Mike: if you're still looking for antenna parts, I can email you a photo of a used one that I have. Just send message to:
omadden@cox.net

Thanks!

Use Hydraulic fluid or gear oil??

Updated news:
Something is screwy with this problem, right? Rebuilt the radiator which shop says "will cool a Mack truck"!, new water pump, new thermostat, checked timing, vacuum and all ignition components. So now thinking it's the sending unit or gage.

Put in a new sending unit (they're not cheap) and that seemed to fix the hot gage reading.
Pulled the motor and distribution tube was clean, checked cooling channels in block with a flashlight and very little build up.
So hoping that the sending unit was the problem once we fire it up again. Will update later.

I run Diamond Backs on my station sedan:
P225/75R15/102S Toyo Radials

I've bought at least 8 sets of radials for my Packards over the years from Diamond Back, and they're great tires.

Inflate them at 36-38 PSI and no lower for long wear.

Thanks, Austin. Will get on it next week!

Have a 48 Custom 356 that overheats within 15 minutes of driving. Rebuilt the radiator, put in new water pump, flushed the heck out of block but still have problem. Used heat gun to confirm temp going to 180 degrees and then into the red. Has a 140 degree thermostat in it which opens and temp drops, then goes back to red.

Any ideas?

Had this same problem with my 49 327, put in a new radiator that builder said would cool a Mac truck, and same problem, so I just ran it without a thermostat and it was ok.

I use Van Nuys Plating in Van Nuys, CA for all my chrome plating, stainless polishing, potmetal, and cadmium. They're not cheap but EPA compliant. Pull up their web site and ask for owner Linda.

I replaced all the plates on my 49 and it's not fun! $700 for a set of 4 sounds what I had to pay. Toughest part was getting the rubber off the mounting plate once you had the plate out of the car. They really stuck the rubber to the plate and it won't come off in one piece. I spent 1.5 hours per plate pulling, chipping, scraping it off piece by piece and then finished with a sand blasting and repainting with Por-15. Then you can glue the new rubber on the plate and reinstall.
Good luck!

Wish I had all this good advice a few years ago when my 1950 356 had similar baffling poor running.
New carb, electric fuel pump, points, plugs, cap, rotor, coil, drained fuel tank. No improvement.
Final discovery: mechanic would never change the condenser when he did a tuneup!!! That fixed it.

My 327 also had similar problems, and it ended up that the distributor shaft was worn. Put a new distributor in and car ran great.