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I've not heard that and thanks for the notice.

I've been pleased with gaskets and sets bought from Kanter Bros, and also BEST GASKETS available from a variety of sources. The modern repro gaskets I try to avoid for the L-head engines are the composition-type exhaust/intake manifold gaskets. While the supply lasts the original metal sandwich style is a bit superior, in my experience.

A bit off the topic but for folks who have had their L-head cylinder heads milled excessively and now face either extreme compression ratios or lack of valve clearance, perhaps you might note that Molina Gaskets on the West Coast can make L-head Packard head gaskets in greater custom thicknesses. Costs aren't cheap, about $350 a pop I believe if they haven't done it before, but cheaper than the alternatives, of which there aren't many and no good ones.

I believe Fred (Brunner?) is Max' son-in-law. I used to buy quite a bit from Max for myself and for other Packards I worked on, but now I get them from someone else who buys a far-larger volume from Max so that if I have a problem, I have a little more clout. Where I have a choice I prefer to buy from Dan Kanter.

Really sorry to hear you are having problems. My experience with Max Merritt has been the opposite. The head gasket for my 356 was in perfect condition. Six months ago I ordered some rubber dust covers for the front suspension and received an incorrect part. One phone call and they re-sent the correct part with no hassle at all.

I can't imagine why the valve cover gaskets wouldn't fit unless they were for a six cylinder engine. Weren't they the same for the whole straight 8 family from at least 1940 on? Are you working on pre-1940 engines?

I had a complete, unopened Fel-Pro 356 gasket set in the trunk of the '41 limo when I got it. I'm guessing it was at least 20 years old. The bulk of the gaskets were paper including the oil pan gasket. The valve cover gaskets were cork, and the timing cover seal was cork but just about everything else was paper. I ordered a new oil pan gasket from Max Merritt and it was a really nice cork type and fit perfectly.

May be just dumb luck, but I've had no problems with Max Merritt, Kanter Bros, Terrill Machine, Patrician Industries, or any of the better known vendors I've dealt with (knock on wood).

Hope you have a better Packard experience with whoever you deal with in the future.

I put a new valve cover gasket from Max on my 356 last summer and it was cork also and fit perfectly. I have not had one problem with Max over the years as far as the parts being incorrect. I sometimes wince at the prices but when I consider I am ordering parts for a 62 year old car from a maker which has been defunked for more that 50 years I am amazed that I can still find parts at all. Maybe Fred was just having a bad day?

the only person i have noticed always having a bad day was J.D. over there at MAX. since then i refuse to do business with anyone other than Fred. as i type he is diligently looking for a replacement U-bolt that i need and he found me the pin for the trailing arm that broke. i agree the prices can sometimes be high, but i also agree with your reason why. where the heck else am i going to find that pin for the trailing arm already out of the car and ready to ship and doesn't require me to remove it myself and have to get under a rusty spider infested parts car......and we all know how much i love spiders ;0) LOL! so i think the price is good. Fred has always been nice to me and when i have had an issue he worked with me. there was an instance where packard, for some weird reason, used the same part number for two different parts on my 55 clipper. he sent the wrong one, but worked with me to send me specs on where to get and what the measurements were on the right one, even gave me the option to work out a return deal, but i just took his advise and made the gasket myself. the other parts he sent that were wrong i needed anyways for later in the restore....so no harm done.

i can tell they are busy busy busy, but they always have come through for me and i appreciate Fred's help.

that is not to say you didn't have a bad experience with them or got shoddy parts for your car, everyone's experience will be different. so far, mine have been all great parts and shipped very well packed and in nice little baggies that label them for me so i can remember what they are for. i like that.

i wouldn't give up on them just yet.....and as i have learned...it is not always a good idea to burn a vendor on a message forum...sometimes they watch the forums....or other members tell them because they feel like starting drama. i have been there done that on my z3. vender sent wrong flywheel, work was done, car ran bad, vender sent right part but wouldn't pay to have the correct part installed, so i bad mouthed them on a message forum.....not a good idea.....it wasn't pretty, but in the end we made amends and i got the work done for free, but i was damn lucky there. apparently the shop and the vender worked out a deal somehow. anyways just my

later,

Hank

Hi all,

I have to say that I have always been happy with the service and parts from Max Merritt.

I deal mostly with JD and at times with Fred and they have always been helpfull and will go to great lenghts to find parts or information I may need.

If there are any problems regards parts etc they refund/replace without question, taking my word for it that there was a problem without going to the expense of sending back parts to them. It would be all too easy to 'rip me off' considering where I live, but I have never found this to be the case.

I look forward to many more years of service from JD in Max Merritt, they are one aspect and face of the USA that I love!

Pat

It's unfortunate this had to be listed on a open forum, but I feel a need to respond. The gasket sets in question were the gasket sets the customer ordered and they were built correctly, in fact they were built by Max himself per my request, as I was extremely busy that week. As you might have figured by now I am employed by Max Merritt, hired there because of experience in parts, I was a Store Manager for CSK Auto. It is regrettable the gasket sets ordered were not for the applications he had, you see after the customer received the gasket sets and after getting the engine numbers from him the employees at Max Merritt determined that the customers engines he thought he had did not exactly match his engines "on the floor" as he said. As for the quality of the sets, paper gaskets are original equipment, and although we have received questions from owners working on their own cars all the professional shops we deal with realize that paper gaskets lose moisture when sitting, but they have had great luck after soaking them in water for a short period of time. I hope those who have had good experience with Max Merritt will except my thanks and continue to do business with us, our inventory is expanding.

just wanted to say thanks to you guys for looking for that u bolt for me! too bad you didn't have it....darn...;0(

but rest assured i will need many many parts in the future

thanks again.

Hank


p.s. Kev, i still say it would be nice to have a section that Max or Kanter could keep an eye on during the days where we can post part numbers we need etc.....then they can respond with what they have, etc....idk..i just really liked that feature over on the z3 message boards i frequent. then again i can always just email fred...LOL