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A growing family and work commitments has kept me out of the barn for a few weeks, but today I had had enough. A couple hours in and now the car has no rear axle, or suspension. I tried to separate the springs from the car while still attached, I must be missing something. Now that they are away from the frame, maybe I can figure it out.

Saturday, the family and I got to ride around for the better part of an hour in a mid twenties Packard phaeton. I am a little embarrassed to admit, this was the first time that I had heard a Packard run in person. Nothing like seeing the light, (albeit a much more expensive light) at the end of the tunnel.

But a trip is just a change of location without the journey.

Hi Ray. I responded to your PM about parts you were looking or. I'm hoping the message delivered to you. I'm sorry it took so long to respond. I thought packardinfo sent a message to my personal e-mail whenever I got a message. Anyway I think I have some of the parts you are looking for. Best way to reach me is at mlavin73@gmail.com

Free at last..., I haven't spent much time on the car in the last few months, (life and all). But, I corrected that today, in a big way. Engine is free of the frame.

In looking at the wiring that remains, it looks as though residential electrical junction boxes were used close to the frame. I would think that this would have been much to inaccessible for a shoddy repair, so I believe it is original. Looks very strange in a car.

Giddy,

Ray,

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I'm not very familiar with 5th series cars but I rather doubt residential style junction boxes were used as I'm not sure they were even in home useage then, most residential wiring of the time being of the "knob & tube" style. How about a couple of pictures of the wiring junctions in question? And other interesting engine & driveline features?

ok, not exactly a modern "junction box" but similar idea. Also remember this car was parked in 1948. clamps on the side of box are not new style.

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OK, thanks for the photo, interesting, sure is a junction box. I suppose where the wires exit the center hole there was some sort of insulator? Looks like a cut and crimped Bijur line in the background - usually has bad consequences for the suspension and brake system.

Looking forward to more photos.

the cut line was my doing. The line itself was damaged, I figured that it was better to sacrifice the line in order to keep the fittings intact, until I had better access. the picture doesn't show how buried this piece was, I can't imagine that it would have been done as a repair. To mount the box, you would have had to all but remove the motor.

I'm no expert on this but IIRC the flexible metal tubing leading to the juction box was known as Greenfield conduit. It was used in houshold electrical wireing as early as 1926 that i am aware of. I believe the knob and tube household wireing was used or discontinued very early around turn of the centrury and involved using bare wire with no insulation. I have a few of those porcelen or baked clay or what ever they are made of tubes around here. They're white and used now for touching up knife blades.

PackardV8, my house, built 1914, still has renmants of its original knob and tube wiring. The house was electrified about 1920. Knob & tube was used well into the 20s. It DOES NOT use naked copper wire; insulated wire is run, usually about 1 foot apart, and where it passes thru rafters etc. it passes thru porcelain tubes for protection which can be ganged together via a knob at one end. Where junctions are required the insulation is stripped and the joining wires soldered and wrapped. I know, this is a lousy description of it, but hlpe you get the picture. Though antiquated it's very safe in that generally the two wires have extreme separation. Biggest problem is no ground.

PS - if this is still going on tomorrow, I'll go take some pictures of vintage knob and tube wiring.

WAY OFF topic, but one of the interesting things to me was when the electrified a house with original gas lamps, when the did ceiling lamps the wires were run thru the original gas pipe in the ceiling plaster.

Ray. How many such junction boxes are there on the car??? Does the flexible metal tubing for the wires extend to the rear of the car too???