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Mal,

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. From your picture, you now sort of look like a pirate. Perhaps you could get a parrot?

Aaargh,

Tom

Tom,

The pictures speak for themselves.

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Never give an Aussie or Gerd any extra ideas. They are inventive enough without suggestions.

Wednesday 27th July 2011

Just a "drop in" at the workshop today. Wade managed to manufacture some seals for Noel's trans top and that's all back together. And has cleaned up the R6 OD case and the OD mounting for the trans in the parts washer and re-installed the OD mounting to the trans. Now awaiting the arrival of PeterL complete with Mazda engine under one arm and R6 OD parts under the other!

Still using the Crypton Engine Analyser on Big Red. I'd previously said this ".....the CRT came to life, with one of the CRT display functions showing each cylinder firing by a sharp peak. But there were only 7 peaks, Wade thinks he has the display set "too fine" so will adjust accordingly....." Turns out, that by taking the rpm's up to about 1,000 that all 8 cylinders are shown firing. Always good to read the instructions.

And a backward step, the '38 water pump was returned! Works OK. but leaks! Turns out the weep hole had corroded to such an extent that it now wasn't sealing. Parts are back with the machinist for remedial work.

Aaaargh, Gerd me lad!

Love Robert Newton in "Treasure Island"!

As for YFAM Randy Berger, lets just say we are enjoying ourselves.

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Friday 29th July 2011

Another day, another "drop-in".

Wade's been playing with Big Red, concentrating on the EE-23 carburettor but ended up sending it off to Carburettor Service Company for their specialised attention. Although CSC rebuilt the carb a few years ago Wade wants everything checked over again just to be sure.

Wade's still waiting for PeterL and his Mazda Engine and R6 OD parts to arrive. Seems that Peter is waiting for a Mazda part to arrive then he'll be ready and in a position to make it to the workshop.

The remedial work on '38 water pump is complete and the pump was shipped back to it's owner this morning.

Left Wade to replace the hydraulic brake switch on Big Red which has again failed. Dot 5 fluid chews up and spits out these switches out on a regular basis!

And I'm going OK. Still look like I've suffered a stroke from the look of the right side of face. Long haul before it recovers. Most irritating thing is the right eye, because there isn't an automatic blink reflex at present, the eye drys out. Have to keep up a supply of "FAUX" tears to keep the eye lubricated.

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Mal, don't let "she who must be obeyed" catch you winking at some other lassie. She might close your good eye.

Monday 1st August 2011

Today is 1) the horse's birthday, well it is here in the Southern Hemisphere, and 2) Bank Holiday in our state of New South Wales. But I wasn't celebrating either of those, instead being down at the workshop putting in some quality Packard time.

Wade was working on re-routing the heater hoses on Big Red in order to try and overcome the glugging and gurgling currently being experienced. I was put to work making a cardboard template for mounting a heater into Noel's '39 120. After marking and punching holes for the inlet and outlet pipes as well as the mounting studs the template was marked and cut roughly to shape then trimmed a little further. The fan motor and outlets were also measured to provide dimensions for clearance checks.

After a short side trip, going round to Repco for more heater hose for Big Red, on returning the heater mounting in the '39 was addressed in earnest. After the firewall carpet was removed the template was used, in conjunction with the dimensional measurements, to determine how best to site the heater in the '39. Although Noel had expressed a preference for it to be sited on the LHS, this is a RHD car, it is being mounted in the middle because of a relay and a major junction of the wiring harness being on the LHS of the engine side of the firewall. The radio speaker will be re-mounted on the LHS instead and will pose fewer problems by doing so. With the carpet out the template came in for positioning purposes and also served the same function on the engine side of the firewall to ensure mounting bolts and inlet/outlet pipes weren't compromised. Satisfied positioning was OK the template was used to first mark and punch holes in the carpet then inside the car to mark the four holes required for mounting bolts and inlet/outlet pipes. Holes made in the firewall and, without the carpet, a trial fit of the heater squeezed it into place, fitting first time with plenty of clearance of the engine side of things. Final installation, including the carpet, was somewhat more difficult, the extra thickness in the carpet making the fit a bloody tight one, but fit it did. Still need to mount fittings, run hoses, mount controls, etc, etc, but the major part of this task has been accomplished.

And why weren't we working on the R6 OD? Because we don't have the R6 OD parts yet. Apparently Peter expects to be here soon with the precious parts but until then the OD doesn't get a look in. And tomorrow it will be by-passed as well, we're having a day's R & R on a Morris Minor Picnic Club run to Sydney's south. According to the weather forecast, it looks like a perfect day to go for a drive in a Packard. I'll be in the Coupe and picking up Wade and Gina from the run start point because Big Red is awaiting the return of it's carb from Carburettor Service Company.

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Tuesday 2nd August 2011

No workshop activity, instead met Wade and Gina at Heathcote and proceeded south to Woonona to Janet's Royalty Rooms, Australia's(maybe the world's) largest collection of British Royalty Memorabilia.

Meanwhile Barry Smith had sent me some pic's last month of his '38 Twelve Club Sedan. Barry brought the car over from the US a while back as a "driver". He was just going to tweak it a bit here and there which led to a full blown body-off restoration! The Twelve is now back on the road with only some minor details still being tidied up. Will see it in person when Barry brings it down as a Concourse entry at the big display day later this month, enjoy the pic's.

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Wednesday 3rd August 2011

No R6 OD parts yet so attention returned to the '39's heater. Noel had provided two copper lines. One from the water pump to near the heater inlet pipe. The other? Probably part of a bathroom sink setup, it certainly wasn't for a Packard heater! First though, had to lower the water level in the '39 to accommodate taking out the brass plugs in the water pump and the head. But even before that had to drag out the catch tray from under Big Red and empty that so it could be used to catch the water released from the '39. All was going well as I ladled water out from the tray and into a bucket. Emptied the first bucketful of water then decided to short cut the process by tipping the remaining water into the bucket. What resulted was almost a trunami with little water finding the bottom of the bucket, most spreading out on the floor between Big Red and the '39. Bucket and mop time again, I've had plenty of experience doing that, to clean up my own mess.

With the tray positioned under the '39 the water was drained to a level below the plugs, plugs removed and threads cleaned of plumbers tape. From the brass outlet fitting on the water pump body, the heater pipe curves up and back in about a 6" radius and extends almost the length of the head finishing about mid way between #6 & 7 plugs. From there there's a gap of about 10" to the heater inlet pipe which, thanks to Wade's foresight and planning, is almost directly in line to the hot water pipe and which a length of heater hose will bridge. The rear fitting on the head, for the returning water, wasn't so co-operative. As I said the pipe and fittings Noel supplied seemed to relate to household plumbing rather than Packard heater operation and use. For once Wade wasn't able to reach up to the shelf and pick up a suitable fitting, so off we went to Pirtek instead. Although they too couldn't supply an off the shelf item, a combination of fittings together with a valve(needs to be ordered in with Monday the likely day of arrival) will provide a solution. This combination of fittings will also provide another almost straight run for the heater hose to bridge the gap remaining. The other side to this is that Wade ordered two valves, with the extra one to replace the valve now on Big Red which currently is in a permanent open position. But why is it permanently open? It leaks otherwise!

Plumbing work having come to a standstill, pending the arrival of the heater valve, turned to the heater controls. Noel had a heater switch(looks NOS) in the parts supplied but was lacking a switch for the fan control. No worries this time, the magic shelf provided not only a switch(not Packard but it closely resembles the switches already under the dash for electric pump pump and the back up light) but a bracket to mount both switches in! Had to file out the hole in the mounting bracket to accept the heater switch. Then the bracket was fitted to the under edge of the dash. Back to the bench to make the cables required for operational control. With most cables made up but with extra cable lengths, connectors, stripping and crimping tools returned to the '39. Then followed an awkward situation with Wade leaning in through the left front door, padding on the running board to alleviate it's unforgiving nature. Wade did all the work while my major task was to hold the light and not shine it in his eyes! Although at one stage I did hold the back of the heater switch to stop it from turning while Wade tightened the bezel nut. So there we have it, a heater fitted save for a valve, hoses and re-filling with water. Of course we can't start the car yet with the trans mounts removed and the bellhousing supported by a jack stand and block of wood!

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