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Thursday 1st May 2015

Met Wade at the workshop this morning then proceeded to the hinterland of Sydney's Northern Beaches to provide succour to Roy, Richards '39 110 Convertible Coupe. Last month Roy had, to use the RR expression, failed to proceed. With the automobile club patrolman determining there was spark going into the distributor, but none coming out. Good to see there are still patrolmen who have such basic skills. Too often now they are more reliant on plug in technological feedback than basic diagnostic techniques. The patrolman did use some nail polish on the inside of the rotor, because he thought it was cracked, but that didn't make any difference. I later lent Richard a new rotor button, but using that didn't work either. Enter Wade with a boxful of tools, a couple of coils and a couple of rotor, cap and points sets. First it was determined there was a big fat spark coming out the coil, #1 to the patrolman. And no spark from the distributor to the plugs, #2 to the patrolman. Distributor cap off and the rotor button I'd lent to Richard had a chunk missing out of one side, besides not having the internal metal fitting in it's centre hub. Replaced it with a new rotor button from Wade's stock, but it too didn't have the internal metal fitting in it's centre hub! Transplanted the internal metal fitting from the rotor button Richard had replaced into the centre hub of the new rotor button and VOILA, there was spark! Seems like replacement rotor buttons don't have the internal metal fitting in their centre hubs and depend on there being one available to be transplanted! But Roy wouldn't start, so pulled the plugs, using vice grips. Although Wade had brought a lot of tools there wasn't a plug spanner or a spanner big enough to fit the spark plugs. Pulling the plugs revealed they were all heavily fouled and the spare set that Richard had at hand were similarly afflicted. So back to the workshop, cleaned twelve plugs, borrowed a plug spanner from John and back to Roy.

Six newly cleaned plugs later And Roy was running but, although running, was running like a hairy goat. Running excessively rich, and even though the mixture needle was screwed right in(Roy is using a Holden carburettor), which improved things somewhat it still wasn't right. So then pulled the carburettor. A phone call to Tim at Carburettor Service Company and we were off, back to the workshop and then onto Carburettor Service Company. However once back at the workshop I stayed there, while Wade went on to Carburettor Service Company. Why did I stay at the workshop? Why, to clean parts of course. The parts being a pair of 120 rear axles Wade is giving me. Wade had picked them up years ago as spares for Old Blue, but had never had to use them. And rather than take them north with him, I was their lucky recipient. One thing I noticed with these axles is they don't have the castellated nut and split pin I've usually seen on 120 axles. These don't have a hole through the axle end for a split pin. Instead they rely on a large star style washer with an internal 'prong' to engage the keyway in the axle and the external 'prongs' being bent over the flats of the axle nut to stop it from turning. Is this a feature on say early 120 axles or.......what? By the time I'd cleaned up the axles Wade had returned from dropping off the carby at Carburettor Service Company with the news that Tim should have it ready in a couple of days. Next time down Roy will be reunited with his carburettor, while the old bearings will be pushed off the axles, so I can take the axles home. Speaking of which, before doing that, I need to have a good garage clean and rearrangement to make space for all my Packard parts. And also scored a 120 HC head, it had come with the '46 282 engine Wade had used as the replacement block for the 120 in Odd Blue which was cracked and beyond repair.

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Mal, interesting pair of axle shafts. I have only seen shafts that use a castellated nut and split pin. Also, it looks to me as if the bearings are on backwards. What do you think?

(o{}o)

"it looks to me as if the bearings are on backwards"

John,

Methinks you are right! Something about not seeing the forest for the trees or, in this case, the bearings for the axles.

Are we talking about the roller bearings being backward? They look OK to me -- at least from what I can see that is how they are positioned in mine or what am I missing?

The lack of a cotter key is more strange. I've not seen the bent over washer used to any extent except on the front spindles.

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Howard, thanks for the manual image showing the shaft, bearing, and race. A moment of confusion.

(o{}o)

Just by memory the threaded stub of the axle appears shorter than what I recall. I've seen a few where the threaded stub had broken off completely or nearly so but it's hard to think of where the forces would come from to break one at the cotter pin hole. Perhaps just someone thinking they were smarter than the engineers who designed it? Are we sure it's a Packard axle?

While John's might be a "A moment of confusion" looks like I succumbed to mass hysteria.

Dave said "Are we sure it's a Packard axle?" and I'm beginning to wonder that myself. Does anyone have a 120 axle around that can be measured to check? While I do have a pair of what I know are genuine 120 axles, they are in the Coupe and hard to access at the moment! I'll measure the ones in question next time I'm at the workshop.

Tuesday 6th May 2014

Yesterday a package arrived from my Texas Packard parts supplier, to wit one DAF. It contained a used double row roller bearing for the OD being rebuilt for the Coupe. So today cleaned it of the grease used to preserve it from oxidisation. Did the initial clean at home in my garage, which I've been tidying up over the last few days and in doing so discovered a couple of '60's metal 2 litre ice cream containers. Used one of these for the clean up, placed the bearing in the bottom then poured old petrol(gas) over it until covered. Trouble was there was a rust pinhole in the bottom of the container necessitating a quick transfer of the contents to a second ice cream container! Initial clean up done, it was off to the workshop for the final clean up phase with brake cleaner. Then a light oiling, and a "feel" check by John which was positive. Bearing will stay at the workshop awaiting Wades next visit for his inspection and approval. All that now remains for the OD rebuild is the adaptor between the Trans and OD housings.

Also received an email from Aussie Packardinfo member pepepackard, aka Fred. Fred asked "I have a spare axle for a Junior Packard, what dimensions do you want?" To which I responsed:

Overall length
Length of Splines
Outside diameter of splines
Number of splines
Length of taper
Diameter of taper at both thick and thin ends
Length of keyway
Width of keyway

Think that should cover things, and allow for positive identification!

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Fred for coming back with the following info for 2 axles, a right and a left, for the "a" & "b" dimensions.

Overall length = a. 32.5 inches b. 32.5 inches.
Length of Splines. a. 2 inches b. 2.75 inches.
Outside diameter of splines. a. 1.375 inches. b. 1.375 inches.
Number of splines a. 12 b. 12
Length of taper a. 4.312 inches b. 4.312 inches
Diameter of taper at both thick and thin ends a.1.509 thick end 1.25 thin end. b. 1.510 thick end 1.25 thin end.
Length of keyway a. 3inch b. 3 inch
Width of keyway. a. .310 inches b. .310 inches

While earlier today I dropped into the workshop and measured up one of the axles, trouble being I only had a mm tape with no inch markings, and have converted to inches care of friend google. But didn't measure both axles because I thought they looked the same.

Overall length - 805mm = 31.7" or 2' 7&11/16"
Length of Splines - 58mm = 2.28" or 2&9/32"
Outside diameter of splines -
Number of splines - 10
Length of taper - 90mm = 3.54" or 3&35/64"
Diameter of taper at both thick and thin ends - 38mm = 1.496" or 1&1/2" & 19mm = 0.748" or 3/4"
Length of keyway - 85mm = 3.35" or 3&11/32"
Width of keyway - 8mm = 0.315" or 5/16"

Hmmmmm.......Between Fred's dimensions and mine, there's not a single one the same, although using a tape and my eye is probably not totally accurate! With the question "Are we sure it's a Packard axle?" looking more and more likely to be answered in the negative.

More from Fred.

"for your info the part number for the axle that I forwarded the dimensions to you is 324946 and runs from 1938 (16th series junior) to the 1954 Panama according to the parts books"