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Hello all,

After receiving a couple of suggestions to do so, I am creating a project blog to track my attempts to get my '55 Clipper back on the road.

Now, The car itself needs a whole ton of work, and while I'd love to restore the car, the amount of money for a full on restoration would be out of the question, not to mention I don't think it would be worth it dollar wise (although that doesn't really matter that much). But I am attempting to use this car as my learning experience, as it was so cheap I'd like to get it running and driving and repair things a bit at a time. Maybe even attempt body repair (I've spent a fair bit of time with a MIG welder, although I no longer own one).

So on to the car...

The prior owner claimed they had the car running of an auxillary tank with an electric pump and actually showed me a video of the car running. He also claimed the mechanical pump needed a rebuild. First thing I did was ensure the engine turns freely - it does. Second thing was to remove the mechanical fuel pump and test the unit by hand actuating it - it appears to pump strongly so I just re-installed it.

I also changed the oil and filter - after reading various suggestions I went with Rotella 15W - 40 and the NAPA 1006 filter.

My main hurdle now is someone snipped the fuel line from the pump to the carb. I also have a weird collection of fuel connectors and angles - definitely not stock. I have the carter filter but I need the steel line from the pump to filter. I figure I'm gonna need to make my own line unless someone has a spare?

I also want to get new battery cables as the one I have appear a bit worn and of course, the battery I picked up is not reversed - its a type 27 and should actually fit the tray if I trim the bottom of the battery's extra plastic for the modern hold down. Gonna need to manufacture a hold down as it appears to be missing as well.

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Probably ran it off an auxillary tank because the main tank had old gas in it and/or it it needs a real good clean.

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While I don't recall offhand if these lines are the same between 1955 and 1956, I know that Classic Tube has patterns for 1956 but be sure to specify whether 2-barrel or 4-barrel carburetor. If 1955 uses the same one, then you can buy a new one from them in either steel or in stainless. Otherwise I'm sure that a used one wouldn't be too difficult to find.

Note that the line does not run directly from the pump to the carburetor as there should be a glass bowl filter attached directly to the carburetor's fitting and the line connects to that. If missing, you'll have to source a used one.

Pictures aren't showing up....we have to download them to view them. File type maybe? Would love to see what you're doing without having to download.

Looking forward to watching your progress!

-Kevin

Mal,

That is definitely a factor - I'm not gonna pull from the tank either, I'll have to rig up a gas can to pull from for now. I'll look into the tank's state later

Don,

Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out. Does the 352 engine on the custom have the 2 barrel?

Kevin,

Apologies, I thought I had edited the photos to jpgs - they're fixed now.

I'm gonna attempt to run rubber line from the pump to the carb with a temporary inline filter, and a rubber line from the pump to a gas can. One issue I may have overlooked, I think while the mechanical pump works, the lever actuator arm and spring appear to have gas residue and it reeks of gas. The oil smelled of gas as well - perhaps the previous owner just simply meant it needs rebuilding for that reason. I'll have to ponder on that one.

I think while the mechanical pump works, the lever actuator arm and spring appear to have gas residue and it reeks of gas. The oil smelled of gas as well -

I suspect the diaphragm in the old pump has deteriorated and is letting fuel enter the crankcase. In addition to a possible tear or other mechanical damage, the old diaphragms and coatings are not compatible with ethanol and many modern fuel additives. Even if the pump was known to be good, if it has an old diaphragm from the days before ethanol they generally have a very short life after being exposed to modern fuel.

I believe that your Custom has the 4-barrel (or it should have it) but best to pull off the air cleaner and actually check that it hasn't been changed out to something else.

My 1956 Clipper also had the steel line cut (at the pump in this case) so I worked with Classic Tube to come up with a template to re-make it (using my original upper portion paired with their 2-barrel pump end) but it's not in their far-outdated online catalog so you'll have to ask. The new ones made from this template fit perfectly. If you're not in a rush, I have a spare in steel at my shop.

As for the tanks, new ones are still available as are stainless senders, both of which will make life much easier. However, I don't know how many tanks are left and I rather doubt that there will be more made once gone.

On the photos, this site's programming should have converted them automatically. If it didn't, merganser they were converted incorrectly and the site could not detect the format. Best t upload directly from your mobile device.

It looks like there are too many fittings between the filter and the carburetor. The 1/8" pipe male-to-male nib should go directly between them. I'll have to dig out photos of my own but I just replaced my filter to a stock unit (it had an aftermarket regulator) and I do not recall it sticking out so far.

The stock filter connection to the carb would be to have one fitting similar to if not that actual straight fitting you show in IMG 3859. If that fitting is 1/8" NPT on both sides that is probably the fitting needed. One side would thread directly into the carb and the other into the filter outlet.

I can't remember if the tubing goes straight in the filter from the front on single carbs or not. If so the filter input side would need a straight 5 /16" inverted flare to 1/8" NPT adapter similar to what is currently on the filter on the output side connecting to all the other fittings. That adapter would thread in the filter inlet port and the tubing would attach to that. If not straight in then instead of a straight fitting there would need to be a 5/16" inverted flare to 1/8" NPT 90 degree elbow.

Of course, if the carb inlet port was damaged at some point and someone drilled out to make a repair using a larger fitting then there is a possibility it would need some extra fittings to transition sizes.

Typically when the threads go bad, I will have a threaded insert installed so as to not need to add more plumbing. On my 1965 Cadillacs with Rochester carburetor, these often stripped out but rarely so in a Packard. However, I have seen them over-tightened to the point that the tapered pipe threads bottom out before sealing and that appears to be the case here as the adapter looks like it's right up against the casting. If so, that will need to be addressed. Depending on which carburetor you have, I may have an extra top cover but I'm not sure.

On the steel line (and I can speak only for 1956), the right angle was in the line itself but it threaded directly into the brass fitting on the filter's inlet rather than through a brass right angle. Below is what the 1956 line for 4-barrel looked like and would be similar for 2-barrel but with some slightly different bends at the top. Again, this is for 1956.

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