Kev,

Good point on the battery, thanks.

My plan on the battery- I want to see if the battery will come back for one reason, to use it to crank the engine with the plugs out to start oil circulation after I, hopefully, get it to turn by hand. That way I can keep putting the battery back on the charger after a oiling session without having to worry about reverse polarity, etc. Not to mention possibly ruining a good new battery on just cranking the engine.

Plus I need something to do while waiting for the Deep Creep to work in the cylinders.

Worked on the Formal today. Freed the throttle linkage with Deep Creep. More Deep Creep down the plug holes. Pulled the battery, filled it with distilled water, and put it on a slow overnight charge. Keeping my fingers crossed the battery will come back. It is percolating real nice and taking 4 amps.

Cleaned, swept and vacuumed the floor around the car and put the front end up on 5ton jack stands last week.

Tires still holding the new spring season air pressure. Nothing like fresh air in the tires. I have also been Deep Creeping control cables, door handles, etc. Today the vent controls moved like they were new. Prior to today they wouldn't budge. No luck yet with trunk lock. Been hitting that with Deep Creep for a month. All this being done while I try to keep my patience waiting to get that first turn on the balancer bolt.

Also made some new photographs and will post soon.

I don't have my card reader with me so no new images. Today brought in the compressor and filled the tires. All four still had 10-15 lbs each in them. The stem valves were frozen so I used my valve stem tool to start moving them around and the tires all now have 28 lbs each. Tightened the stem valves and things appear jake.

Pulled the plugs again (had gotten them free last Friday). Jacked up the car and put the Hein-Werner 5 ton jack stands in place. Then got under the car for the big deal.. Socket on balancer bolt and nothing. So, plenty of Deep Creep down the plug holes angling toward pistons and the bore. Two of the battery cells still have fluid up over the plates. Will top off with distilled water and put it on trickle charge for four or five days to see if I can get the plates excited,then start charging at six volts. I have got a feeling this battery is going to come back.

It appears the car had been undercoated, which is now coming off, and the floor pan appears solid. The car has the Easamatic brakes, but bugger all what a --- up place to put the master cylinder.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and any advice on the above greatly appreciated.

And O_D, thanks again for the production info.

Thanks FatMike. I will eventually get down to the Surrogates Office and pull Nathan's probate file. I think the estate sold the car to the late owner (who was an attorney).

Thanks Mate.It was getting late last night and I guess I missed the Project Blog section. Please move it over to the appropriate place.

This afternoon the front of the car will be airborne. Beautiful sunny day today. Looking forward to getting started.

If any one is interested, I will post my progress on the Derham. This is a completely unmolested, virgin car as far as its components are concerned. I will be happy to photograph any part of the car that may help someone put their car back together correctly (the question about the routing of the battery ground cable comes to mind). As I get into it perhaps the various approaches and opinions to bringing an engine and drive-line back to life after twenty-eight years might be fun to get into here.


I was able to get the plugs pulled on the Derham last Friday. Yesterday I hit the Packard Holy Grail; I finally very carefully got the glove drawer open and inside was the owners manual and this~


Included is Owner's Service Policy, Packard Owner ID,Packard Lube Plan, General Tire Plan and a 55-56 insurance card. Now know date of delivery Feb 28,1953.

Tomorrow morning I will be bringing in the compressor to fill the tires and get the front of the car up on jack stands.I will then take torque wrench set at 40 ft/lbs and try to gently turn vib damper bolt. Plan on spritzing a good amount of Deep Creep into the plug holes.

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The Packard Diesel/ Verville crashed near Attica, NY in snow storm in April 1930. My father's (he was seven and later an Eighth AF B17 pilot) family drove out to see the crash site the next morning. The Attica Historical Society has a number of photographs and articles regarding the crash. Air intake icing was the final determined cause of the crash as I remember. Engine also had the ability to shut fuel off to various cylinders on demand sort of like the later GM/ Cadillac 8-6-4 option.

Here is a link to Smithsonian Air and Flight on the Packard Aero-Diesel

http://www.sil.si.edu/smithsoniancontributions/AnnalsofFlight/text/SAOF-0001.2.txt

Thanks for posting this. Fantastic film. If you are interested in older still images from the Library of Congress, please check outhttp://www.shorpy.com/

This film clip is a perfect compliment to what is posted by Shorpy.

You can also gravity bleed the system. Partially fill a clear container with brake fluid. Attach a clear plastic hose from bleed screw and submerge other end in container. Open bleed screw and then have someone or yourself keep topping off master cylinder until there are no bubbles in the container. Close the bleed screw. Start with the furthest corner away from master cylinder.

Whether you need a helper depends on how fast you can plonk yourself under the car.

Dear Joe,

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your Formal. A friend of mine just finished restoring his late father's 1953 Austin Healy 100 series for the same reason (he was lucky the car wasn't crushed).Is your Formal by any chance the Formal that Owen_Dyneto mentioned earlier at Nyack NY?

I will pass your request and interest on to the owner of the Formal and see what she says. The plan at this point is for me to check the mechanicals and hopefully start the car. I also plan to clean up the car before doing the portraits of the car for eBay. And believe me, I have had the Packard bug for years so I want to start it and hear it run. Maybe even drive it around the block and over to the Ostendorf Packard Agency on Main St where it was purchased new.

The history of the car is in the thread. Two owners and both in Buffalo where the car was originally purchased and the car has been garaged since 1982 when it was last registered.

I will let you know what she decides. Thank you for your interest.