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G'day all, i always had trouble getting the timing light to the flywheel pointer, so i used one of the timong cover bolts and a piece of one-eigth wire rod to form a pointer onto a mark on the harmonic balancer, co-inciding with the timing mark on the flywheel. This also works well on my 5th Series. best regards Peter Toet

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Thanks Peter, very relevant. Wade was just saying today the flywheel pointers are a real b@$#@>d to set the timing with and is going to rig a pointer up to a mark on the harmonic balancer like you've done!

I made a similar pointer for my 115C. Much easier to check the timing at the front of the engine.

(o[]o)

Tuesday 17th January 2012

Today was another day spent cleaning parts for Junior, at least it was for me. I'd planned to start by cleaning up the water pump but because it had evidence of leaking Wade took it under his wing and disassembled it. Just as well, it had been put together incorrectly for one, the backing plate had a crack and it also had part of the pump body broken! That didn't appear too big a problem because the pump I replaced out of my '38, back in 2007, was sitting on the shelf. However opening it up and separating the impeller shaft from the impeller was another matter altogether, but did end up using the backing plate from it, so it wasn't in vain. Mentioned yesterday that Wade drew up a set of blueprints for the 426 pumps, in fact having done a few different years and models Wade now has blueprints for a multitude of Packard water pumps. Dug out the one drafted for a '38 pump a year or so back and it turns out that where the pump body had broken is where Wade had Anglade machine off some metal. Not as much as is broken but not much less so another set of blueprints was drafted to cover the broken pump body contingency.

Yesterdays plan was to do a parts run today. But it didn't eventuate, cause Wade was waiting for the call from Brookers that never came. Would have then meant, after picking up the separated mainshaft from the donor trans, taking that mainshaft and the 2nd and top gear and bearing setups from Juniors trans to the Gearbox Factory at Revesby. Then dropping off the cam for Juniors engine with Graham at Wilkins Performance Engines, taking the three water pumps to David at Anglade Engineering and a trip to Grippy Rubber for the felt replacement for The Fossils floor unable to be sourced last week.

As I said my day was spent cleaning parts, Juniors trans case, OD case, trans mounts, waterpump body, waterpump impeller, bellhousing bottom, oil pump pickup, front motor mount and miscellaneous smaller pieces. After Wade finished his updated waterpump blueprints he moved on to Juniors OD. Started sorting the best parts to be used from Juniors and the donor OD. The lockout mechanism in Juniors OD case showed considerably more wear when compared to the mechanism in the donor OD. So Wade set about changing over mechanisms. This could be Wade's final frontier as far as Packard OD'S are concerned. I think every other part has been through his hands previously but not that. I think now Wade wishes he'd left it as is, being there must be a host of "special Packard tools" which weren't available to assist in doing this. But, be that as it may, Wade succeeded in getting it all back together and would certainly have appreciated just a few tools in particular, one for the circlip at the base of the lockout shaft and another for the tightening the bolt in the middle of the same shaft.

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Wednesday 18th January 2012

John, I think Wade would have been onto it like a shot if there was a spare water pump there. Besides with the machining work required that piece of the pump body is cut out and replaced with a press-fit sleeve for the rear bearing and modern seal, just means a slightly thicker flange now for that end of the sleeve.

Meanwhile, back at the workshop: Pedro, disguised as a door had his knob shot off! What! Where did that come from? From a looong time ago, that's where. But today basically for me, cleaning of parts continued, I think we've just about completed that aspect of things although the sump(oil pan) still needs to be finished. Wade also changed over the front trans bearing from the donor trans to Juniors clutch spigot shaft. The bearing on Juniors spigot, although good, didn't have a sealed face so was just an oil leak waiting to happen.

And had a visit from Harvey, Wade had a parcel of parts for Harvey from the US for rebuild of the trans for Kermit, the '39 Six Business Coupe that Harvey maintains for his boss. And very topically, Harvey brought Kermits mainshaft over with him, was concerned it wasn't good enough, but comparison with Juniors convinced him otherwise. Among the parts Wade had imported were a pair of new synchro rings so, seeing Harvey had brought Kermits old ones, they were left to be returned to the supplier for a core charge refund. Wade also took a trip around to see Col about the donor mainshaft but they haven't cut off the retaining collar yet so a parts trip still awaits.

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No, alas, it was an ebay purchase that doesn't fit. Another lesson learned. CHECK before putting on shelf.

Friday 20th January 2012

After yesterdays sabbatical, with the grand-daughters, it was back to cleaning Packard parts today. Finished the major clean up of the sump(oil pan) then turned to the front of Junior. It was only a couple of years ago I scraped and cleaned half of Idaho off the coupe's chassis and did a minor clean up of JohnM's '39 Six front chassis. Needless to say I wasn't looking forward to it because it's just a long, hard, dirty slog. Started on the left shock and from there the left side of the front crossmember. That's as far as I got, so will be back at it on Monday and hopefully should have it done by days end.

While I was doing that Wade was shuffling parts between the donor and Juniors trans and OD, having cleaned up the donor parts yesterday. Put together what he could from the parts available, the rest will have to wait for the mainshaft and parts coming from the US. Speaking of yesterday, Wade decided not to wait any longer for Col to part off the mainshaft retaining flange and undertook the parts trip anyway. Dropped the waterpumps off with David at Anglade, Juniors cam to Graham at Wilkins Performance Engines but struck out at Grippy Rubber, they didn't have a suitable substitute for the felt strips for The Fossil. The trip to the Gearbox Factory will now be next week anyway. Because Wade had a call from Col, later in the day, to say he'd been about to do the job but dropped the cutting bit and it shattered!

Did I mention waterpumps? I did, because earlier in the week I forwarded a link to Wade to this eBay listing. Wade called me yesterday, on my day off mind you, to say give it a go because the machining required to convert the pumps to modern bearings and seals was more than the value of the pump listed even including shipping of US$100! So did as I was bid and did bid, and successfully too. But, when I remitted payment, also queried the shipping charge of US$100, more in hope than expection, and was pleasantly surprised to wake this morning to find the seller had credited back US$28! Paid to ask the question! And speaking of eBay, Wade was also short a bulb for the Signal Stat turn signal unit on The Fossil. The bulb in the one I'd bought off eBay for him was fritzed. Had been looking for some weeks for a replacement on eBay and finally found this listing which I also forwarded to Wade. This too was part of yesterdays conversation, because Wade couldn't find the fritzed bulb which he'd put away in a very good safe place, isn't that the way it always goes? I was instructed to disassemble my Signal Stat to measure the bulb there. Me, on the tools? Yes, well after some hesitation, finally figured out the bulb was in a clip in the end of the signal shaft and removed and measured it up. Perfect, same dimensions! So eBay gained another transaction with the seller advising it was posted today. Later still Wade came back to say he'd found the fritzed bulb and to buy the bulbs listed. Was happy to inform Wade I was ahead of him and had already done so. Just wondering too, pity Fred still isn't with us, if the seller of the waterpump Old Parts Source of Montville NJ is Kanters of Boonton NJ by another name? Montville is only a mile or so up the road from Boonton.

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Yes, thanks a million, Mal. I agree this sort of thing is therapeutic.......seeing the old become nice again.........but then how much therapy does one need?

I owe ya one.

Is it just me or is anyone else wondering what is going on with the "Fossil"??

Tim,

There are some out there who take more than a passing interest in The Fossil, you are but one of them!

I am regularly approached by others and advised that Wade should cut back(read cut out) doing work for others on their Packards and concentrate on getting The Fossil completed. It's not as easy as that, first because Wade is a gentleman and wouldn't say no if he could help it. Secondly because of the stop start nature of the work required. It's often that you think you have everything ready to do something and find part way through doing it that you don't or a problem crops up that you weren't prepared for. In circumstances such as those a rethink or new or different parts are required which are often hard to find or require shipping time from overseas. This makes it a stop start process as best, consequently it gets worked on when the planets, and parts, align.

In the last year more has probably been done than the previous two years put together so progress is being made. I think the restoration has been going on for about 8 to 10 years. Probably would have been finished by now except a fire completely destroyed the finished and painted body a few years after resto started. So this is body #2 which was married with the chassis back in November 2010. And, rest assured, when work is done I will report on it.