If you have an original paint code number any good auto paint manufacturer should be able to furnish a modern equivalent formula.

I believe they can match paint by formula code back to the 20s. I have bought Sikkens paint for a 1951 Chrysler using the paint code off the body plate, and Sikkens wasn't even in business in 1951.

With this formula your local paint dealer can mix up all the paint you want, in many cases they have the equipment to put it up in spray cans too.

I have some old RM books that have things like wheel colors as well as body colors so I suppose it should be possible to find engine colors.

Well, my father's recollection of the Exec, which he purchased new, was as much as 20MPG on an interstate trip, but he once lent the car to my late uncle for same, who claimed 21MPG.

I'd never execpt to get that on a stock Packard now, due to wear and tear - unless you can come up with an NOS carb and distributor on a properly rebuilt engine.

I installed the new sender this monring. My pro mechanic friend, Randy, told me that the white sealing tape IS a good idea, but that I should leave the first couple of threads of the sender that go into the car clear of the tape. He said this would keep the tape from getting into the bore of the oil passage, and would enable a satisfactory ground.

I tightened the sender only modestly (Randy warned me not to overtorque it and destroy the threads).

I installed a ring terminal on the wire from the chassis, and screwed it onto the sender terminal.

I turned on the ignition key, and the "low oil pressure" light did come ON! I started the engine, and the light did go out. Five minutes of idle, at first fast idle and then off the choke slow idle, brought no leaks from the sender (checked all around it with a dry paper towel), and absolutely NO oil pressure light flickering on even at slow idle. Looks like the sender now works properly AND my oil pressure is good even at idle.

Jim G

Quote:
You should hire Turbopackman to supervise that particular operation and make sure you're getting what you paid for - LOL!

Hmm, should we limit this function to just one thread, or should we set up a "Flamin' Forum", yet visible only to those who sign-in, so each flame war can have it's own thread?

Well, given the change in paint systems in recent years, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that an older product is NLA, and the old formulas may be useless.

Still, any paint supplier worth their salt will have saved the old books/charts for situations like this. I'm glad to hear that the paint number provided lead to a chip that they could match closely.

I look forward to seeing a pic of your newly-painted engine. This thread could be an important reference for other owners with a '56 Clipper or Executive.

You have to be careful with data like this; owners generally report the best mileage they ever achieve. Often, that is on the downhill trips (elevation 1000 to elevation 400) or with 20 mph tailwinds (Packards with their refrigerator aerodynamics are VERY sensitive to headwinds or tialwinds). Also, in the days when our Packards were new, the average highway speed was about 45 mph, not the speeds we drive today.

The book "Packard Gold Portfolio 1946-1958" from Brooklands Books, is a compilation of road tests and magazine descriptiosn from that actual era. It is very informative about what gas mileage was REAL for these cars. Some of the tests simply noted average mileage for the road test, while others actually used equipment to find the MPG at 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph. The results are interesting.

The BEST actual INSTRUMENTED mpg I found in there for Ultramatic-equipped cars at a CONSTANT 60 mph was about 15.5 mpg. The best instrumented mpg at 30 mph was just under 20. The AVERAGE MPG for Ulytramatic equipped cars was mmore like 12 to 13 (no kidding). Even the 3speed plus OD cars, while not showing an INSTRUMENTED tests, nevertheless showed average MPG of 12 to 13 where mpg was quoted at all.

Added edit: At CONSTANT speed, the Ultramatics would NOT have inferior mileage to that of the 3-speeds, since the Ultramatics bypass the converter and lock up at cruising speed. The 3-speed with overdrive would get slightly better mileage than the Ultramtics or 3-speeds without OD, due to the 30% gearing difference with OD engaged. But, that difference in mileage would be order of magnitude 5 to 8% (I have run similar tests on more modern vehicles using gearing differences of up to 22%, and gotten only 5% worse mileage at 60 mph with 22% stiffer (numerically lower) gearing).

Jim G

two long flat blade screw drivers achieves the same result.

Perfect. That's my model and year also.

Jim G

1952 200 Deluxe.