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Those 'bolt and sleeve' after market links are pretty common. I got a pair from NAPA that were for a '59 Impala... saved the neoprene? grommets and threw the rest in my spare bolt bucket. The whole NAPA kit cost way less than buying the individual grommets from specialized suppliers and they fit my '50 Packard very nicely.

Tuesday 9th September 2008

Had a call from Harvey last night to say the dash is finished and I could pick it up. Picked it up tonight and it looks GREAT. It'll be the best part on the '41!

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Wednesday 10th September 2008

Arrived at the workshop to find Wade sorting through some old clothing and linen he'd brought back from Gilgandra which is about 280 miles North West. While Gina and Wade were there visiting Gina's 89yo Mum, Wade had cleaned out the shed, taking eight loads to the local tip, but had saved the clothing and linen for use as shop rags. Showed Wade the rivets I procured for him last week and he approved of the sample one. Also showed him the connectors I bought and the rivets too, but my rivets proved to be too long for the job. So I left to see Richard and pick up the "approved" rivets for Wade and to try and find some shorter rivets for myself. Mission accomplished, except the rivets I got had larger heads but I thought I could grind them down to suit.

Then it was on to photographing Richard and his cars and along the way hearing stories about them. Including back to the original owner in the case of the '24 Vauxhall 30/98 and some of the features and fittings adorning it. Richard is the only Top Bow maker in the Australasian region, and regarding Packards, he tells me he made a set for a Twin Six from Denmark, one of only 2 known of that particular model. He made them from photographs and measurements only, not having the old ones for patterns! All in, I spent a very enjoyable hour and a half there with Richard, most of which was just talking and photographing and getting immersed in his cars, stories and Top Bows after the rivet business was done. I've included a link below to my Picasa webpage which contains the pic's from today. There are some very interesting pic's there especially of some of the '24 Vauxhall 30/98's features. One of those pic's is of an original conrod, but Richard has had new conrods made in England from aluminium as the original duralium ones can fail over time.

Then it was off to Dick Smith Electronics for the replacement Tilt Switch for the boot light only to be told it was a discontinued line but a similar one might be available from Jaycar Electronics. Back at the workshop Wade said he'd check out Jaycar, and tonight I did too, so no doubt I'll be off to see them in the near future. Then to the new rivets to be used as wiring contacts. I offered my suggestion of grinding down the heads but, after some consideration, Wade came up with the idea of putting them in the drill press and using a file to bring the heads down to an acceptable size. And..... it worked, spent a half hour or more chucking up the rivets and applying a file to them as they rotated in the drill press! See pic's. And last, I have included a couple of pic's of dipsticks for Eric following on from our Chat Room session last night. And I've emailed Richard a link to this post and asked him to advise of any errors I've made in my comments or captions, so these may be updated in the near future.

EDIT - Link to Picasa album now included
picasaweb.google.com/ozstatman/WadeSWorkshopSept08#

Further EDIT - Picture fixed

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Dipstick looks just like the one I won on eBay, hopefully it works with minor to little modification on my 327!

Thursday 11th September 2008

A infamous day. I was up early that day in 2001 and heard the news on the radio so switched on the TV and saw the amazing live scenes in New York and at the Pentagon. Never to be forgotten.

Couple of hours at the workshop this morning during which we (using the royal plural here, as it's really Wade with Mal helping here and there) fitted the new stop and taillight wires with the filed down rivets. I refiled all the rivets this morning to reduce the head size again as some were bigger than others but took them all down and it didn't take long so I must be getter better at that. But the whole exercise this morning took considerable time because of the very hands on nature of the work, tinning the wire, cleaning the hollow inside of the rivet, soldering the rivets to the wire, filing off the overflow of solder from the rivets, wrestling the insulator disc and the completed soldered-up wires into the bulb socket so that the stop and taillight contacts are in the correct position and not 180 degrees out, to name some of the steps taken, etc, etc. Then, while Wade went for a walk around to Repco the local parts store and from which he returned empty handed, I installed the taillight housings, housing to fender gasket, rubber grommets, taillight retaining plates and fed the stop and taillight wires through the already grommetted holes in the trunk floor.

Next Tuesday Wade leaves for Canada and the US including Hershey, so for the next 6 weeks this narrative is going to be fairly sparse. There isn't much that I can do without Wades advice and guidance so until then I might get to the workshop only once or twice a week. I will be chasing a few parts still needed so that they are to hand when work in ernest resumes. And even then Kevin's '35 need to be finished, which shouldn't take too much, and the rebuilt trans for John's '39 should have arrived from the US. What I will do is compile a list of the work remaining on the '41 and post a copy here, no doubt missing something major along the way. There will be a few things I can manage un-aided and I'll do those of course.

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Turbo -- so you're the dirty rotten scoundral that aced me out by $0.50 on that dipstick :D

Phil you should have bid a little more, I only bid it up to $15.99! LOL!

Nice work on the bulb sockets and the dash is gorgeous! I toast you with two rootbeers.

A list of the work still required on the '41. It's not in order of process to be performed, as that could be dependent on a number of factors. The lines in blue are those items I will do while Wades away.

- Clean dirt and surface rust from floor in trunk under taillight areas and POR-15
- Install new cowl vent gasket
- Re-install cowl vent, opening mechanism and handle
- Install new wiring harnesses(Main, rear and econo-drive)and included turn indicator wiring
- Finish any new wiring pieces not included in the new harness
- Buy a taillight bulb (Lost one somewhere in the dis-assembly) or maybe it will turn up
- Buy a rear number plate light bulb to replace the broken one
- Locate and buy a tilt switch for the trunk light
- Re-install re-chromed taillight bezels together with lenses and new "Made By Mal" gaskets
- Re-install dash plastic pieces
- Re-connect instruments and install in dashboard
- Install turn indicator stalk & mechanism on steering column
- Re-install radio (That's if Wade can get the part/s required to fix it)
- Check rotary radio antennae, if OK good, if not install NOS antennae bought on eBay
- Re-install steering wheel
- Re-install horn ring and connect up wiring (This was one of only a few pieces missing when I bought the coupe)
- Make new front seat wooden mounting pieces (Aim to lift the seat about 1" higher than standard)
- Install new rubber underlay on front floor
- Re-install carpet and other interior trim pieces
- Re-install front seat (Check it is running smoothly before installing)
- Re-install Front fenders
- Re-install Inner splash shields
- Measure, make and install rubber sealing between chassis and inner splash shields
- Re-install front bumper irons
- Re-install re-chromed bumpers, over-riders and guards and bumper splash guards
- Make and mount brackets for front turn indicator lights
- Clean up and POR-15 headlight buckets
- Re-install headlight buckets
- Make new gaskets for front fender lights
- Re-install O/D Solenoid and Governor
- Mount wheels and tyres
- Install new hubcaps
- Drain transmission and overdrive and refill with new oil
- Weld new bolts to front of chassis for battery mounts (Rods currently in place do not secure battery properly because the threads are too loose)
- Tighten head bolts
- Connect throttle linkage
- Fill Radiator
- Flush out fuel lines
- Fill gas tank
- Install and connect new Optima battery
- Take out spark plugs and disconnect coil wire
- Crank engine over to circulate oil
- Re-install sparkplugs and start!
- Wash and clean the '41 of the accumulation of dust and grime from 1 year in the workshop
- Borrow a set of "Trade Plates" and take the '41 over to Brian for a front-end alignment
- Have the '41 inspected by a qualified mechanic who can issue a "Blue Slip" (In the State of New South Wales a Blue Slip is necessary for cars whose registration has lapsed and certifies they have been inspected and found to be roadworthy and fit for registration)
- Obtain Insurance for Comprehensive and Green Slip(3rd party injury)
- Take documentation including proof of sale, import documentation, Blue and Green slips to the Roads and Traffic Authority office at nearby Ryde who are holding the number plate set I have reserved for the '41. Complete the necessary forms, pay the stamp duty on the purchase price, registration fee, number plate fee (All up these costs will total over AU$1000!) and a certificate of registration and number plates will be issued.
- Affix number plates to the '41
- Drive home the proud owner of a road going '41 1901 Packard 1495 Club Coupe with a smile like a split watermelon across my face.


And if I've left anything off the list, we'll find out along the way.

And still wanted
- Windscreen wiper arms
- Trans lower stabiliser rod
- Stub Axle(Spindle) - To replace the bushed one so that both sides have roller bearings

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Monday 15th September 2008

Hadn't intended going to the workshop today until Packardinfo member DavidM rang me on Saturday to say he was picking up some New Zealand Packard Club members, Bryan and Dorothy, and was dropping in at Wades workshop on the way to his place on Monday afternoon. I advised I didn't know if Wade would be there or would be busy with preparations for his Canada/USA trip but I would be there. And mentioned this to Wade during yesterdays turmoil with the '38 so he was in the picture. Further arrangements were put in place today, with David to ring me when he was approaching the workshop, so I could arrive about the same time as he did with Brian and Dorothy and Wade had also arranged to be there.

Before arriving at the workshop went to Metropolitan Motor Cycle Spares at Silverwater and bought some 6V numberplate light bulbs then to Jaycar Electronics at Rydalmere and bought a couple of mercury tilt switches for the boot light. Smart guy at the M/C Spares shop offered to break the glass bulb and the filaments so they matched the sample I arrived with, and which I declined.

Then at the workshop met Dorothy and Bryan who are over here and had watched two granddaughters competing in the New South Wales Baton Twirling Championships where they won 7 and 4 medals respectively. Bryan is the owner of a '29 Big Eight Roadster which has an interesting history. It was bought new in New Zealand as a Roadster by a wealthy family who's cars were all Packards. Some years later however the Roadster was converted into a hearse and it was in this guise that Bryan bought it. However, not wanting a hearse, he proceeded to convert it back into a Roadster and this he did by making a new Roadster body for it. Bryan fabricated all the panels, door posts, windshield, cowl, top bows, seats, etc, etc himself! And that's not all, Bryan is close to completing a 9 year restoration of a Diamond T truck, from literally junk, and for which he's also fabricated all the body including the metal cabin and many other parts! Seems Bryan's a pretty handy guy! David also showed us a Contour Plane he found at an antique shop on Sunday. He's been looking for one for years and finally found one. He can now make some window interior wooden trim pieces for the '29 633 7 Passenger Sedan he's restoring. He said he even tried making his own contour plane but it wasn't a great success. A very enjoyable hour was spent with Bryan, Dorothy, David and Wade talking Packards in the presence of the 8 Packards there. These being Wade's '34 restored rolling Club Sedan chassis, '34 parts car Club Sedan rolling chassis, '37 120 Sedan, '37 Super 8 Sedan, Kevin's '35 1200 Sedan, John's '39 110 Sedan and my '38 Eight Sedan and '41 120 Coupe.

Edit - Correct spelling for Bryan's name & update picture captions

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