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Thanks Ross

Sounds like I need to go out and get some more oil!

Cheers

Brian

Hello Howard

Just read your comment re positioning of the gear selector etc. on right hand drive cars. It was conventional at the time to have it on the right (on locally built cars), so the turn signal stalk was always on the left. I can't remember seeing any the other way around. Today, Australian built cars generally have the turn signal on the right - European cars on the left - and gear selector on the tunnel in the middle. Plus a blaze of other functions on two stalks attached to each side of the steering column. One of which doubles as the turn signal. You find out which by trial and error. Or as a last resort, by consulting the user manual. Then of course there are all the new cars with paddle shifters on the steering column - some of which move with the wheel and some don't. Ah...the simplicity of old Packards.

Cheers Brian

Quote:
Brian,

Not sure that's correct, but what would I know?

Learned to drive on a FB Holden then drove for many years on a EH Holden, both of which had the gear selector lever on the left side of the column with the turn signals on the right side. My '50 Packard is the same. Same with the '48 Chassis, the gear selector is on the left side of the column.

I know I had trouble driving in the US when, instead of the turn signals, I turned on the wipers by mistake seeing they were on the other side to what I was used to.

Hello Mal

Yes, of course you're right. I was talking with some friends last night who also reminded me that the turn signal stalk on Australian cars was usually on the right of the column. European RHD cars were normally on the left. Maybe Packard were just falling in line with European practice on the RHD Clipper. When column shift came to the Packards (1939?), it was on the right of the column so it may just have been habit.

I was also reminded that vacuum wipers were in use much longer than I recalled. They were gone by the time my parents' EJ Holden appeared, but apparently were on most of the earlier Holdens. My early transport was things like Simca's which had a floor mounted gear change and no turn signals.

So now I'm wondering exactly when the electric wipers appeared on my Clipper. I had assumed it was delivered new like that, but it may have been changed when the oil pump was replaced and no more vacuum to be had. I'll take a closer look at the plumbing on the engine - may give a clue.

Obviously, electric wipers were not unknown to Packard. The 1941 120 Club Coupe had them.

Cheers

Brian

In addition to electric wipers on some prewar 110-120s they also used electric wipers on the 46-7 Clippers. IMO, it was odd the way electrics and vacuum was chosen. Apparently Packard thought vacuum was the better option since they used it in the premium models, went electric on the low ends and except for the brief postwar period stayed with vacuum.

I never understood the reasoning of electric on juniors and the Clipper, vacuum on seniors with the junior and seniors sharing essentially the same body. On the 46-7 Clippers it was electric on all which was probably due to the car being almost identical to the prewar models which had electric. 48 and on it was vacuum all the way to the end unless the 57-8s are counted in which case it was electric because Studebaker had switched to all electric years earlier and those last models were in all but name Studebakers.

Interesting insight Howard. I remember being surprised to see vacuum wipers on the 1939 12 Limo which was up for sale at the Gosford Museum. There's not a lot wrong with the electric wipers on the 19th series. I wonder why Packard thought they were inferior to vacuum? Maybe vacuum was quieter?

Sticking with vacuum using the oil pump to do double duty on the V8 seems to have cost them dearly, particularly in 1955 when the engine first appeared and began suffering reliability problems.

Brian

Silence, infinitely variable speed, variable stroke, and parking outside of the normal sweep area are all advantages of vacuum wipers. Before the advent of inexpensive solid state timers vacuum also allowed the washer coordinator. With a vac motor rebuild by Ficken they have worked swell on all my cars. Just because we don't understand the reasons for things doesn't mean the choice was capricious.

I would point out that the concurrent Cadillac also had vacuum wipers and even the same oil pump-driven vacuum pump. Am not aware if they had oil pump problems but have never heard of any. Am pretty well convinced Packard's problems originated elsewhere in the pump. If anything the additional torque load of the vac pump translated into increased lateral load on the input shaft.

Just for the record, the plate between the vac and oil sections was steel.

Well, yesterday I got lucky. Managed to track down and speak with a guy who owned my Clipper for many years. A very fruitful discussion ensued. Here's what I discovered:

1 The oil pump was sent back to Packards International for overhaul and their mod (about 15 years ago - pre Olds mod) which involved a more substantial bottom plate. The lifters still chatter if the oil level is low, but keeping it full seems to work. I'm going to stop worrying about it, and just watch the oil level.

2 So I now know that the electric wiper setup was a later addition, using locally sourced components. Very neat and works well.

3 He had a head burn between the ports on one cylinder, and replaced it since it was not repairable.

4 He fitted an electric fuel pump with a switch under the dash for start up priming. I noticed it was a bit slow to suck fuel after sitting awhile. So now have a fix at zero cost and effort!

5 He's a fan of Edelbrock carbs, and sourced a four barrel inlet manifold somewhere (another Packard?) plus bolted a four barrel Edelbrock to it. Exhaust system was also replaced with a dual stainless system. All this helps explain why it goes so well.

6 Last but not least he had a set of Packard wire wheels on the car. Of course they did not fit as they came (because of the Senior bolt pattern) so he modified them with Ford 5"x5" pattern hubs. When he sold the car, a Packard-owning friend wanted the wheels, so he fitted Ford rims to it with correct wheel covers. The friend still had the wheels after he discovered they would not fit on his '54 Patrician (?) because of the hub mods. So guess who now has the wire wheels?

Incidentally, this same former owner has a beautifully restored 1956 400 in yellow/white, with quite a few invisible mods. He converted it to right hand drive and fitted power steering using some other brand (smaller) unit . I think he said he has also replaced the auto transmission.

I know that the 1956 Clipper never had wire wheels, but I like it with them and will definitely use them. Here's a pic he sent me of the car with them on, when the paint looked more respectable.

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It's a very nice looking car and to me the 1956 Clippers (and Executive) were about the nicest looking Packards built in that era although perhaps I'm a bit prejudiced because I have one. They seem so sporty and unbulky by comparison to the others. As for the wire wheels, they were an accessory so perhaps one could have had them even on the Clipper!

Thanks Ross

Yes, in fairness everything you say is true. I'm tainted by having owned a postwar English car with vacuum wipers, which were indeed very quiet. Especially when they weren't working which was most of the time. Others obviously fared better with them and they were used for quite a while after the war.

I'd say it's well established that the oil pump on the Packard V8s had some design problems, but it's true that it's still not clear exactly what they were. The pump in my Clipper now is the Packards International version of a fix, which seems not to have solved the problem.

It has also become apparent that there were shortcomings in the design of the Packard V8 heads. Perhaps due to the inlet and exhaust ports being too close together? Whatever the case, many have failed and been replaced.

Thanks for keeping the record straight.

Cheers Brian