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A friend rebuilt the engine in his 54 Patrician 2 or 3 years ago. He said the parts cost about $1000. Seems to me I saw a rebuild kit offered by one of the Packard parts specialists for $995.

Owen, in re-reading your post I realized I did not post the results of shimming the oil pump. I did install a shim and it brought the oil pressure from 20 lbs to just under 40 lbs.
I know its probably a lesson in frustration but I've poured Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders and let it sit for a day. I also substituted 1qt of motor oil with the same. My car came equiped with an after market top end oiler (very cool old device!), I will fill this also and let the car run at an idle for an extended period. I may be asking for a miracle but its worth a try.
If this proves futile I'll plasti-guage the bearings and go from there.
Thanks again all.

If the "just under 40 pounds" of oil pressure you note is with warm oil, I'd be breathing a sigh of relief, even if it takes more than idle speed to attain it. Thus it would appear that the relief valve spring in your oil pump has fatigued and perhaps you should consider a new one as no doubt it will continue to loose tension. Good luck.

I tried the "engine cure in a bottle" (Marvel Mystery Oil) to no avail. I let the engine run at idle for about an hour. The oil pressure (cold) was just under 40 lbs but dropped to just above 20 lbs after a 1/2 hour. The clacking (yes JD it did sound like a threshing machine) never went away. I could not bare to treat the motor that way for too long!
OH well, you can't blame a guy for trying. Time to plasti-guage the bearings. I'm looking forward to seeing whats inside this engine.
I have bought parts from Kanter in the past but it took almost 10 days to get them, (it was just two small seals and a spring) has anyone else experienced slow shipping? Other than that they were very helpful.

I'd be interested in hearing more about that after market top end oiler. Can you post some pictures of how it's plumbed into the existing oil delivery system?

If it's the top end oiler I'm thinking of which was very common in its day and still around for purchase today (still new, I think), it isn't plumbed to the oiling system, it adds MMO to the fuel/air mixture via a thick plate beneath the carburetor with a small orifice. So really, it's just adding oil to the fuel mixture. It may appeal to the tinkerer but almost certainly performs no useful function.

Thanks O_D. I had edited my post to eliminate the part about the existing oil system since I realized I didn't know enough about the thing to assume it might affect the pigtail plumbing so critical to hydraulic lifters. But no sooner had I re-submitted the edited post I found you had answered with your lucid description of what a top oiler is. I changed my question back to the original form so your response would continue to make sense. Lightning fast typist that you are!

I don't know if an upper cylinder lubricator had anything to do with the following or not. But it is one of the differences in the equation. I have a 47 Custom Super 8 and a 49 super 8. The 47 has a MM oil upper cylinder lubrication system, the 49 does not. Both were stored for approximately 9 months. Both were started about every three weeks and run until the engine was up to normal operating temperature. Following this extended storage, I started both cars for a season of car shows. The 49 had sticking valves n four cylinders. I had to take it apart to remedy the problem. The 47 had not problems at all.

49packard, probably just by chance the 49 had sticking valves and the 47 didn't. As Owen stated (with regard to the topend oiler) "it may appeal to the tinkerer but almost certainly performs no useful function".

It may be just a coincidence. But, I am not convinced either way. I can see how the oil rich fuel could better lubricate the intake valve stems. Either way, I think I will leave it on the car. It was there when I got it.