Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

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To answer your question, John - yes on both counts, front and back converted to 'regular' shocks. Was that way when I bought it. Any advice?? I haven't had much chance to drive this car due to all the engine problems I've had. Now with the rebuilt motor I am going to put some miles on and enjoy it a bit. The one time I did have it on the highway, (about a 10 mile run) although it was a lot of work keeping the engine running, I do remember being impressed by how nimble the car seemed for it's size and the steering, now that I have had the steering box rebuilt, was pretty good. In your opinion, would the original shocks be better? I.E. would it be worth converting them back? The car is a driver and has had numerous bastardizations performed on it prior to me getting it, so it's not like it will ever be a show car, so authenticity, while important to me, is something I have to 'balance' with cost and the 'state of the rest of the car'. Be interested to hear any thoughts or advice (from anyone) on resurrecting the original shocks???? Chris

Your car had tube shocks at the rear from the factory along with a 5th shock to dampen side to side axle movement. The 5th shock was a small device mounted on one side of the frame over the rear axle with a lever and arm that angles down and connects to the axle on the other side. Later, it occurred to the engineers to angle the two tube shocks inward which eliminated the 5th shock but not until the 18th series.

I know you didn't ask me but my own opinion is to get rid of the monstrosities on the front and use the originals even if you have to rebuild them first. The brackets don't look too robust and surely having them so far forward changes the characteristics of the steering and ride in an adverse way.

Haven't had any experience with the lever shocks yet. The 1946 Clipper I have has them on the front. Whether they work yet I don't know. I know JC Whitney use to sell kits for adding tube shocks on certain cars years ago. Mostly if I remember right foreign cars.
John

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A couple of places rebuild the lever shocks or you can get exchanges from Kanter so other than shelling out some $$ that part is not a huge deal. If you want to tackle a rebuild yourself there is an excellent how to article you can download that was written based on a later shock but I expect would be virtually the same process for yours.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/Delco_Shock_Rebuild.pdf

Changing them is a bit involved since you need to disassemble the front suspension and then probably will need realignment when the replacements are in. The originals may have bad seals and the oil was leaking out and no shock action which could be the reason the mod was done. If that is the case and you elect to keep the mod then I would try and add a bit of oil periodically even if most runs out so as not to let the originals run so dry they seize. I have a shock in the junk pile seized so tightly it couldn't even be used as a core. If it does seize best case is the suspension won't move and worst is the lever shears off and you suddenly have no upper support for the wheel.

That is good info - thanks for the input. I am trying to go through this car and 'right the wrongs' as much as I can along the way. (and trust me, I have discovered quite a few as I have gotten to know a bit more about Packard) So far, just getting the car to run so it can be driven and enjoyed has been the major focus. After a couple of years of fighting with that, I got serious and pulled the motor and had it professionally rebuilt. Hopefully, that is the end of my 'running' woes and I can move on to 'other' things. One major issue with the car was steering and the steering box was completely trashed. With over a half a turn of play in the steering wheel, I knew I had major problems. I did get the steering box professionally rebuilt and now the steering is in the 90 percentile range. There is still a very small bit of play and if I grab a front wheel while the car is on stands, I can move it ever so slightly, back and forth without the steering linkage moving with it. I say all this as I am leading up to a complete front end rebuild on the car. Kanters has the kits and I want to completely disassemble the front end, replace or rebush the king pins (whatever the appropriate nomenclature is for THAT process) and, at that time, will look at resurrecting the original shocks. Your idea to add oil is a good one, Howard - can I ask where one does that?? And Don, the 'monstrosities' are more robust than they probably look, with 1/2" steel brackets welded to the frame. Not pretty, but probably reasonably effective. Like I say, when driving the car, it seemed to handle 'quite well' and the 10 mile stretch of highway I drove it over, had lots of sharp corners and hills and from a front end perspective, it seemed halfway 'tight'. Chris

Look on the top surface of the shock body for the filler cap screw. Many folks use hydraulic jack or motorcycle fork oil, I use Mobil Hydraulic Oil, SAE 10 if they don't leak, SAE 20 otherwise. Easiest to fill using a pump oiler or syringe, fill to the bottom of the threads of the filler hole and jounce the car up and down a few times, top off again if necessary.

Dave/Howard, This is the best pic I have of one of the shocks. I am not computer savvy enough to be able to draw arrows on photos, but the only place I can see that might be a filler screw, is just to the left of the flat disc on the top of the shock - is that what you're referring to, Dave??

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Yup, that's it.

Thanks, Man. Chris

I'll be interested to see your opinion on how the 6 performs. Looking at the spec on the engine 105hp and 190 lb/ft of torque it seems like it might be a bit anemic. I have a 1946 4dr sedan with the 6. Of course the 46 is probably heavier than your '39 is.
John