Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

Well, I got one corner of the suspension together and a freshly powder coated brake backing plate on the chassis yesterday. Tied the floor jack to the frame with tie downs and centered the kingpin support in the end of the lower A arm with 1/8 inch clearance on either side. All torqued up and soon will change the 'bobby pin' things for correct cotter pins. Hot as 'H E double hockey sticks' here these days.
Not as pretty as it all could be, but still pretty good. Scratched up the frame a little with the tie dows, but I guess that is par for the course.
Will be cool when the wheels go back on!

Attach file:

---

  (152.28 KB)

Got both sides of the front suspension on the frame, as well as the two front brakes. Cleaned out the wheel cylinders and hardware and lubed the various points of the brake pads and adjuster...The 6 euro spent on a drum brake tool made putting the springs on fairly easy! Also freed up the adjusters on the top side of the brakes and put in new spring lock washers there.
This time we put some cardboard around the frame where the tie downs secure the floor jack to the frame while we were compressing the spring. That saved my paint! Starting to look like a 4 wheel vehicle.

Attach file:

---

  (128.37 KB)

Got the rear axle all apart and started prep on sunday. Used a knife and wire brush to get the gunk off, then a angle grinder to get the loose rust and paint off, then sandblasted to get most of the rust off, then cleaned with marine clean and inside with brake cleaner to get the last of the old oil and sandblasting material out of every last little nook and crannie. Also thourougly blown out with compressed air.(Cleaning took the most time) Then treated with Fertan rust converter. Hope to paint the first coat this week. The Diff looks pretty good, still have to change the pinion seal as well as clean and paint.
When the axle is done, it will be the last 'big dirty part' that I have to handle! yay!
Here is a question. When I put the diff back in, should I put the 'hexagon axle spacer' thing back in the same way, or rotate it to another face?
I guess that would make a difference with axle end play right? Or is this hexagon the same dimension on all sides?

Attach file:

---

  (176.30 KB)


  (44.01 KB)


  (40.03 KB)

More progress yesterday, but also found more to do. One of the rear wheelbearing races looks bad, so I guess new bearings and races go on my shopping list.

Anybody have these bearings/races they would like to sell
Timken numbers are:
Race: 26830
Bearing:26878
Also, how do I get the bearing off the axle? Or more importantly, how do I get the new bearing on without messing it up?

Got the diff cleaned up and then painted the diff and the rear axle carrier. Not bad for an evening after work

Attach file:

---

  (60.11 KB)


  (29.47 KB)


  (42.12 KB)

Fortunately, those bearings are still commercially available, and are metric series so may even be available there. If not, I can get them from NAPA.

Wheel bearing damage is almost always because of excess axle end play --the usual long-term failure mode. You'll want to check that carefully at reassembly.

A machine shop with a tall press can get the bearing off and on. There must be one at your work?? I usually heat the new bearing on my coffee cup warmer to ease installation.

Guten morgen Ross,

Thanks for the offer and tip. By checking the axel end play, you mean the procedure where you check the side to side movement of the axels after they are installed and then add/remove shims between the axel housing and brake drum backing plates right?

Gusha you are great at finding the connections here....You know where I can get bearings 'locally in germany' I did a few searches and come up with nix.

On the web => here or there (metric & inch) but much better

(089) 99135269

Mr. Brown (German / English / Bajuwaric), company Sahlberg, is waiting for your call. Tell him I said hello!

Well, Just had a very pleasent conversation with Mr. Brown, but he can't sell me anything that they have to special order becasue I am not a company and a registered customer. He did give me two other contact numbers to try, and one place is not too far away in Dachau right near the old concentration camp :-/ About 6 miles from where I work.
They can get me the parts in about a week, so I guess I'll do that instead of doing my own import/postage schenanigans.

I am amazed that I can buy something for the packard locally besides paint or gasoline! Thanks again Gusha!

Enjoy PackardInfo.com!

Rear axle housing and diff installed yesterday! I purchased 1 meter of 3.5 mm diameter O-ring material and just cut myself a new Oring for the seal between diff and axle housing. Hope it works! From the dimension of the groove and O ring, it should. Have to get the bearings pressed on the axles, then they can go in.
When I put the inner axle seals in, they go in this way right? I understand the seals should also get a swipe with some grease or oil on the surface that rides on the spinning axle. You don't want that to be completely dry. Anybody else do this?

Attach file:

---

  (139.22 KB)


  (116.45 KB)