OED cites 'bale' as a variant spelling of 'bail' so I guess both are acceptable.
Chris.

Not so sure, West. This is a marine bale that goes on a boom and when installed it looks a lot like the wire on the Packard cap?? Chris

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Dave, Crin, Tim, et al, I am familiar with 'bale' in sailing nomenclature and looking at that cap, I would definitely call that a 'bale' wire.
Bale: A fitting on the end of a spar, such as the boom, to which a line may be led.
Chris.

Hi Superpacker,
Welcome to Packard Info. Have you performed a compression test on this engine? If not, I would do that to get a base line of the engine's condition. The dripping gas also portends an issue and you say you rebuilt the carb?? I'd want to know the source of that leak from both a performance and safety standpoint.
The temperatures you are quoting shouldn't, in my opinion, prohibit or adversely affect whether or not the engine starts and runs. These are temps in which any car should start and run.
And what about points? They can be a critical component of the ignition system and are often overlooked when troubleshooting. There are many top-drawer mechanics on this site and I'm sure you'll get some input and suggestions. This is just my basic 'junior mechanic approach' having been where you are at. Good luck. Chris

Hi Brian, Thanks for the reply - good to hear from you. This is the video I was talking about. I got to it from a link on Packard Info, can't remember who or where. Are we talking about the same '53?
Chris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb66KHL5xGA

Is this the same '53 from the Youtube video where the guy got it running after sitting for years?? I found it interesting as the 'non-Packard' guy was wrenching and troubleshooting the car, trying to get it to run; I was watching and 'arm-chair' diagnosing with him, knowing a little bit about Packards now. It actually sounded pretty good when he got it going... Chris.

Hey Jerome,
Thanks for scoping that out and posting. I went on their site and queried 16" and it came up with nothing. Sometimes 'search' boxes aren't all that helpful. My '39 takes 6.50/16's and I don't know how that relates to the 205/55/R16 that they list on their site. They have a conversion chart, but there is a note stating there is no 'modern-day listing equivalent' for 6.00 X 16. (or 6.50, I presume) Coker just lists them as 6.50/R16. I'm thinking the '205' number would be significantly wider than the 6.50, yes/no?? I bought 4 Coker radial tires for my car a few years back and am very happy with them, but was thinking I could maybe get one of the Cali's for my trunk spare. At $133, they sure are a heck of a lot cheaper than Cokers which were about $280 when I bought them, but look like they come in around $400 now.
Chris.

Hi 29tons,
Thanks for posting the picture. It would appear to be the the 'barn-find of barn-finds'. The condition and completeness are quite something. Even so, a monumental project to bring 'er back; hat's off for taking on the task! Chris.

No 16" though, eh John??
Chris.

Hi 29tons,
Sounds really exciting; some pics maybe??
Chris.