I don't have the PI manual, but would like to obtain one. However, based on inspection of some unrestored originals I can add the following.

Wheel on Caribbeans are usually the mid-band color. My Hardtop is painted in MKN and the wheels are Scottish Heather (K).

The rest of the Packards and Clippers are usually the main body color - the color of the hood and tops of the front fenders on two-tone cars. My Four Hundred parts car is painted in ML, and the wheels are Persian Aqua (L). My '56 Patrician was originally painted in MR, and the wheels are Mojave Tan (R). My dad's Exec was painted in MF, and the wheels were Holland Blue (F).

The one exception in my stable is my first '56 Patrcian, paint MV two-tone; the wheels are not Corsican Black (V), but Tangier Red (J). Coincidentally, I have seen some Cadillacs painted in all-white, but with red wheels.

Except for the one '56 Pat, I had generally concluded that the wheels were always painted the darker colors on two-tone cars. However, I believe Joel Ray has an original unrestored Four Hundred doesn't follow that rule of thumb, but I cannot recall the details. Perhaps he can refresh my memory.

Meanwhile, anyone else care to throw in another $0.02 from their unrestored car?

Well, I'm just thinking that if the lifter noise is connected to premature wear of the pump, then the vac pump isn't at the root of that problem - else there would have been no need to advise Studebaker dealers of the sump tube kit (effectiveness of that kit not withstanding).

Wouldn't the pump gears be self-centering, under pressure, and help keep the driving shaft squarely in its bore - at least until there is significant wear of the gears and separator plate?

One problem might be that there never was a bushing for the driving shaft or - as you discovered - the Packard pump lacks an oiling channel for the driving shaft that the SBC pump has. If that channel had been there from day on, I bet the bore and shaft would have lasted a helluva lot longer - even with a sacrificial casting as it were.

As for the additional load on the Packard V8 oil pump, the vacuum pump is quite similar to the vacuum motors that drive so many air tools - just works in reverse. As such, I'm having a hard time visualizing the additional load as a problem when the pump is merely pulling only inches of vacuum - unless it is binding internally. Perhaps we ought to put a few drops of air too oil down the vac pump's intake pipe on occasion.

It's interesting to note that a 1957 Buick shop manual I have shows an oil pump with a vacuum pump riding piggyback, but that old Nailhead V8 never had the reputation for oiling issues that Packard V8 owners have had to endure. There's still a piece of the puzzle missing here that needs to be found.

One of these days, I'm gonna have to get out to the Funny Farm and my dad's old Exec (which never had a lick of oiling problems or lifter noise) and yank the engine for some serious forensic work so we can all compare notes.

Meanwhile, let's keep collecting data in this good thread.

MrPushbutton -

What, no landau bars? How about a pelican hood ornament with illuminated plexiglas wings? Don't forget "The Crown" air freshener!

Joel -

If you could post a pic of that scrap of original Hypalon material removed from a Carib Hardtop and/or the covering on an original Hardtop that you have, with a tape measure in the view for reference, that would be great.

Then, I'll get an equivalent pic from my Hardtop to post here and provide a bit more about what raised this question.

Keith -

Attached is a pic of the late design plate and spacer, with a paperclip showing a drilled passage that would otherwsie be invisible to the casual viewer. I had posted this image at another forum, sometime ago, to help clear up some confusion as to which parts were which, but I bet they threw the baby out with the batwater on that one, too.

Someone else had posted a similar pic of the early design parts that they had removed from one of their cars - perhaps you. If so, please post it here as a visual reference for all in this more permanent site.

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Keith -

Perhaps I can shed some light on the timeline and what was actaully done in this regard.

STB 55T-16 (dated March 28, 1955) advised of the elimination of said holes and provided instructions for plugging rocker shafts in the field. The reason for this was not made clear, but that info was again referenced in STB 55T-19 (dated May 23, 1955) concerning excessive oil consumption.

Then, STB 55T-35 (dated July 25, 1955) advised reinstatement of said holes, but with slightly smaller diameter, and recommended replacement of rocker shafts, inlcuding any that had been plugged, in the field.

There must have been some concern for excessive flow of oil, but they realized plugging those holes was an overcorrection.

However, premature wear at pushrod end of the rocker levers was never addressed in an STB, but in a confidential memo to Zone offices dated March 15, 1956. The cause was cited as an inconsistent hardening process, but new equipment and checks for production had been introduced. A new P/N was issued for rechecked and qualified parts.

Somewhere, I have a Parts Bulletin that requested dealers to return all old stock of said levers and reorder under the new number.

Keith -

Attached is a photographic illustration of the oil pump used in the '56 Golden Hawk - from the Studebaker Service Bulletin that recommended installation of the "sump tube".

Notice that there is no vac pump on this version of the Packard V8 oil pump - just a flat bottom plate. While some Packard owners have spent good money to eliminate the vac pump in favor of a flat plate, clearly some 56 GH owners had the same complaint as PackardV8 owners or Studebaker would not have published this bulletin for the 56J.

Seems to me that the vacumm pump was NOT at the root of the lifter noise and oiling issue.

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Randy -

Congrats on a great find!

It's always nice to see another one of these cars come out from under the woodwork and into the hands of someone who will do them proud.

I bet there are plenty of great Packards that aren't listed on any roster. As such, be sure to add you new Packard to the Registry here. We wanna see all cars listed there - regardless of present condition. The beauty of this Registry it is that, aside from being user-driven, it can be updated at anytime with new or revised info and pix. Best of all, it is published for the benefit of all to see - not just the priveleged few.

I look forward to updates on your progress in this great blogspot for Packard owners.

My first encounter with a '56 Caribbean Hardtop was many years before I was lucky enough to acquire one - back in my high school days. It was locally owned, but I only ever spoke with the owner once, and not for very long as he seemed like a busy guy.

That car had all the appearance of a well-maintained, unrestored original. Although I had already read (then) that the Hypalon material used for roof covering was prone to premature failure, I assumed the top on this car was also original. The material on that car had what I call a "diamond pinpoint" texture to it, which I felt was intended to emulate the material used on the convertible models of the day (and up).

However, I recently ran across a glossary at this site:

http://www.haartz.com/index.asp?ID=80

...which advised:

Quote:

"Crush grain" must be one of those fast and loose terms that are intended to cover a whole bunch of simulated leather textures - as there is not a consistent grain among the handful of samples I've found online.

Anyone have any solid input as to what material is truly authentic for the Caribbean Hardtop?

Joel -

Thanks for the additional insights.

I'll admit that Frederick's indoor swap meet certainly interested me, but the location is a bit too far (farther than Hershey) for me. Also, I hate travelling the PA pike - especially with the fickle weather we have through April around these parts.

The timing of Perrysburg in May was a lot better for me and only a 3-1/2 hour drive - typically in nice weather. Yet, threat of rain seems to have been more frequent in recent years, and I can see why an indoor venue is tempting. I just hope the show field is nearby - unlike some other events I've been to.

Perrysburg had been one of the best all-around Packard events I've ever attended, and I'm certainly willing to give the new site a try if it will get the number of cars on display back up and bring more vendors and parts to the public.

Keep us posted with dates and location. I'll be there!