Then I respectfully suggest an explanation of this problem that avoids superstition.

I will remain mum as to my academic background.

Dear Ironsloth:

For your car the Packard manual recommends Premium (high octane) fuel. Given it doesn't have a knock sensor there is no computer to adjust timing for regular fuel. Petroleum company studies have shown that there are levels of nonaudible detonation which accelerate motor wear. So for normal driving I would use a premium grade (ouch), but for testing and light usage I suppose regular won't hurt anything.

As for oil, dropping the pan is an excellent recommendation because the drain plug is in a bad location and causes sludge build up. Personally, I prefer lighter grades of oil for all gasoline motors (as did Packard), but given the history of the Packard V-8 I really don't know what would be best although I would definitely avoid heavy grades like 20w-50.

Good luck with your car,

Hi Folks:

I'm not sure why choosing tiny teeth on gears that are clearly oversize represents an engineering advantage, except that perhaps the horsepower load is decreased, and that oil pressure in a worn motor may be more stable.

What I do find very interesting is the comment that
number 8 rod bearing was the first to go. This is the bearing closest to the pump. It has also been the bearing that I have seen spun most often. In the Senior 8's number 2 is the rod that likes to go into orbit and is nowhere near the feed source.

When I look at the pump circuit for the V-8 the feed for number 8 rod bearing is directly taken from mainline pressure before the sender. The other rods are being fed from the oil gallery. Now to do this the oil has to change direction and if you get the mainline flow going fast enough this can create a syphon action that will starve number 8 rod bearing.

So maybe this Oldsmobile pump with fewer teeth leaves a few milliseconds of reverse pulse that interrupts the tendency toward suction and therefore rod bearing failure. The bonus for the lifters maybe that there is less aeration of oil with the larger teeth.

How about that?

Here's a little tidbit to help people with positive ground.

The earth is supposedly a positive charged body. So negative ground is a misnomer. Additionally, negative charges have extra electrons which are attracted to positive earth, so a positive grounded vehicle would have less parasitic drain because the negative side of the battery is isolated from earth.

Hope this helps.

Just my two cents here:

Another factor is pigments. The old lead pigment based lacquers were quite durable and those pigments are no longer manufactured. Thus, exact matches are not obtainable. However, it is still possible to find OEM cans of Packard lacquer which can be fairly matched by a modern paint store.

Colors like Packard Blue, Packard Maroon, Pacific Green, Barola Blue, Arctic Blue, Egyptian Sand Metallic and what not can still be found by the can.

A carefully prepared spray out card could then be made up.

Dear Classic Cruiser:

There are two possible sources and three possible causes of your oil leak at the back of the motor.

Oil pressure of 50psi will not cause this as I knew old timers years ago who set oil pressure so high as to inhibit horsepower. Throughout the 1930's Packard was increasing the oil pressure on the Senior motors because of results at the proving grounds. By 1939 the spec was 55-60 so that is what I would use as the upper bound for oil pressure using 30w oil. Packard issued service bulletins in the 1930's advising that insert bearing motors should be running higher oil pressures so lowering oil pressure is not a good idea. The SAE general rule for oil pressure is 10psi per 1000 of peak rpm. So for the Packard that translates to 45psi which is what a modern car would use. Higher oil pressure will use up some horsepower.

Now you said the path was clear for the slinger and so I assume that you have removed the oil pan and found the appropriate drain hole in the pan gasket. If the hole in the oil pan drain is blocked by a gasket it will throw oil all over the place.

Next are the wooden dowels in the rear main bearing. I used to mill those out of pine to .27 inches square. If they are not there oil will flow like a buffalo. Most machines shops don't know what they are looking at and throw them in the trash.

I also assume that the slinger end caps are on the motor as well. Don't laugh, I have seen any number of horrors as regards the slinger because motor workers just don't understand what they are looking at. At the back of the motor there should be two aluminum caps secured with eight special Packard fasteners that are tied together with bailing wire. I always used some sealer when assembling these pieces to prevent seepage.

Finally, there is a cam bearing on the back of the motor. That can leak os well. I once serviced a low mileage 426 sedan (1928) that was low mileage because oil was pouring out of that bearing. And that mistake was made by the Packard factory.

Hope this helps,

Dear Curtis:

Modern cars are using sealer as the only gasket for differentials and so I have complete faith in the better products. One sealer that is really good is Chrysler ATF RTV Transmission Silicone Sealer. It cures in the presence of transmission oil and is used on tranmission covers sans any gasket. Another good one is Permatex Super Blue and Permatex Right Stuff. I have been able to use the products to make non-pressure dynamic seals which means they are really good.

To make sealers work, the surfaces need to be meticulously cleaned and free of high burrs and old gaskets.

A method I use on tough jobs like the Packard Ultramatic is to screw everything together snug and then let the sealer cure for 24 hours or more. Then I torque the parts and compress the sealer for an impervious gasket.

For your differential you don't have to worry about pre-loads because the unit is a 3/4 floater and comes out as a unit. A 1/64th inch thick gasket (.015) is the best but 1/32 (.030) will do. You can get these via the Felpro catalogue from NAPA etal, or online from McMaster-Carr.

And yes I would use sealer to put the parts back together even with gaskets.

Hope everything here helps.

Dear DGray:

If all you need are hard parts for the motor that is the easy stuff.

The first place to try is EGGE Machine in California. The last time I spoke to them they had some parts in stock for the Model 30 Packard.

However, supplies are dwindling so act fast.

Another place is the Packard Museum in Ohio, but I never had good luck there. They have a lot of parts though.

Pistons can be made without a lot of dramatics, but guides and valves can be a little tougher. If you have guides they can be reconditioned as can valves. With valves deficient faces can be welded and turned on a lathe.
However, that kind of work is also going extinct along with the economy.

Recently I sat for my ASE recertifications and most of the people there were older than me. And I am planning to retire!

I actually know of a significant cache of such and such, but the party is so wierd I don't even talk to them.

Good luck with your car.

On these cars I think the gas pedal position precludes cutting access holes. I think you will find yourself trying to drill through the gas pedal bracket.

If the shift seal leak can't be remedied without a new shaft and seal, then perhaps application of Chrysler RTV Automatic Transmission can be such that a seal can be achieved. This sealer cures in the presence of oil and so cramming it into the area prior to installing a new seal may stop the leaking. Of course the oil level should be below the level of the shaft to begin with.

Also, I trust a seal protector is being used. Any nicks on the shaft may be sufficient to damaged the new seal. You can probably get one of these through NAPA or CarQuest.

Dear cityvintage:

I think you are looking at zero to 150ohms if memory serves me correctly. However the man to contact is John Wolf Enterprises. He can overhaul your unit and make it perform like new. I used to send everything to him as a matter of practice because it just wasn't worth fooling around.