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Friday 11th April 2014

Seeing Wade had stayed overnight with John I was beaten into the workshop by a good margin this morning. Once there Wade continued with the front suspension disassembly making good progress. Continued the disassembly until it was finished and then set about the reassembly process. A couple of bushes and pins were pushed in but again this necessitated securing the right pieces to be able to the job. Also entailed cleaning up of the eyes of rust and to ensure their smoothness. Then I was tasked with cleaning the partly reassembled pieces which Wade will complete on his return home. Wade also loaded up the Ute with various other parts for his trip home, some of which are likely to be on the market in the near future.

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Tuesday 22nd April 2014

Yesterday, at the workshop, Wade dropped off more Trans and OD parts for cleaning. So spent a couple of easy hours today cleaning those parts. Think that will just about do it although when 1) the Trans to OD Adaptor, 2) the Mainshaft EDIT - Should be Countershaft and 3) the double row bearing for the OD arrive, 1) and 2) will probably need cleaning too!

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Wednesday 23rd April 2014

"Think that will just about do it although when 1) the Trans to OD Adaptor, 2) the Mainshaft and 3) the double row bearing for the OD arrive, 1) and 2) will probably need cleaning too!"

Speaking of the Devil, the Mainshaft should be Countershaft(US) or Layshaft(Oz) arrived today while my wife and I were out in the Coupe. We were on a reconnaissance run to a Restoration Workshop about 90kms away. This in preparation for it being one of the daily run venues for our Aussie National Packard Rally next year.

Anyway, when we arrived home there was a mailing tube propped up next to the front door. Only trouble was a cap was missing from one end of the tube! Approached the tube with some trepidation, but on picking it up there was definitely weight there so relaxed. Pulled out the newspaper packing from the open end and YES, there was the Countershaft.
Looks real good, and it's all to Greg, saltydog! It will require minimal cleaning, if any, and is a much, much better shaft than the corrugated shaft it replaces!

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Thursday 24th April 2014

Took the replacement countershaft to the workshop and very lightly cleaned it. Also picked up the mainshaft which had the new front bearing positioned on it. But Wade wasn't happy with the feel of the bearing once it was on the shaft. Apparently it has some drag which shouldn't be there, although to these inexperienced hands and fingers it seemed good to me. Took it over to ABC Bearings to exchange it but was told because it had been "fitted" they wouldn't exchange it! Not to worry, for the sake of $20 I bought another! Countershaft, Transmission Clutch Shaft and 2 bearings now await pickup by Wade when he's next in town. Also added the details of the replacement front and rear trans bearings to the Packard Parts X-Ref

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Thursday 1st May 2015

Met Wade at the workshop this morning then proceeded to the hinterland of Sydney's Northern Beaches to provide succour to Roy, Richards '39 110 Convertible Coupe. Last month Roy had, to use the RR expression, failed to proceed. With the automobile club patrolman determining there was spark going into the distributor, but none coming out. Good to see there are still patrolmen who have such basic skills. Too often now they are more reliant on plug in technological feedback than basic diagnostic techniques. The patrolman did use some nail polish on the inside of the rotor, because he thought it was cracked, but that didn't make any difference. I later lent Richard a new rotor button, but using that didn't work either. Enter Wade with a boxful of tools, a couple of coils and a couple of rotor, cap and points sets. First it was determined there was a big fat spark coming out the coil, #1 to the patrolman. And no spark from the distributor to the plugs, #2 to the patrolman. Distributor cap off and the rotor button I'd lent to Richard had a chunk missing out of one side, besides not having the internal metal fitting in it's centre hub. Replaced it with a new rotor button from Wade's stock, but it too didn't have the internal metal fitting in it's centre hub! Transplanted the internal metal fitting from the rotor button Richard had replaced into the centre hub of the new rotor button and VOILA, there was spark! Seems like replacement rotor buttons don't have the internal metal fitting in their centre hubs and depend on there being one available to be transplanted! But Roy wouldn't start, so pulled the plugs, using vice grips. Although Wade had brought a lot of tools there wasn't a plug spanner or a spanner big enough to fit the spark plugs. Pulling the plugs revealed they were all heavily fouled and the spare set that Richard had at hand were similarly afflicted. So back to the workshop, cleaned twelve plugs, borrowed a plug spanner from John and back to Roy.

Six newly cleaned plugs later And Roy was running but, although running, was running like a hairy goat. Running excessively rich, and even though the mixture needle was screwed right in(Roy is using a Holden carburettor), which improved things somewhat it still wasn't right. So then pulled the carburettor. A phone call to Tim at Carburettor Service Company and we were off, back to the workshop and then onto Carburettor Service Company. However once back at the workshop I stayed there, while Wade went on to Carburettor Service Company. Why did I stay at the workshop? Why, to clean parts of course. The parts being a pair of 120 rear axles Wade is giving me. Wade had picked them up years ago as spares for Old Blue, but had never had to use them. And rather than take them north with him, I was their lucky recipient. One thing I noticed with these axles is they don't have the castellated nut and split pin I've usually seen on 120 axles. These don't have a hole through the axle end for a split pin. Instead they rely on a large star style washer with an internal 'prong' to engage the keyway in the axle and the external 'prongs' being bent over the flats of the axle nut to stop it from turning. Is this a feature on say early 120 axles or.......what? By the time I'd cleaned up the axles Wade had returned from dropping off the carby at Carburettor Service Company with the news that Tim should have it ready in a couple of days. Next time down Roy will be reunited with his carburettor, while the old bearings will be pushed off the axles, so I can take the axles home. Speaking of which, before doing that, I need to have a good garage clean and rearrangement to make space for all my Packard parts. And also scored a 120 HC head, it had come with the '46 282 engine Wade had used as the replacement block for the 120 in Odd Blue which was cracked and beyond repair.

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Mal, interesting pair of axle shafts. I have only seen shafts that use a castellated nut and split pin. Also, it looks to me as if the bearings are on backwards. What do you think?

(o{}o)

"it looks to me as if the bearings are on backwards"

John,

Methinks you are right! Something about not seeing the forest for the trees or, in this case, the bearings for the axles.

Are we talking about the roller bearings being backward? They look OK to me -- at least from what I can see that is how they are positioned in mine or what am I missing?

The lack of a cotter key is more strange. I've not seen the bent over washer used to any extent except on the front spindles.

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Howard, thanks for the manual image showing the shaft, bearing, and race. A moment of confusion.

(o{}o)

Just by memory the threaded stub of the axle appears shorter than what I recall. I've seen a few where the threaded stub had broken off completely or nearly so but it's hard to think of where the forces would come from to break one at the cotter pin hole. Perhaps just someone thinking they were smarter than the engineers who designed it? Are we sure it's a Packard axle?