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".....is anyone re-producing the original rubber mat for the front floor?"

If anyone knows it'll be the Flackmaster.

Hi Ken,

Don Lampen in Holland, MI is reproducing them. His contact info:

donaldlampen@yahoo.com

(616) 392-6605

Quote:

Thanks Mal! The Flackmaster is the one who told me to go all carpet!

Pack120c, thanks for the info. He has one available, and I'm hoping to link up with him at Hershey.

BDC - I appreciate it! Work's been busy, but I've been doing a little here and there.

Post about rust protection linked here for posterity:

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=21020&forum=4

I believe the bottom of the trunk is just painted body color, correct? The trunk divider is the original wood with the original rubber mat, but I have no indication of anything on the floor of the trunk under the spare tire. Am I missing something?

I was having a problem where 2nd gear would grind, even with very deliberate shifting and double-clutching. I found I only had about 3/4" of free play. I adjusted it to the recommended 2" of free play (to prevent slipping at 65 mph - ha!) and found that while it shifted much more smoothly, it is still very easy to grind upshifting or downshifting into 2nd. To me, this would indicate a worn synchromesh. The clutch was inspected and has plenty of meat. Any thoughts? I rebuilt the same model of transmission in my 115c before I sold it, but before I go through that process, I thought I would ask here to see if I'm missing something. EDIT: Based on my research, it looks like a bad synchro. It's on the list, but I'll probably try changing the fluid in the transmission first, just in case.

I had the car out Saturday for a car show, putting about 50 miles on it. The car performed very well, except my brake lights stopped working. Something else to add to the winter list.

One last question - the closest ethanol free gas station here in Norfolk that I can find is about 75 miles away. Does anyone have a recommendation for a fuel additive to counter the ethanol problems? My carb was recently rebuilt, and I'll rebuild the fuel pump if I have any problems, but I'm mostly concerned about degradation when the car sits. I can't drive it enough to turn over a tank of fuel every month, especially this winter. Thanks in advance.

You should be OK fuel-wise even if you can only turn over a tank every 4-5 months. No ethanol-free gas available here, for the winter I put the car away in late November and get it out again in April, never any fuel issues. I don't use a fuel stabilizer.

Thanks Dave. Good to hear. I was always careful to put ethanol free into the car, but it just isn't available here.

Took the car out for a scenic drive this weekend, and drove down the local region AACA show last weekend. Overall put about 70 trouble-free miles on the car, just cruising around. Of course, added a few things to my maintenance list - the brake lights aren't working for example.

I have a metallic clunk whenever I take off from a stop. I thought it was the u joints, but looking at the exhaust, it is actually touching the frame where it passes through the X in between the muffler and the resonator. The transmission mounts are also freshly painted, but look a little suspect, so maybe that's the problem. Does anyone else have that problem? If your exhaust is not touching, could you post a picture of the mount in that location? I had to make my own, and I'm wondering if something is off - it seems like they shouldn't touch.

Of note - the garage in the house we're currently renting is TIGHT! See the pictures. That's with the car pushed almost against the wall on dollies. Much tighter when I just pull it in.

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I got some work done last week before Hershey. Replaced the u-joints and a leaking rear transmission seal. I also took the opportunity to paint the driveline while it was out.

I shimmed up the exhaust mount to clear the frame. I'll have to wait a few weeks for the gas tank to come back to test drive and ensure the clunk is gone on takeoff, but I'm optimistic. Pictures show before and after.

Learned a ton at Hershey, got some great parts, and had fun to boot! Great meeting some new people and reconnecting with others!

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Thought it was time to post a few updates:

I drained the oil in the transmission and replaced it with 90W mineral oil (GL-1 rated) from Napa. I will admit that I was surprised how big of a difference it made! All of the shifts were much smoother. I'm not sure what was in the car previously, but it was clearly either past its prime or not the right lubricant. It is possible to grind going into 2nd on a downshift if you don't double-clutch it, but much improved driveability after adjusting the clutch and renewing the gear oil.

I also renewed the gear oil in the differential. Book says 2.5 qts, but mine did not take that much - only about 2.3. I used Valvoline 80w-90 rated for GL-4 and GL-5. No real difference, but I wasn't having any problems from the rear end previously. I do need to replace the rear axle seals - I am getting some seepage from both onto the inside of the wheels.

Dropped the fuel tank a few weeks ago and took it to a local shop. They dipped it and found two holes in the top of the tank. They patched the holes, installed two coats of liner to the inside, and painted it. I replaced the cork float on the fuel sender that appeared to be disintegrating with a modern float. I also had to replace the lacing that goes between the fuel tank and the straps. I used 2" hood lacing from restoration supply. The original material was 2.25" wide, but I couldn't find any of that size.

All was done, and went for a nice drive Sunday afternoon. Based on the new U-joints and adjusting the exhaust, the clunk is gone. Great to enjoy the fall, and now that it's cooling off, I'm a lot more motivated to get some work done in the garage.

Edit: Also picked up the front floor mat from Don Lampen at Hershey.It looks great. Will post pictures once installed. Lots of spare parts, and a good time connecting with lots of PackardInfo members. Glad to make it to Hershey again!

Three questions:
1: How important is the snubber assembly that goes from the back of the transmission to the frame?
2: Do I have the right part number selected below?
3: Does anyone have one?

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