That would do it! Thanks for the tip. I found that on google last night, but bypassed it because it's a NOS kit and I already had a kit. I had forgotten about it since then in the flurry of today.

Owen, the attached picture is what my jet looks like. If you have one, I'd gladly buy it from you.

Ken

Attach file:

---

  (141.98 KB)

Hello all. First of all, I'm afraid this will be a bit of a rant.

I'm in the process of rebuilding a Carter WA-1 (tag 477-S) that I got from the Flackmaster. During the rebuild process, the low speed jet stripped out, and I had to drill it out to extract it.

I bought a rebuild from Kanter. It doesn't have the jet. At the advice of 51Packard, I called Daytona Parts. They didn't have a jet. I tried Kanter, but they didn't have any. They recommended The Carburetor Shop in Eldon, MO. [Here is were the rant begins] The carb shop has a policy of selling nothing less than a carb kit, but they have the jet in stock. Fairly incredulous, I tried to talk the guy on the phone into selling me the jet (jet plus shipping is $50!) but he instead gave me a lecture on how his kit is better and mine was probably made in China. (It wasn't). Finally, I relented, and said that I would just order the kit and the jet and deal with it. His kit actually had the meter rods and accelerator pump spring, which mine does not. He then stated that he didn't think he wanted to sell me anything, and HUNG UP on me. Insert multiple curse words here.

Bottom line. Does anyone have a low speed jet they can sell me?

If not, I can try calling the carb shop again next week, maybe he'll have forgot that he didn't feel like selling me a jet and a carb kit. Kanter already said they would take back the kit I bought, since I haven't used any of the parts.

Any other ideas?

Well, it has been a while since my last post, so I thought I would provide some updates. Didn't get a lot of work directly accomplished over the weekend, but I did get my bench grinder installed, hand grinder repaired, and picked up/assembled the cherry picker and engine stand my neighbor is loaning me.

I removed the drivers side rear fender, running board, and rear bumper. I'm not going to pull the cab off the frame until I get the new carb installed, so that will have to wait a few days.

The carb rebuild kit showed up today, so I tore into my two carbs to make one. I was following the service procedure in a Carter manual I found on the website. All was going swimmingly until... the low speed jet assembly stripped out. I actually had to use a screw extractor to remove it. The jet in my spare carb was also stripped out. So... time to find a new jet!

I'm not going to take the carb down quite as far as the book directs. I don't have the special tools, parts, or experience to remove and replace delicate items such as the accelerator pump strainer or the idle port rivet plug. I have all the big pieces soaking in my carb cleaner (http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Berryman-1-gal-B-9-carburetor-and-parts-cleaner-with-basket/_/N-25uv;jsessionid=9861301E73E7C46B646C28961823BCEC.diyprod1-b2c1?counter=4&itemIdentifier=139313_0_0_ ). It has been working great so far.

Tomorrow I'll put as much of the carb back together as I can, and then see what I can do while I wait for my unsourced jet to arrive.

Fair enough on both counts. Thanks, as always, for your courtesy and consideration.

Owen- could you send a copy of the manual to BigKev so he could put it on the website? I have some sprung doors also that I haven't bothered to ask about yet (bigger problems) but I'll be asking some day!

My concern with buying a cheap spray gun is that it requires buying a cheap air compressor, then a cheap forced air respirator if you're using hardening acrylic enamel, then rewiring the garage for the air compressor.... !

The long term solution is certainly buying a compressor and spray gun, but I was also exploring short term ideas.

Perhaps craigslist will have the answer.

Hoping to have my frame out by the end of this weekend or midweek, in order to get it sandblasted. I was planning on having it painted professionally, but talking to a another old car guy, he said that a lot of the modern frame paints (like Rustoleum) can be painted on by hand and come out looking fine.

Anyone have any thoughts on hand painting vs. spray?

If I do handpaint, POR-15 vs. Rustoleum vs. ?

Has anyone hand painted and have it come out successfully or otherwise?

As always, thanks.

-Ken

Guys, thanks for the thoughts. I'll just have to adjust my expectations- looks like it's time to learn some body work, and this project just got a lot more long term!

I pulled off the passenger side rear fender tonight, and I'm at a philosophical crossroads, and looking for some advice.

When is a project too far gone based on the elusive combination of skill and available funding?

A little bit of background on me for anyone who doesn't want to read the whole blog. I'm 29, and have worked on old cars before but only for offroading. I know how to weld and have some basic metal fab skills, but no bodywork experience. I've always liked old cars, always wanted one, and decided to buy a Packard so I could share my last name with the marquee of my car.

The reason for my concern. I thought I was buying a car that was complete and in relatively decent condition. I'm not sure if it was excitement, inexperience, or both, but the body is in much worse condition than I anticipated. When I pulled off the passenger rear fender, most of the area where the fender mounts to the inner fenderwell is missing, replaced with pot metal and bondo. A strip about two inches wide on the innder fenderwell from the bead inboard is missing from the forward corner to the top of the fenderwell. Also filled in with pop riveted pop metal. It actually looks like roofing tin from an old camper. Also lots of bondo.

The strips running under the doors will need a lot of work.

See my last post for awesome pictures of how the drivers running board attached to the front fender.

New running boards will be required, but those are available.

I'll need at least three, probably four, new fenders, and at least one door (all sourced).

My concern, and where I'm looking for input, is this: how much is too much? For those of you that have restored a basket case, or given up on one, what pushed you over the edge one direction or another?

Thanks, in advance, for the thoughts.

- Ken

So, first of all, I uploaded a photo from Saturday, showing the Bendix mostly disassembled. The yellow arrow shows where the Bendix can be further disassembled. I didn't take it apart that far.

Started thinking about it- the dark blue in the second picture is the original color. We might be painting it blue instead of maroon. Plenty of time to make that decision!

I removed the front clip today. Observation: bondo shouldn't be sold without a license! The driver's side running board was attached with 3/8" of bondo and a piece of a license plate pop riveted to the front fender. There was also pot metal bondoed in place where the mounting holes had rusted out.

I pulled the front clip off, and found three problems.

First issue: the frame is bent on the driver's side. It looks like the car was hit on the driver's side front corner sometime in its history. I think it is only bent forward of the core support, but I'm going to play it safe and take the rolling chassis to a body shop or tire shop to get the frame alignment checked before I bother to get it sandblasted and painted.

Second issue: the core support is rusted out. I can weld it, but I might try and buy one from Don37, Flackmaster, or one of the other guys with more Packard parts than I have. Anybody have one of these off of a wrecked frame?

Third issue: a lot of the body supports around the radiator are rusted out. Has anyone else run into this issue?

Attach file:

---

  (73.03 KB)


  (129.85 KB)


  (122.07 KB)


  (133.22 KB)


  (107.54 KB)


  (120.34 KB)


  (165.89 KB)


  (132.42 KB)


  (95.05 KB)


  (120.96 KB)