Dear Tim:

Humidity is not the big issue, the dew point is. I was in Africa for a while and there the temperatures ran 125F and 90+% humidity. Very little rust. However, the heat and sun destroyed all non-metallic materials.

So I would look into a heater to keep the storage unit above the dew point. Here in the USA that is very economical because the dew points are usually below 40-45F.

If the dew point in Hawaii is 65-70F then you'll be heating the garage most of the time.

The issue of pests is more complicated as they don't make DDT and Chlordane anymore. Mothballs are a standard for anything woolen. Perhaps you will need to fumigate every now and then.

How's that?

Dear fory:

You may get a better result from West Systems G-Flex. It is very tenacious and they have a line of binders that go along with the product.

Step 2: Get rid of the pressure cap. Your stop gap measure will not work under pressure. You can fill the radiator to cover the fins and it will run fine. Just take your radiator cap and get rid of the little jiggle valve on the end of the cap.

Step 3: Once the flow has been stopped run the car on straight water and Bars Leak for the summer. It may boil somewhat in very hot weather, but just keep adding water.

Step 4: Hopefully there are no cracks in the valve seats. If all else fails then drill, tap, and fit cold rolled steel plate over the thing (may require pulling the motor to lay it on its side). Or you can take it to a talented welder (hard to find anymore).

Good luck with your car

My guess is an estate sale where the widow wants the money that's been spent on it.

Eventually she will have to accept a lower amount.

Buy hey, when I'm on my last leg maybe I will drop a car off at some place I know is good and let them have a ball.

If you really can take it with you then I'll still have my American Express Card.

Dear Kts68:

Keep in mind that Packard was operating the Proving Grounds when your car was built and so you better believe that the standard axle ratio is going to provide the highest top speed under most driving conditions. Higher ratios do not usually translate into higher top speed and in many cases actually lower it.

Now when these cars were new they were capable of taking a lot more stress and would perform pretty well right up to the 4000-4200rpm limit. Today you're not going to be able to cruise with the throttle wide open for long without something going into orbit.

Technically speaking, those big headlights are worth about 3 mph each, the spot light 1.5 mph, trippe lights another 4 miles per hour and the windshield another 4-5 mph. These figures are estimated from tests made by state police departments of top speed reductions from light bars, spot lamps, and other bolt on accessories.

I've driven Packard Speedsters and they really do go. You start rolling along at 55 mph and everything is great. But after a while the darn thing is creeping up to 65 mph and you don't even know it. However, the next question is how to stop the darn thing. Those cars were built when there were 95% fewer cars on the road.

Hope this helps.

If you really want to bleed brakes then the way to go is to buy a good pressure bleeder and associated adapters.

One time I was dealing with a case of spongy brake pedal and the commensurate expert accusations of air in the brake lines.

So I hooked up the pressure bleeder in front of the customer, threw open all four taps, and dumped two quarts of brake fluid in five minutes.

When he was satisfied there was no air in the system, I told him he needed new brake drums. I got the last laugh because he was screwed.

Mabye there is a specialty shop in your area that has one, although for your modified setup, getting the adapter on may be impossibly difficult.

Dear Truckmen:

Best wishes on your new venture.

Go ahead and use any name you like. The Packard script was a standard font from the period and all you have to do to avoid any potential hassle is change it a little.

I worked for somebody who had the Packard crest on their business stationary and, as I recall, Turnquist used it on Classic Cars Inc, as well as Skop on his SCCI business. Nobody made any noise.

Anybody who makes a fuss over something like that should go find a more important thing to fight about, although I have dealt with my share of old car schmucks and cuckoo birds. And forget about lawyers except for something meaningful otherwise they will feel that your willingness to waste money is an invitation for white collar crime.

I would recommend however, to maximize your customer base you may wish to give the Packard part second billing. What if you are overlooked by someone who likes Cadillac V-16's?

The one fellow I recall who was able to really specialize in a single brand was Roy Wilson because he was the absolute best with the early Rolls.

Also, keep in mind that some of these car nuts didn't get their money by being nice and that they may look at you as being another mark to be made. Not everybody is like that. Noel Thompson was a good customer for several shops.
However, I knew one very good restorer who went down under the thumb of a nut. His defense lawyer didn't understand that these are not cars, they are horseless carraiges and so not always subject to typical rules of expectations.

Hope this helps.

The factory illustrations of two door sedans looked great thanks to artistic license, but in person they were pretty dowdy. About the only reason to buy one would be to keep suicidals from trying to jump out at speed.

The extra two doors only cost $30 in 1941 (around $750 current). Low priced cars like Chevrolet and Ford sold proportionately more two doors than high priced brands. The survival rate for 110 Packards is pretty low, but that is still were most Packard two door sedans show up.

Dear GearRat:

When they build cars they don't bench bleed the master cylinders. However, I have never seen a video on just how they fill the system at the factory. When the cars come off the truck there is no evidence of brake bleeding anywhere.

The suggestions about the booster pushrod length are instructive.

I would take one of your old wheel cylinders to NAPA and buy a set of Speed Bleeders. I have the NAPA number around here somewhere if they are ignorant. These will let you bleed your brakes without alot of headaches.

Hi folks:

The senior cars had a braded strap from the transmission mount to the chassis.

Later they relied on the generator ground wire and the accelerator linkage. 55 and 56 started with a rubber bushing in the accelerator linkage so they added a braded strap from the motor to the body (I assume) which also helps reduce radio interference.

Anyway, I have found that the starter circuits on these old Packards usually suffer from voltage loss. This is very bad for starter motors because they then draw more amperage and burn up faster. Thus, the car would benefit from additonal strapping to get the battery ground directly onto the starter bolt.

Dear Pat:

That mickey mouse arbor press might work with new parts, but for parts that have been subjected to electro-static transfer - forget it.

One of my jokes about flat rate manuals goes as follows:

Three fat guys are sitting at a bar drinking beer and eating doughnuts.

The first fat guy says "How about three and a half hours to change a transmission?

The second fat guy says "We'd save a lot of ink if we made it two hours"

The third fat guy says "We'd save a lot of time if we made everything one hour"

Flat rate manuals that chisel labor actually make no business sense because if you only charge one hour for a three hour job the lost revenue hurts the business more than it cheats labor. And it generates shoddy work. One of the reasons the average age of top rated skilled labor is 55 is because the system also chisels highly skilled labor the most and rewards non-productivity. So young people look at the system and say "screw this, learning something doesn't pay". And I don't blame them.