I have noticed a trace of oil is seeping from the fuel pump on my '51 288 motor. Just a few drops after driving for an hour, and I am wondering why it should happen on a pump that I have fitted a complete kit into.

The oil only comes through the gauze (- which is some sort of air filter) where there is a small breather hole (or weep hole) in the rectangular recess in the side of the pump. It's not causing me a problem because there's only a small amount, but I doubt that there should be any coming out at all. A wipe with a cloth and it's quickly removed from the area below (- on the top of the cross-member).

Hoping someone can tell me what is causing this to happen.

I have a persistent airlock when filling the gas tank of my '51 Club Sedan. Initially thought it was a hole in the gas pickup tube because every time I filled at a gas station the tank would only take about 5 gallons before overflowing up the filler tube. Fact was that my gas tank had never been able to be completely filled since I got the car running. It's been an air lock happening every time I refill.

I have avoided the problem only once so far! That was by using a jerry can and pouring in petrol very slowly, but other times even this didn't work. That time I had disconnected the breather rubber tube right down near the tank, and I could blow or suck air through that quite easily.

So the breather appears to be open.

Has anyone had the same problem, and have a solution for it?

The '51 has been running well and I've clocked up around 300miles since it was registered. Mostly very enjoyable driving!

There have been a few problems, he most inconvenient being range on fuel is only about 80 miles. I was sure that was caused by a hole in the petrol pickup tube because every time I was refilling the tank petrol started coming up the filler spout after around 4-5 gallons were added. Even adding very slowly it was always the case of fuel coming back at you from the spout, and the tank just would not take any more. "No 'airlock' could be that persistent" I thought.

So I was ready to take the tank out, cut a hole and fix the pickup tube . . . until a few days ago when thinking: what it I find no problem with the pickup tube? So, how do I prove it is the pickup?

I took a Jerry can and topped up my tank, which SHOULD have been completely full after the last drive / top-up at a servo. Around 35 litres (8 gallons) later I knew my problem was an air lock that was happening every time I refilled the tank (- no matter how carefully). Strange because one time a few months ago I blew air down the breather to test and there was no blockage.

So, got under the car and took the rubber hose off the breather-to-tank pipes and blew through it / sucked through it. No blockage. So, question is: why the almost constant airlock problem?

A friend with a '51 tells me that Packard placed a whistle in the breather pipe, which was to alert you when the tank was nearly full. I can't tell if there's a whistle in there or not. If there is, maybe it creates just enough back-pressure to cause an airlock.

Now I need to figure out how to overcome this airlock problem. The only idea so far is to change the existing breather to make it more effective. I wonder how?

Have posted to see what ideas other have.

Howard, it might not be much help to you, but my RHD (Australian) '51 couldn't have a factory heater fitted, and I understand this is so for all RHD cars.

For a demister, the under-dash plenum chamber is there with its slots pointing up to stream air for demisting the screen (- an integral part of the car) so I was considering fitting a high speed air pump as a demister fan. (The type used to inflate air mattresses etc would possibly do).

I have found that demisting with cool air works better than using hot air in most cases, so it could be a reasonable work-around, given the lack of alternatives.

OK< it's totally non-standard but safer than 'misting up' for an accident. Would be out of sight / have a hidden switch and solves the problem.Even a 12v unit would probably provide enough air running at 6V and would be quieter at 6V (- as they are notoriously noisy!).

Maybe you could do a similar thing, avoiding some of the issues that you have?

I've got an under-seat heater which I haven't fitted yet, so no opinion about those.

You'll definitely need an antenna connected for any output and you might be surprised that either or both radios could work OK after the new caps are soldered in. Both of the radios that I have worked ok after caps replaced, and the vibrator in one worked as well.

I bought a complete set of valves (tubes) thinking I would need some but it turned out that I didn't need to replace any of them! And although I bought solid state vibrators, one of the original vibrators still works, humming away quite happily but noisily.

BTW, if you find that the original speaker still works and is fairly OK, take care of it because I doubt that you will find a replacement for it anywhere!! And I couldn't find a company that would re-core them either. So I have still got the original speaker in mine, and it works after a fashion. Very disappointing that no-one can supply a similar 6 X 9 that will fit. Magnets these days are much larger than back then. Alternative is to use a rear parcel shelf speaker. These were an optional extra in '51 cars.

(Mal, I THOUGHT I knew who it would be that was asking about convertible tops! I was right.)

Thanks Jim. Regarding SMS, I noticed a very slight difference in the colour of the Dk Blue cloth they sent to me (to be used for my seats) and what they used on the door trims. I was not at all surprised that could happen, and suspect the door trims were made separately and a different dye batch led to someone sending the different cloth.

They should get across this, and set aside the cloth so it cannot happen. I know of others who have had the same problem. So advise you to beware of similar things happening!! The quality of the broadcloth is very good, albeit very expensive. And as you've no doubt seen, it takes forever and a day to get things made by SMS, like a year or more is not unusual. That is a huge shame.

Thank you very much for your kind comments gents. I've concluded that it was worthwhile spending all that time and money on the project. My wife is also still with me(!) after it all, and she loves the car. But dunno if I'll take on another project anywhere as big . . . . unless of course, it was a '51 Convertible in reasonable condition!

Jim, on my project blog I have posted a pic of my '51 interior which has the Lt Gray with Dk Blue, if that is any help? Also the dash and garnish trims are a silver-gray metallic and mine match the original colour that was used in some 200 Deluxe cars. This was an 'eye match' done at local automotive paint shop, so don't have a formula for it.

Perhaps the colours are the same as used in your car?

You should definitely use stud sealant, and use a quality one that stays 'soft' / doesn't harden. You don't want to lock the studs tightly into the block so you have trouble removing them in future. Also, use the copper spray when you reassemble with a new head gasket. I keep hearing reports about how good that stuff is.

Are you using the correct studs, which I believe have a taper? The stud holes cannot be 'cleaned' with a tap because they are a correct interference fit with the studs. You can carefully use a thread cleaner instead, which won't take any metal out of the stud hole.