Taking these one at a time:

First, the rear axle filler plug:

An open wned wrnech will not fit in there well enough to proeprly grab the plug, due to the reinforcing "fins" around the plug area.

A 1/2" drive socket reversed will not work because the darn plug is NOT 1/2" like it appears, but rather actually is a 9/16" dimension across the flats.

I bought a 9/16" 8-point socket yesterday at NAPA to try. Even this will be a challenge because the presence of the reinforcing fins around the plug means that I must use a 3" extension between the socket and the handle. THAT will make it necessary to hold the end of the extension rather firmly to keep the socket from sliding off the plug. I'll give it a try sometime today or tomorrow.

Second the thermostat instllation:

I am REALLY glad BigKev said to make sure the thermostat is going in in the right direction. Because, the darn Pakcard service manual contradicts itself on this!

The PHOTO in the "radiator and cooling" section shows the thermostat with the round flat plate at the bottom, whereas the cutaway drawing in the engine section appears to show the opposite! Maybe the photo and drawing are just unclear, BUT:

which way is the correct orientation in this Packard engine?
Remember, I don't have an exisitng one in there to just duplicate the orientation of.

Jim G

fern51: You are wise to ask.

Even though the 1051 through 1954 Packards are all absed on the same body, and "appear" identical, the windshield does vary by model!

The 4-door sedan has a different one than the 2-door, and the convertible is different again, and so on. I don't know which ones are interchangeable, but make sure you find someone who DOES know.

The windshields are also incredibly expensive. I had to pay "only" $325 for my untinted one, but that became $450 with boxing and freight. The windshield seal also needs to be replaced - the old one will be iretrievably damaged during disassembly, even if someone is very careful, unless it is rather new itself. That seal costs $220 or so from any of the Steele Products dealers. Don't think about not replacing it -you will introduce wind and WATER leaks that will do incredible damage. And, unless you have done a replacement yourself before, you'll need to pay someone GOOD to do it right. You are realistically looking at $300 or so for the installation, unless the pro installer gives you a big break.

So, you end up spending about $1100 unless someone gives you parts or labor at a big discount . . .

If you have to have a windhsield custom made by one the vendors who does THAT, think $750 before freight, plus the $220 plus the $300 . . .

Jim G

The thermostat, gasket, and retainer for my '52 Packard 200 Deluxe with 288 engine arrived.

Will it be obvious once I remove the thermostat cover housing how the thermostat and retainer get PROPERLY fitted into position?

Anyone here done it?

I'm asking because I have learned that not everything goes as expected. Most recent example: I want to change the fluid in the rear axle, but the 9/16" SQUARE headed, pipe threaded filler plug was overtightened by the last exuberent owner, and now I need to find an 8-point socket to be able to get enough torque on it to properly remove it without mashing the head of the plug.

Jim G

HarleyQuitarMan: This is the very question I have asked myself, for all sorts of reasons:

- I find new cars bland, flimsy looking, and short on character. Old cars are MUCH more captivating.

- I think new cars are far too complex; they are run terrific and provdie great safety, fuel mileage, and comfort UNTIL something needs repair, and then you are looking at $700 and up no matter how "small" the problem is. Old cars are simple in the extreme in comparison, and were designed for home owner type maintenance as far as they could possibly be so designed.

- A Packard was a very high quality car when built, and 50 years later, that still shows in things like doors that still don't sag, engines that STILL run like sewing machines, and bodies that are astonishingly sound (Did you know that Packard, even back in 1939, was using 11 different combinaitons of 10 different insulating materials to make their cars quieter and more corrosion resistant?). If you are going to try to use an old car as a daily driver, this is the brand to pick.

- I need a daily driver while my stalled (for bodywork and paint) 1st Edition 1955 (NOT later model 1955)SLURP project (Simple Lightweight Unpretentious Retro Pickup) waits for my friend with the body shop and paint booth to get to it, and I ended up with this really neat 1952 Packard 200 Deluxe - just perfect, because it too can later become a major project like SLURP did, and in the meantime its combination of lowest-model-in-the-line simplicity and Packard quality seems like the safest way to go old but not worn out.

- I am a self-published author - my e-book "The SSR Experience" has sold well to Chevrolet SSR owners, with its combination of model history, description of both strengths and quirks, buying and selling guide, guide to maintenance and repairs, and multiple chapters devoted to progressivley more complex modifications. I am planning another e-book that will cover either the SLURP project or the Packard. I'm now leaning towards doing the Packard book first.

I say go for it. We'll both find out soon enough whether this idea will work or not.

Jim G

Funny you should post this just now.

I just replaced the radiator in my '52 200 Deluxe with 288 cubic inch engine, with a new custom cored one that I will post about separately in a few days.

But, I discovered that the last owner had sold me the car with NO thermostat in the engine (you can see the coolant pumping into the radiator immediately after a dead cold start). Maybe he lost the thermostat retainer?

I called Max Merritt, and JD there told me that they sell 3 versions of the thermostat (lo temp, standard, and high temp), along with the gasket needed for $15. He said I would also need a "retainer" (which this thread now explains), which they sell for $10. Even with my being in Texas, he suggested the "standard temperature" thermostat. I suspect that is because the engine's carb and ignition are preset assuming that.

I have all 3 pieces on the way to me.

By the way, the car has run just fine without the thermostat, but the indicated temperature on the gauage DID vary a bit unexpectedly at times. I suspect that the thermostat will (a) stablize the temperature except at the highest outdoor ambient temperatures or under prolonged idling, and (b) will improve the fuel mileage, since all that variation cannot possibly be helping attain consistent air/fuel ratio right for the differing temperatures.

I'll report in detail once I have this all buttoned up and road tested properly.

Jim G

Old Gold: Are you still kicking aorund those ideas for a new rear bumper for me?

I really hate to put the stock one back on, given its poor quality chrome finish, plus I really like the "cleanness" of the car's appearance without it . . .

Jim G

Very nice consolidated listing. I grabbed a copy for my own Packard files!

Jim G

OldGold: EXCELLENT!!

Jim G

OldGold: YOU just might be the right guy to build that custom rear bumper I need which I described in my own thread on this "modifications" forum.

How about it?

Jim G

I know all of you are experiencing the same problem with the chromed potmetal parts on your Packards as I am with mine.

Re-chroming is very costly because of environmental regulations, and because chrome is SO reflective, the underlying surfaces must first be made PERFECT via handwork, which makes the cost even higher.

In addition, sometimes you want a DIFFERENT look. In my case, I want less chrome in order to focus viewers on the wonderfully conservative but elegant lines of my 52 Packard. After all, this John Reinhart design, when it came out in late 1950 as a '51 model, won a design award from The Motion Picture Academy of Art Designers.

So, I talked to my good friend Eero at Crosslink Powdercoating in PFlugereville, Texas. I talekd specifically first about the trunklid handle on my car, which was badly pitted.

Even looking first from a distance, you can see that the finish is pitted:



When you get closer, you see how bad the pitting really is:


I had a spare one too, that had a painted silver finish on it - evdiently someone had already tried to salvage it. Eero suggested I send it to him to take a look at.

He and his team media blasted it, and smoothed it a bit, and then powdercoated it in a SATIN black - not gloss black, which would have accentuated any defects, although not quite as badly as chromeplating would have. The satin finish still has a nice gloss, but it is not mirror-like. That did the trick.

Here are photos of the powdercoated trunklid installed on my Packard:


Please try to ignore the unfinished lower part of the rearend of the car. That is a separate project that I am working on which I will post separately on this forum.

Jim G

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