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The manifold drain tube on my 1935 1201 is soldered shut, so excess fuel comes out the carburetor shaft and dumps on the frame. I understand the tube should have a featherweight aluminum ball with cotter pin in the end. If that is correct, does anyone know the size or where one can get an aluminum ball. Thank you.

Industrial supply houses like MSC, McMaster, and the like should have them though you'll probably have to buy a box of 50 or 100.

But you really shouldn't have so much excess raw gasoline as to leak from the throttle plate shaft; are you sure your carburetor isn't running overly rich? For example to high a float level, or a poorly functioning automatic choke?

G'day Mike D.
to PackardInfo, and I invite you to include your '35 1201 in the Packard Owner's Registry.

I should have explained when I get the gas overflow. It happens with a hot engine on shutoff. Fuel expands and pushes out through the needle valve most likely. The float level is set properly for the fuel pump. So I get a drip on shutoff. I will have to look in the McMaster book. Not sure what size would be correct, but I can measure the tube. Mike D.

Tube is quite small and ball does not go in it so measuring it is no benefit. At bottom there is a fitting ,was a cotter pin at bottom.

Remove tube assb from engine, heat soldered opening and remove all solder , keep fitting pointed down so solder does not go up tube.

There will be a tapered area at upper end of fitting, that's where ball seats. If you're lucky the ball will still be there, if not buy new one, size???

Here is an illustration of what Fred described. The ball is in the wider retainer and seat piece at the bottom of the tube. Without something for the ball to seat against there could be no possibility of the ball sealing sufficiently to avoid a vacuum leak.

The illustration is from a later service counselor article instructing mechanics on how to install the drain on a different engine. If yours is missing, I doubt you will find the retainer and ball available NOS but just in case Fred has something here are the part numbers.

If nothing is left of the original assy I wonder if a modern low threshold operating pressure check valve could be used. McMaster has a couple that might be possibilities. Other places have fuel line check valves that might also work.

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It has been awhile since ive been into one of them but i believe its not a alum ball but just a plain old stl

Well, I was told by a Packard restoration expert that it is an aluminum ball, so the vacuum can easily lift it. The issue here is that the car is at 7600 feet of altitude, so the manifold vacuum is only about 14 inches, since we lose 1 inch for every 1000 feet of altitude gain. The car came from Georgetown Colorado, which is at an even higher altitude! So maybe that is why it got soldered shut! I may just need to leave it that way, but I will examine the end of the tube this weekend to see what I have there. I can test the thing with my vacuum bleeder pump to see if it will work, if the ball is in there.

If you are interested in the parts to the drain tube, I have nearly 40,000 Packard part prints. Just need part number.

"I was told by a Packard restoration expert that it is an aluminum ball"

Have a '35 '12' virgin on the shelf. I give it a check. As i tell everyone IVE BEEN WRONG BEFORE

WELLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Magnet wont pick the ball up so i assume it is Alum
Told u IVE BEEN WRONG BEFORE