Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I had a professor in college who was a big Packard fan, and he often would rail on about Packard being run into the ground and sold off for the assets.

Back to our show, Don you have a fair amount of work just deciding what car to work on first!

Right now I'm working on the 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood and have it roadable once again although not running all that well yet. The engine was fully rebuilt before it was parked so I was surprised just how much work it took just to get it this far and the next visit will be to try to get it running better.

Next is the 1965 Imperial LeBaron which lost a freeze plug in the bitter cold of Central Oregon (without a cracked block, I hope), then on to the 1954 Patrician. All the cars were placed into the shop just to be worked on in this order but as I progress it will get easier and easier as I'll be able to drive cars out of the way rather than having to slide them sideways on dollies!

I don't know if you are a member or not but if you Google 65 Cadillac forum, you will find a site dedicated to 65 and 66 Cadillacs. I have a 66 Deville convertible that I'm trying to get road worthy as well.

Yes, thank you! I know about it and am a member but have removed all my postings from it.

Quote:

Was he by any chance an economics professor?

Anyway, a question regarding an overhaul of a '66 Cadillac 429 in the "Autos" section of the paper last weekend mentioned that, in the interests of "saving" the float bowl from cracking if water is trapped inside and freezes in cold weather, the carb manufacturers put an "expansion plug" in the float bowls. These plugs apparently tend to work loose and develop leaks, draining bowls between starts. (Possibly raising havoc with fuel level during operation, too??)

(The author stated that he had tried various sealers and epoxies and has had little success in stopping the leaks on his '70 Corvettes, but then, he doesn't follow PackardInfo.)

Just a thought, since you're dealing with rough running after a rebuild and the car was parked for some time.

Remember, I am not an expert (see below).

For non-Packard questions you can PM me although I'm not sure I can help much. I've only recently gotten back into working on my cars after nearly 30 decades which was the point of the posting in the first place. I've had many Cadillacs, though, so I might still remember some tidbits!

I've only recently gotten back into working on my cars after nearly 30 decades...

Which would make you the oldest active participant on PackardInfo and perhaps explain some memory loss.

Let me rail on about college professors not knowing anything about the car business. If the aren't doing scientific or mathematics research they should shut up.

Quote:
I doubt very much that I am the oldest active participating member here! I bought my first Packard as a 16-year old in the mid-'60s when I lived in Bellevue, WA (I bought it in the small town of Hadlock) and there are a couple photo albums for it on my Packard / IMPERIAL Page (the photo albums are currently functioning poorly on some browsers and mobile devices but I'm working on it). By the time I was 17-years old, I had four Packards: a 1939 Six, two 1940 110s and a 1941 Henney-Packard hearse end-loader with extension table. None were quite yet even antiques either but had all lead rough lives so were not in great condition. Only one of them, a 1940 110, became a regular driver after some restoration.

Other members have mentioned personal car-related experiences to me and I read them in various postings that happened so long ago that make it impossible for me to be the oldest. The memory loss is due to a head trauma around the same time, not age!