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Another very busy couple of days as I sort out a few problems since getting the '51 'mobile'.

Regarding the timing: I checked the advance again, this time lowering the idle speed a bit more by placing the car in 'H' range and chocking the wheels. Then I hooked the Lucas strobe light up to 12volts instead of the 6volts I used last time.

I was thinking the 12V strobe might not trigger correctly on 6V and therefore I'd possibly see the chalk mark in the wrong position on the harmonic balancer.

I now see #1 firing much closer to 6degrees BTDC. Looks like around 8 degrees . . .So this seems 'acceptable' because if I rotate the dizzie any further, the engine starts to run rough and would likely stall.

On reconnecting the vacuum advance I see the timing advancing a hell of a lot (- maybe 20 degrees?) when the engine is revved. (All this is made a bit more complicated by not having a device that measures RPM. I'm going to buy a laser Tachometer soon).

Car is running / starting / idling ok and some driving around today in warm weather didn't cause any overheating . . . my 'hidden' temp gauge read around 160 to 180 degrees maximum.

Wheel alignment was done today, and the alignment shop said it was very close to OK before they did anything. Tracking was 15mm (about 3/4inch) out so my rough set-up was reasonably close it seems.

It will take quite some time to get used to driving the '51!
It feels VERY different to the family car, but that's going to be part of the enjoyment I think.

Next to be done is getting one of my two voltage regulators adjusted right. Both have problems, and seems I might have to buy a new or reconditioned one. Not so easy to get hereabouts! Probably will order one off Max Merritt if one doesn't come up on ebay.

Had a GREAT drive today with my wife. We traveled over 60 miles up hill and down dale, and the '51 performed very well.

A couple of mates came along in their '53 Clipper just in case, while we visited another Packard enthusiast who is restoring a '35 coupe.

The Auto electrician had gotten one regulator working properly so I fitted that before we left and it seems to be OK now.

Car steered well, climbed the longest steepest hill around these parts in high range (just!) and didn't overheat despite it being quite a warm to hot day. And to make it an even better day, when we got back home there were four new tyres had been delivered there! (The tyres I have on are very old so I don't trust to use them).

Now two problems are to be investigated . . .

The Ultramatic does what it should except it won't release from direct drive (or kick down into converter mode either) but stays locked in DD and I have to select Neutral as I slow to a stop or stall the car. Otherwise the Ultra seems to be very good, changing correctly and no noises / groans / shudders are evident.

I think the DD lockup problem might relate to either a dirty or faulty Governor, or a stuck valve. Will check the governor first as that seems more likely to be the cause.

Second problem is that I have filled the tank, yet found that after just a few short runs I ran out of gas. (Petrol gauge is apparently not working).

When refilling, the tank only takes around 2 gallons!

All I can think of that might cause this problem is the pickup tube could have a hole in it towards the top of the tank, and pump is sucking air after a small amount of fuel has been used. (The tank is in very good condition, still is shiny silver inside so a hole in the pickup is a surprise to me).

Can anyone advise if a small optic fibre camera is able to be used to see inside the tank?

And IF I have a hole in the line, will that mean cutting a hole in the tank to get access to the tube, or is there a better way to fix the hole?

Would chemical lining be a good way to fix the hole problem?

On the trans, believe Ross has mentioned the dirty governor as the most likely culprit in not dropping out when coming to a stop. According to Packard that should happen at about 11 mph. Believe cleaning the governor would be easier as a first try than dropping the pan for the valve. I would also verify the throttle linkage adjustment.


You can use a camera on the tank but it would be best at the sender opening as I doubt you could see much from the fill pipe. To give an idea of what you will see here is a photo of a tank interior Ross posted a year or two ago..

If the tank is stock having a pinhole that close to the top and only needing two gallons is odd. The inlet line enters at approx 1/2 tank and first bend that is vulnerable is there. The second point that usually goes is the top of U bend before it drops to the pickup area and is at approx 1/4 tank. At that low gallons of use before problems would wonder if the cap vent hole is open or if something is sloshing around and intermittently blocking the inlet opening.

I doubt any coating would reliably hit the exact spot needed and stay but maybe. If you do use one be sure not to leave the tank flat as it dries. The little triangular depression at the bottom of fuel line opening has filled with the surplus and clogged the line opening thoroughly on more than one tank.

It is too bad freight costs so much to Australia because the price of Kanters new repro tanks is less than what has typically been reported for a quality repair.

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Even before you clean the governor, you could give the car several kickdowns at say 40 to help loosen up the shift valve. If that does not work, then it is on to cleaning the governor, and then after that the valve body.

Lee,

Great way to test your Packard, in company with another and visiting another one as well! Interested in what tyres you decided to go with after our conversation earlier this week. Also, appears your overheating drama has been overcome?

Thank you Howard and Ross for this very helpful info. So good to have a pic of the dissected tank and to see what lies therein.

Regarding the petrol problem, I will drive a quiet road until I run out of gas, and refill from container(s) to see if it is a ?-tank, or ?-tank problem (or perhaps something else). That will be more enjoyable than taking out the bung and measuring what drains from the tank!

Will try a few kick-downs as suggested before anything else is attempted to fix the Ultramatic problem.

Mal, we had a good social get-together here with Chris and Michael.

I think the overheating was a 'one-off', due mainly to letting the car idle for 5-10 minutes immediately after a drive (while I fiddled around checking this and that). However the timing was possibly too advanced (- difficult to tell, see post above re: high idling revs and using a 12V strobe on 6Volts).

During the long drive yesterday the temp gauge sat well to the cool side of mid-point the whole time.

I also fitted a new cap . . . had to settle for a new 7psi one as NatRad didn't have a 12psi in stock. The new cap had quite a lot more spring tension than the old 7psi one and is a better seal (- new rubber) so that will help. Old cap was 'chirping' as vapour was forcing its way past.

Time will tell if I need to go to a 12psi cap.

Apologies Mal - I forgot to mention tyres. I settled for Coker Classics H78-15 WWW, similar to the ones I have on there now (which are VERY old H78-15 'Grand Prix'). Had talked with a few people and checked opinions on this site and there is a lot of different opinion on tyres.

I have now driven quite a few kms with the old 4-ply polyesters and was pleasantly surprised with ride and handling. Also, they look totally authentic. Sure, they do wander slightly on some imperfect roads but IMHO that is a very minor problem, and only occasional.

I was undecided until I checked price and availability of alternatives. Five radials (175-75 15's) would cost me around $450 MORE than what I got. Plus there are no radials available (at the 'good price') until January, when Antique Tyres gets a container unloaded. That helped me decide.

Another short drive yesterday to a local 'Show and Shine'. Still have much of the interior trim to fit including carpet, but I went anyway.

Had a lot of positive comments about the '51, and there were quite a few people who thought it was 'advanced' for 1951 in terms of style, mechanicals and fittings etc. A few people had never seen or heard of 'Packard'. There are only two other (driveable) Packards nearby to my town so not many people are aware of the marque.

One task left is to get the wipers working. The Trico doesn't quite work the wipers, but I haven't lubricated it yet. I am hoping that a couple of teaspoons of ATF into the motor will loosen it up and make it work. Otherwise it's a kit, or sending to the USA to Ficken for a rebuild.

Please don't use ATF in a vacuum motor, either use vacuum oil or a light silicone oil or grease.

If you have a vacuum wiper motor, it might just be gummed up with old lube. I took mine apart and the internals (especially the flapper vane inside with the rubber seal) were in great shape luckily, so I cleaned it all up and then lubed it up with silicone dielectric grease (Dow Corning DC-4) and now it works great.

You want to avoid anything in there that would eat the rubber seal. If your seals are rotted then I think Flicken is your only choice for a rebuild, they don't sell parts.