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Better to connect it to an external tank with electric fuel pump and give it fresh gasoline. I use a Fiberglas boat tank for the purpose but small steel tanks are cheap and easy to find. Dumping gasoline into the carburetor does not meter it properly so you'll never know how well it runs by doing that and it's a major fire risk!

Had fire extinguisher at ready! (I keep one in all my vehicles)

So, update, She runs!
I removed the carburetor and did as much flushing and cleaning as I could without taking the whole thing apart.
It worked!
The throttle was stiff but a quick shot of PB Blaster freed that up (I'll follow with some proper oil later)

I was feeding the engine with a modified bottle about two feet above carburetor and it would run for maybe 20 seconds before it quit.
I know the carb is not optimum so not sure why this is. I can increase and decrease RPM with a twist of the throttle.

Perhaps I need greater fuel pressure than 2 feet of head pressure it's getting from a bottle hanging off the hood?

I've got some blueish smoke at the exhaust but that could be (?) from the ATF I dosed each of the cylinders with after removing plugs to lube top end.

Somewhere I have a lift pump from my diesel suburban. Perhaps that could temporarily take the place of the stock fuel pump for experimentation.

Thanks for your help, everybody! What did we do before the internet?"

Congratulations. Without a filter, gravity with a couple of feet as a head should provide plenty of fuel pressure so unless you were running fuel thru the typical ceramic filter Packard used I expect you still have a carb issue you need to sort. No idea how much pressure a lift pump will supply but the stock mechanical pump on the engine puts out about 4 1/2 psi. Those old carbs cannot accept much more than 5 or 6 psi at the carb inlet or pressure will overpower the inlet valve operated by the float and gas will pour into the carb and then leak down into the manifold.

Before the internet: make friends at a local car club and call or ask them at meetings, talk to a neighbor or family member who knew cars, read the service manual, motor manuals, and library books on how to be a DIY mechanic. Of course, back in the day, all of these sources were much more available.

What I wonder is how people kept obscure brass era cars (i.e. not Model T's) running before the internet when they were 70 years old already.

I can look up the part and see what the pressure is. Another way would be to do a more secure container that I could raise a little higher.
I think the carb is still in need of some TLC. But at least it's running.


Odometer reads 96,000 That seems like a lot for an older car. Any thoughts guys?

It is a lot. But usually not enough to kill a Packard Straight 8.

Run a compression test if you want.

If your carb and ignition is ancient it will never run well, just keep working through it.

I always recommend taking out the plugs and filling the cylinders with oil, loosely screwing the plugs back and letting it sit for a few days, before trying to start a car that hasn’t been run in years. You have to then remove the plugs, lay a towel down the engine’s head and crank it over a few times to blow out the excess. When it starts, it will really smoke for a while as it burns off the residue but at least you’ll know that the rings and valve guides are lubricated.

The oil in the engine is pretty dirty.
can I drop the oil pan easily? I'd like to clean any crud that may have settled on the bottom before doing an oil and filter change.

Thanks All!

It is not too terrible a project and well worth doing but can be messy and time consuming. On those engines with a front motor mount like yours there is also a good chance the rubber in the motor mount has deteriorated and let the engine drop a bit. You MAY need to use a floor jack with some wood to spread the load under the pan to lift the engine slightly. If you do need more clearance then on a 356 before raising check on both sides near the front for any small auxiliary stabilizers that are bolted to the front cross member and loosen those before raising. Once raised then figure out how and where to best block the engine a bit higher above the front crossmember so as to have enough clearance to slide the pan back and out. Remember to keep the pan edges clear of any supports. Been a while but if memory serves there may be bolts at the rear of the pan under the lower bellhousing cover so I believe that will also need to come off. When removing that it may not be evident but one of the transmission bolts at the bottom will also need to be removed to get the cover off. Once the pan starts out you may also need to turn the crank so counterweights can clear the pan baffles or front of pan as you slide it back.

When it is out, note the pan edges around the bolt holes and check them while it is off. Use a straightedge to check for any raised areas around a bolt which can happen if the bolt is over torqued and gasket was compressed too much. Use a round end hammer to gently hammer any raised hole edges back to flush or there is a good chance the new pan gasket will leak.

Don't forget to clean the oil pump pickup screen while you are cleaning the pan.

Sounds good, Thanks for the info.

Yes, definitely check oil pickup for trash.