter motor draw should be checked. If it's taking too may amps to function on a warm restart, an alternator will not correct the condition and the starter motor will still have to be rebuilt or replaced. Of course, the generator output and voltage regulator performance should also be checked. If either one is faulty, I'd recommend rebuilding/replacing them instead of installing an alternator. Your car's generator was designed to provide sufficient current to run the car as originally equipped. Only if I were going to install some high-draw accessory such as an electric radiator cooling fan or a modern resistance-type rear window defogger would I even consider replacing the generator with an alternator.

Another remote possibility for slow cranking on a warm restart is tight bearings in the engine. Has it just been rebuilt? If so, the condition should disappear as the engine breaks in.

I hope you can find the cause of the slow cranking quickly and easily. Good luck.

You're very welcome, Guy. Should they ask what kind of grease to use, I use anti-seize lubricant such as Permatex makes. It comes in an 8 oz. jar with its own applicator brush. I worked with a mechanic who did this and I commented that all the others use regular chassis grease. He replied that anti-seize works better so I copied him. Although I don't do a lot of brake work, I haven't had a problem in using anti-seize in this manner. Best of luck in getting your brakes fixed.

RE: Backing plates and grease. I wouldn't think backing plates could cause the condition unless they were so rusted through that they've lost their structural integrity. I would expect your mechanic to note that and not do any work on the system until the plate or plates were replaced.

A small amount of grease is usually placed at the top and bottom edges (or toe and heel) of the metal shoe where it slides along the backing plate. These areas are an inch or less in length so a very small dab of grease is sufficient. Usually, you can see a mark on the plate in those areas. If those areas are deeply worn, the mechanic should recommend plate replacement.

With the comment that the master cylinder was full of "jelly" I'm suspecting the lines and hoses to be likewise. The lines may have enough moisture in them to be rusting through from the inside out. They need to be carefully checked.

Re: Brake squeak & pull. Yes, you would think that the opposite side hose was faulty but that's not how it was with mine. I think the collapse was acting like a check valve, not opening until line pressure went above 41 psi, but then trapping the fluid in the cylinder and locking it up. I discovered it quite by accident, finally pulling the hoses to blow them out to clear any crud that may have been in them. In any event, both of your hoses should be checked.

I'd recommend taking a look at the left front brake hose, it may be collapsing internally. This can happen even if it looks OK on the outside, as I found out with a similar condition on the right front. The condition hid itself well, I could bleed that cylinder with no apparent problem. When I finally took that hose off and blew air through it, it took 41 psi pressure to get air through it; air went through the other side needing virtually no pressure. I would also recommend replacing all three hoses if that one proves to be faulty.

As to the uneven riding height, I would suspect the coil spring may be faulty first, before such exotic things as a misaligned rear axle. The springs determine the riding height and they can lose their tension over time and mileage. If the springs are original, or if you don't know when they may have been replaced, that might be something for you to think about. Of course instead of replacing the front springs you could just put a spring spreader in there to bring that side up, but that's not a real fix. Good luck.

Thanks, JW and BigKev. I don't think I'd pursue sending the distributor out with the engine running as well as it does and the ping so intermittent. Cooler plugs are a good idea and certainly might help, but the car does mostly low speed city-type driving where they recommend hotter plugs. The car has Champion RJ8C plugs, which look to be on the hotter side to me. For right now, the Miller Method and the continued use of premium fuel is, I think, the best course of action. I'm also going to wean it off of the octane booster. I agree with packard1984 who wrote that it shouldn't need 108 octane.