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...but I didn't make any measurements since the manual doesn't have any info on pump inspection

This may be helpful, specs for typical Packard gear-type oil pump fitted to in-line engines, courtesy of Glenn's Auto Repair manual.

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great job jeff; still not big on the color, but the customer will be happy i am sure. if u pull the front cover off to check the cork seal make sure to check the plug in the end of the oil galley, should have a small hole in it to lube the chain- to big a hole = to much oil. also u might rotate the clutch and brake pad 180 degrees. dell ps i believe the ground strap should be the braided type.

That cork front seal needs to be able to slide along the nose of the vibration damper hub til it rides against the face of the timing cover. I find that many of the replacements are too snug on the hub and the springs can't push it forward. You'll need to sand it out a bit till it slides neatly.

The second problem I have often encountered is that the cover gasket supplied for the oil pump is too thick. They have since rectified this, but twas so in all the old sets. I have had a nice jump in oil pressure (and no leaks) by substituting a gasket made from a handy piece of notebook paper only .002 thick. And you don't even have to remove the pump to do it.

Your ground wire is the correct type.

Fabulous looking job.

Further to Ross' comment about the oil pump cover gasket, in the same manner (oil bypassing around the end of the gears) pressure can be lost if the cover plate exhibits deep "gear tracks"; the solution is to have the cover plate resurfaced flat and true - note the comment about this in the excerpt from Glenn's.

Thanks for the tips and compliments guys. I have to decide if I should pull things apart right now for inspection, or order parts now and take it apart after the parts arrive. I could really use the lift to get some other things done in the meantime.

Dell, you have me worried about the plug with the hole. I never noticed any difference between the four plugs. They all looked a bit crude in the way they were made, not something that would have a precise hole in it to lube the chain. If I had one with a hole, it's obviously not at the back of the engine, or it would be pouring out between the engine and trans. Not sure what would happen if it's in the wrong spot in the front.

I'll also take a look at those pedals. I wasn't sure which way they went.

I do know that the gasket for the oil pump cover was on the thick side. I'll have to take that apart too, make some measurements of the clearances, then cut out a new gasket.

Here are close-ups of the front seal and cover. everything looks 100% in the photos. In the second pic, the seal looks like it's perfectly positioned against the cover and nicely centered.

Jeff

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I pulled the cover off of the oil pump this morning and measured the clearances. The pump checks out fine. It's actually in much better shape than I remembered, showing no significant wear on the rotors or housing. It did have the thin gasket on the cover, so that can be eliminated as a possible problem too. I think the car has a 180 degree thermostat in it, so I ordered a 160 and I'm going to drain the 10W-30 and replace it with 15W-40. Hopefully the two changes will get me another 5 psi of pressure. I ordered a new front crank seal and related gaskets.

I have some brake work to do on the car, then I'll get it off the lift and pull the front of the engine apart, maybe on Sunday.

Jeff

jeff; u might just shim the spring a little in the oil bypass valve and just run the thing and see if things settle down and the oil leak goes away. i have been running 20-50 in all my packards. dell

Hi Dell, I was thinking about trying to shim the relief valve spring as a last resort. The leak seems to be getting worse the longer I run the engine, but it can't hurt to give it another half hour run time to see what happens. Hopefully, I'll have the functioning brakes by tomorrow afternoon, and I'll be able to drive it out of the shop and let it run outside for a while. I'll hook the mechanical gauge back up so that I can keep a close eye on the oil pressure.

What temp thermostats do you use? I notice that the owner's manual says that the standard stat is 145 degrees and the high temp is 160, where the parts manual says standard is 160 and high temp is 180.


Jeff

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I've been running my Custom 8 sedan for years with the 160 degree thermostat and it works just fine.

I installed a NAPA 160 in my '50 Custom to replace a stuck thermostat 4 years ago. I've been happy with the result. I use Shell Rotella 15w-40.