Thanks for the fast replies, sorry about the "BTDC" that I put after the 20 degrees on my original post. My timing mark on my crank pulley is 20 degrees before the pointer at operating temperature at idle. Thanks again for any advice. Ramon

Good morning all, I have a 53 Patrician with a 327 Straight 8. I'm looking for some ignition timing help. I used my timing light to discover that I am about 20 degrees (retarded) at idle. The spec for the vehicle is 6 degrees BTDC with 13 degrees max on the vacuum advance. I tried to adjust the distributor by loosening the 2 bolts at the base of the distributor where it enters the block. With theese bolts loosened the distributor would only move the distance of the vacuum advance and spring back to the previous position. Is there another bolt or hold down that I'm missing? I'm doing all of this to try to figure out why I'm having hard starts when the engine is up to operating temp. When I say "hard" starts, I mean very slow cranking as if it had "high" compression resistance. When the engine is cold it turns over easily and starts quickly. Sorry for the long description but I'm at my wits end. ANY help or advice is greatly appreciated. Happy Packarding! Ramon

Good Morning All,
I am wondering if there is anything "special" that I have to worry about in changing a leaking pinion seal where the drive shaft connects to the rear diff.? Or is it as straight forward as I am thinking? Any comments are welcomed. Thanks in advance. Ramon

Thanks Roger, for the pdf file as well as the invite! I will most certainly join the club. It's really a pleasure to be part of a forum with so many friendly and helpful people. There's just not enough of that anymore. Thanks again. Ramon

You guys are flat out AWESOME! I had a co-worker who saw one in Cadillac, MI and asked me if I knew anything about them. Thanks again for the info.

Hello everyone, I have a question, has anyone ever seen or heard of a Packard Packup? An El Camino styled Packard? Just curious. Thanks for your input. Ramon

Thanks JW, it's never too elementary for me. Thanks for the suggestion. I got the car started! I'm still gonna do the compression test as suggested, just for my own peace of mind. Thanks to all for the advice. Ramon

*Duh* is right. I was cycling the motor from under the hood while holding the compression gauge. It sounds like I need to get my lazy son out there to depress the gas pedal while I take the readings. As always, thanks for the great advice. Will post my results as soon as I re-test the compression. Ramon

Good Afternoon All,

Can anyone tell me what the normal cylinder compression is for a 327 straight 8. My son overheat my Patrician this summer. I've changed the head gasket, new spark plugs, new hoses, new thermostat, new coil, etc. The car will not start. I did a compression check and I got 30-40 psi on each cylinder. This seems really low to me. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Ramon

Thanks HH56! will definitely check and see if I have the right threads! Have a great one. Ramon