Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Hi, just wanted to touch base on this. Doing my yearly maintenance (but I think it's been longer then that.) Started greasing the front end, found 17 grease fittings for my 47 Custom Super Clipper. I was taught to add grease until grease starts to come out. So I guessing according to my picture of the King Pin I still haven't added enough grease since the lower joint is still dry and no grease going out. I would guess if I can't get any grease out of that joint then my next step would be to take it apart and clean it up.
Am I right or wrong?
Thanks all for the help.
Wes

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The main problem is using a grease with not enough pumpability.

On those old suspensions, yes, you want to use enough grease to clean out the old stuff. On cars with sealing rubber boots only enough grease should be used to swell the boot slightly. Otherwise the thing will split.

Those old Packards don't benefit much from extended service grease and so I used lighter greases like Pennzoil 707, Chevron Delo NLGI 1, or CRC (NAPA) general purpose. Those greases will flow better. Another good choice is Shell Retinax LX 1. A minimum two case order paid in advance may be required.

However, the lower control arm pivots will benefit from a standard EP chassis grease. The problem is too often those greases are too heavy to flow and they blow out the fittings rather than get into the suspension pivots. Chevron Delo NLGI 1 is an EP grease.

In your case I used to remove the grease fitting and clean the king pin oil hole with a piece of welding rod. Then flush with motor oil from a squirt can.

Always grease those cars with the suspension unloaded and the wheels hanging.

Of course nobody believes these methods are necessary so I don't work on Packards anymore.

Wesley, lift the car and warm it to ingrease increase the flowability. And don't give up.

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Turning wheel left and right some times will allow grease to flow if you have helper turn back and forth can aid sometimes

I would also be curious how your brake and clutch pedals fare with getting grease all the way down the shaft to the clutch end. If the king pin channel is blocked I wouldn't be surprised if the hole thru the pedal shaft is too and most of the grease comes out the brake pedal before much reaches the clutch end.

As always good advise, from all. I usually jack up the car, put the jack stands under the frame and let wheels hang free, but this time I had it on blocks under the wheels. So I guess I'll give it another try with weight off wheels.
Thanks All!
Wes

Another thing I used to have available was new fittings and a wire brush.

Every fitting should be brushed and wiped clean otherwise dirt gets injected into the parts. Not good.

I also replaced any fittings that didn't work right. You can buy them through McMaster-Carr, MSC, or NAPA. The little fittings are called 1/4-28 taper thread and the big ones 1/8 NPT. You can make up an assortment for a Packard from the catalogue after making a list of what is on the car.

You haven't lived until you grease a Caddy 12 with dozens and dozens of fittings.

Those cars are way beyond the pricing of typical lube operators.

I have been servicing the 1951 Model 200 that I recently got. It had been rebuilt 35 years ago, and hardly ever driven. I found that there were grease fittings that I just could not pump grease into, even after I had rep,aced the nipple, and cleaned the inlet hole. I figured that the grease was really set up, and drove around a bit to help loosen this a little. Then I went to a lube shop with a bunch of great old gear heads like me who had fun using their phnemantic grease gun to do the job. Nice group effort. The best part was I had to show them how to start it with the Carter carburetor, with the built in starter switch.

As I mentioned the risk with blasting away is blowing the caps off of the king pins and lower control arms.

There are some decent electric guns (probably a drop shipping play) or you can buy a pneumatic and use an air tank if you don't have a compressor.

I would stick with the greases I mentioned above because the lube schedule is every 1000 miles and because modern extended service greases are engineered for ball joints which Packards don't have.