Now to business.

The guy the car was bought from had the car running but it was rough. We could tell it was missing on at least one cylinder, and I was assuming sticking valves. Unbeknownst to us he was us indeed running the car on the gas that was in the tank, and apparently it was old. The next day at my place I couldn't get the car started to get it off the trailer, so we pushed it off and into the shop.

Here's what we've done so far:
1.) Drained old fuel. There were about 8 gallons of nasty gas in the tank. It smelled sweet like fruit and was red in color (could be from rust in the tank).
2.) Drained from the fuel pump to the carb
3.) Replaced old and cracking rubber fuel line from hard line to fuel pump
4.) Replaced spark plugs
5.) Replaced spark plug wires
6.) Replaced points and condenser
7.) Reset timing

Next on the list to do:
1.) Replace cap and rotor (on order)
2.) Replace all wheel cylinders (on order)
3.) Replace all rubber brake lines (on order)
4.) Clean out rear junction block and axle breather on rear axle
5.) Bleed brakes thoroughly. Potentially replace brake lines.
6.) Drain/replace coolant, new coolant hoses, new radiator cap
7.) Drain oil and replace filter

Here's where we are at with the engine. Initially only 3 cylinders were giving us numbers on compression. The intake valves on #1 and 4 are sticking. I removed all the spark plugs and put MMO down on the holes and let it work for a few days. It turned the engine by hand over the course of several days, while spraying the valves with Freeze Off, PB Blaster, MMO and anything else I could get my hands on. The MMO allowed me to pick up more cylinders. Currently we stand here:
1 - 0
2 - 142
3 - 135
4 - 0
5 - 130
6 - 135
7 - 132
8 - 0

The valves on 8 seem to move as expected, so I'm thinking stuck rings? I have more MMO in the cylinder trying to clean things up.

#4 intake valve is moving better, but still slow. At least it is moving now. #1 intake valve is much more sticky. It does move down on it's own, but it's over the course of an hour. So there is some heavy corrosion or varnish in there preventing it from moving smoothly. That is the one valve that I'm worried about...hoping it's not bent.

My thought is let the MMO work for another day or so, turn the engine by hand, and maybe crank it a few times with the starter (no spark) to see what I get. Then hook everything back up, get the engine started, run it up to temp, shut it down and let it heat soak. I'm hoping a few cycles of this will allow the heat to expand the metal and get the valves moving. This worked on my Panama when I had a stuck valve.

-Kevin

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Hey guys, thanks for the input so far. I'll fill in some stuff from my perspective.

The car has the correct '52 Deluxe grille, as well as other correct 200 Deluxe appointments. However it appears the hood may be from a 51....hence the Packard script across the front. But that's something that will likely stay as is for now.

The rest of the car is original. The interior is all there, including the original jute under the carpet in the rear. The upholstery is overall in great shape, with some stains here and there. The headliner is fairly dingy but is not sagging. Hopefully with some gentle cleaning we can get the stains lifted.

The original paint is Code B: Packard Blue Metallic. The car has been resprayed and they did a pretty good job of matching the original. There are a few patches here and there but overall good paint. It should clean up nicely.

Chrome is all nearly excellent. There are a few spots on the rear bumper that aren't great, and the door handles are very pitted. But replacement door handles came with the car, so eventually those will get changed out. Everything else is very nice. The front crest was likely replaced with a reproduction as it looks brand new.

There is no rust that we can see. The trunk is very clean, and very solid. No signs of rust on the rocker panels, nothing behind the rear wheels, and nothing in the floor pans. The car apparently came out of someone's collection and it had been stored indoors for decades.

-Kevin

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I bought mine with the intention of learning how to work on old cars. Previous to owning it, the only experience I had with working on vehicles was fluid changes and suspension work on newer cars and trucks.

I got way more than I bargained for with my Panama because I had no idea what to look for. In the end I came out with hands on experience with:
1.) welding
2.) metal fabrication
3.) painting
4.) headliner installation
5.) door panel fabrication
6.) drum brakes
7.) axles and bearings
8.) cooling systems
9.) distributors, points, and timing
10.) carburetor rebuilding
11.) fuel pump rebuilding
12.) generator rebuilding
13.) glass replacement
14.) vintage electrical

Lots of time and money invested. But this was never about making money on the car. I have no intention of ever selling it. It was a way to learn, have fun, and make memories with my family.

-Kevin

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I beat you to it. He's already been told to add it to the registry. Probably within the next few days.

Kevin

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This time it's spreading to family. My brother in law saw this beautiful car on Facebook marketplace, and the price was right. He and I drove 3 hours yesterday afternoon to go pick it up.

It's a 1952 200 Deluxe Touring sedan. Stored indoors most of its life, so zero rust. Original interior, excellent chrome, decent/good paint. We've got some engine issues to sort out. He's going to start a thread here in the day or two. We'll need some guidance as we work our way through getting this back on the road.

-Kevin

Uh oh...

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My friend, who helped with the engine rebuild, came through with the starter as well. I had intended to do it myself, but I had some questions for him. He ended up holding on to the starter and completely rebuilt it. Stripped to parts, bead blasted everything, repainted, new 12V field coils, new brushes, and new solenoid.

I cleaned up the bore in the aluminum crankcase, then coated the starter with copper anti-seize. Install was much easier than removal.

Recharged the battery, got some fuel flowing, and she started right up. Some quick test driving up and down our long gravel driving showed promise. The new belt is much quieter and the alternator no longer makes noise. No fuel starvation issues.

I do not have a fuel filter currently. I will likely bend my own fuel line from the pump to carb, and put a replaceable filter before the carb. I don't want to cut the original line. I'll save it for a pattern.

-Kevin

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The other thing I've come across in my reading is that putting a fan on the front of the radiator creates a dead zone where the fan motor totally blocks air flow. The fan motor on the large fans is probably 5" in diameter, so a 5" circle is effectively blocked. You don't have any blockage with the fan on the rear. The entire front of the radiator is open, allowing air to flow while the car is moving, and with the fan pulling from behind.

Looking at the set up on the Super as it stands right now, I'm not surprised the car had overheating problems. The fan and mounts block a huge portion of the radiator, preventing sufficient cooling. I think I'll be better off with a puller. They aren't terribly thick, so I should still have room to work with the water pump should I need to.

-Kevin

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I'll take as many pictures of the entire A/C set up as I can before I button everything back up. Personally, I would rather remove all the A/C components because I don't need it where I am. But that's nearly impossible to do, seeing as it was built into the car during the restoration.

The A/C condenser is underneath the passenger side fender, below and behind the sidemount. There is a separate fan on it. There is a massive unit in the trunk, and a separate air handler under the dash.

-Kevin

Thanks Howard. The car is 12V, so no concerns there. Good thought on access for the water pump. If I had to take that out and I had a puller fan, that would create some issues.

-Kevin