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That one is right up there with leaving the rotor out in frequency.
Some have read from the casting number instead of the firing order.
Good to admit and laugh it off.
Much "run to the internet" diagnostics these daze but that's because these are "old" technology, not everyone is "old" enough, and those that are can't recall.

We were commissioning a SOA control system, early '80s. The parts were so new, beta test, they didn't have documentation yet. So the supplier engr xeroed the pin out drawing, and it was mirror image, did not check. We plug in the ribbon cable, put the juice on, and chips popped like pop-corn - dead short. Chips were new and in short supply. Bosses don't have much humor for things like that, but they occur. All ended well and on time. Learned methodical the hard way.

A friend was taking flying lessons and he was not used to a "heading" compass. On solo, he ended up nearly out of fuel, heading 180 in wrong direction and had to declare an emergency at a major airport. So don't feel bad, yours wouldn't be fatal. He got the nickname "wrong way". I did ride with him once after licensed. I figured what's the chance on the first, but never do twice what you got away with once.

I have got the engine to start up now. But I see it will be long journey to get it on the road. I have some observations
1. The starter seems to jump out several,times before it will stay engaged to start up
2. Will a 12v timing light work on my engine
3. I never removed the oil pump to check for proper intstallation. It seems to be starting now should I still check it out?
4.when can I adjust the tappets for tuning warm?
The new brakes are on, the shifting linkages are set, and I am anxious to at least drive it out of the shop and back. This total restoration took me 12 years.
Thanks for all the help

The timing light will work if you connect it to a 12v battery.

1. The starter sounds like it may be an original that never got retrofitted to have the anti-kickback Bendix or perhaps the Bendix was changed but needs work and is now being kicked out of mesh by false starts of the engine. You can check out the operation of the anti-kickback Bendix in the article in this Service Counselor and see if it is something you want to dig into farther.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/SC/SC-VOL26NO9.pdf

2. As Don said, just connect the power leads for the timing light to a spare 12v battery sitting next to the car and connect the pickup leads as per normal.

3. If the engine is starting and the oil pump is providing adequate pressure IMO, there is no need to remove it for anything.

4. The service manual says to adjust the valves as soon as the engine is up to running temp. Didn't see a recommendation for a specific time for a follow up recheck but others may have advice gained from experience.

I broke down and got a self-powered 6v timing light. A little spendy but it's far more convenient.
amazon.com/Proform-67414-Powered-Timing-Light/dp/B000A8FGPG

I could be wrong, but with the oil pump in the wrong position, the engine fired up but ran very rough and nothing could make it run smooth. But a faint memory.

Just because you said you removed it, there's the possibility it went back incorrectly, and it's kind of a subtle thing, that tiny mark. I would just keep that thought on the back burner, and if you can't get it running as it should, I'd pull it and check it.

Yeah, I found a 6 volt timing light on Ebay for somewhere around $40, by Snap-on, no-less and it works awesome. Biggest problem I have is sighting the bell housing hole with the light and not getting a haircut from the fan. I ended up with a probe camera and I set that up to view the hole and just hold the light down in line with it and watch the screen. Takes a bit of juggling but once everything is lined up, one gets a clear image of the timing marks. Chris.

Chris, using a timing light to get you set to the original timing spec is fine, but there are reasons that that may no longer be the optimal timing for your engine. For one thing the fuel is entirely different, much higher octane being just one difference. And two, if an engine rebuild involved resurfacing the cylinder head, your compression ratio is now higher. So the question becomes, why not alter your timing to take advantage of those changes and get the additional power they will allow?

I've always thought the best way to get optimal ignition timing is the "by ear" method which will compensate for any such changes. What you want is the earliest possible timing consistent with just the faintest hint of spark ping or preignition on a hard pull in high gear at modest speed. In practice, get a passenger or roll down the passenger front window. Proceed in high gear up a modest grade at 30-40 mph and give the car full throttle. Keep advancing the timing until you can just faintly hear a hint of ping. Be sure to use the grade of gasoline you expect to normally use. And be sure the distributor vacuum advance unit is functional.

If you are so inclined, after you've established this new optimal timing, put your light back on and establish a reference of the new timing.

It really doesn't matter which way the oil pump is installed as long as the distributor and timing are set to match.

Gosh, Don, I'm reading Pages 37-39 of the Oiling System of Section 5 of the 41-48 shop manual and it looks like there's only one way to set up the relationship between the oil pump and the distributor "to avoid timing difficulties." I'm reading that there will be timing issues if that mark on the oil pump for the 8 cylinder engines isn't at the top.


packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/41_48EngineManual.pdf

The way I understand the procedure is if you place the dot as the SM suggests, the distributor rotor will line up at the roughly 7:00 position for #1 that is illustrated in other documents. Not having the dot positioned where suggested, the distributor will still mesh and work properly but it will mean the referenced location given for #1 will shift in either direction by however many teeth or degrees difference the dot is positioned.

While the distributor will work without issues, the shift in #1 may cause a future mechanic not knowing about the shift some frustration if he tries to install new wires on a bare distributor going by the wiring diagram or other document. The only timing difficulty I could see might be if the new #1 position wants to rotate the body enough to move something fixed on the dist like the vacuum advance or grease cup far enough where interference with something else might limit how much the dist body could be further rotated for timing adjustment.