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

other option would be to use a set of the later rods, already set for the later bearings. Have those too.

DAF

Flackmaster, I've sent you a pm concerning buying your bearings, My machinist can't bore my rods to accept the newer, thicker bearings. Bob

Pm awaiting your reply.

The frustration continues! Assembling a motor is usually a simple task, especially a flathead. Installing the crankshaft was going well. As I always do, torque the caps in place with bearings installed and measure the ID. Measure the crank journals and the clearances looked good. Installed the crank with Pasticgauge and measure that. Good news! Oil clearance is .002 and I am a happy man. Time to install the rear seals. The gasket set includes a rope seal which is not needed, and the side seals with instructions to sand down the thickness from .250. At .220 the rear cap won't fit. I sanded it further at .210 and it seems like its going to work with a little persuasion. The side seals are pealing a little material but I assume its going to "shrink to fit". Wrong! As you can see in the photo, one of the side seals broke. I am off to see my machinist hoping he has something in stock that will work and have advice on the proper thickness. Bob

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Are the 38 side seals made of wood like was used in the later engines? The shape looks the same but in gasket sets I used on the later S-8 engines they came properly sized and I didn't have much of an issue putting them in the slots. Am curious about the shrink to fit part. If I remember correctly, those wooden seals swelled over time to increase the sealing rather than shrunk.

Were the seals part of the new Best gasket sets so many vendors are selling now? If so I wonder if all the older FelPro and the like gaskets sets are gone and maybe that piece was so close in size and available from a vendor making and selling repros for a mfg that made a thousand engines to Packards one.

I sympathize on the frustration but could be that is all that is available and it was not cost effective to have a specific size made only for the few dozen Packard sets sold a year.

Those pieces are wood. I can put a set in the mail for you today free of charge if you would like. Please let me know as soon as possible.

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products

I will actually mail a set out now as our warehouse will be closed tomorrow for the holiday.

Thanks
James From
Kanter Auto Products

It looks like by the bag the side seals are for a Pontiac and sanded down would work for a Packard.... maybe
I had always seen wood listed in the flat rate book and always wondered what they were talking about. Now I see.

John

Thanks to Kanter for stepping up and sending new seals without being asked. Bravo! Now I have to go back to them begging as I hope to return the '39 bearings as I have found the proper bearings, thanks to Flackmaster. It's a good thing as the only shop in southern Oregon wanted $200 and six weeks to mill them And then, I would have had to pay another $75 to get them honed to size. For the second time! When I said shrink to fit earlier I just meant that the material being shaved off the side seals as I was installing the rear cap was probably sizing the seals to a perfect fit. Until it broke. And the gasket set is labeled Best Gasket. Bob

I was handed a couple of motors in baskets that were missing those pieces of wood. I made my own and tapped them in with some RTV.