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Did your tires pick up any blemishes when you had them mounted? I ask because I'm probably going to have mine unmounted and remounted at some point later when I get around to sandblasting the wheels. Still need to find two more Packard wheels though...

-Kevin

I mounted them myself. No blemishes, but there are a few marks that I haven’t scrubbed off yet.

Also, pleased with the condition of the block after my flush. The picture shows what I can see post flush.

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Still plugging away. Edit: on the overheating issue, I've been plugging away on the tech sheet from the Packard Club website. I've eliminated most of it.

Took a trip this weekend. About 130 miles in total, mostly with my local car club. The car has 430 miles since the in-frame overhaul, and I'm still fighting a warm running issue. I had the radiator gone through when I had the engine out - it is a newer style core, not flat soldered. He flushed, flow checked, and pressure tested it, all sat.

I went through the water pump - clearance is a little out of spec (0.060" impeller to housing vice 0.021 - 0.039") but overall seems in good condition. The "brand-new" pump I have sitting on the shelf has zero impeller to housing clearance. Zero! So, I'll send that out for a rebuild.

I flushed the block with Evaporust for about a week, using a bucket and a heater. The evaporust turned black, which tells us it's working. The gano filter I have installed has also caught a bunch of gunk. A bunch.

I verified the timing, swapped in a new distributor to verify the advance springs and vacuum advance were all functioning properly. Plugs say it is not running lean, maybe just a tad rich even.

I pulled the thermostat off for my tour this weekend just to see what happened. With no thermostat, it heats up to almost 200F while going down the highway at about 50 mph.

After I got back from the tour, I popped a freeze plug, took a look. Everything looks pretty clean. Still some rust and iron deposits, but not mountains of crud.

Flushed the block and reinstalled the 160F thermostat (after verifying it works), and seems like it is still running warm. Sitting at a stoplight for 10 minutes waiting on a train, the car got up to about 185 while idling. It was 60F outside. Seems excessive. Similarly, running down the highway, running between 175 and 185.

Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Is 185 "normal" for this car with a 160F thermostat? Should I try a different thermostat?

The car ran VERY rich (heavy black smoke due to carbon deposits in the head) for about 350 miles. Is it possible I clogged the muffler I installed about 5 years ago?

Also - the car is supposed to take 20 qts of coolant per the book. It takes 13, with everything drained, drip-free, and air blown as dry as I can get it. Does the book spec include the heater circuit maybe? (although I don't think the heater would hold 7 qts). Is the spec wrong in the shop manual?

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On a lighter note - very pleased with how the engine is running as the rings seat. Pulls much stronger than it used to, and it is very quiet. I routinely get people asking me if it is running at a stop light. Still hunting for some small rattles, and it seems prone to a slight exhaust leak, but overall very happy.

A little patience is suggested; the friction and thus heat generated by the new rings will subside as the rings begin to seat and better mate with the cylinder walls.

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I think this is clear, but just to make it clear for anyone who might be following along or fighting similar problems. JW nailed it!

My car had high compression, overheating, and pinged under load - all due to an excessive carbon buildup.

Still fighting some minor heating issues, but removing the excessive carbon fixed many of my driving issues.

Thank you, Ken. I am pleased that my suggestion was helpful in solving your problem. I get them right from time to time. Enjoy you project posts, please keep them coming. The 37 120C and 115C are favorites of mine.

That's good to know regarding excessive carbon. Is there a simple way to clean it off besides removing the head and physically removing it? I know my car is going to have this problem.

-Kevin

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I don't think so, but other than the risk of breaking old studs, this is a pretty simple job.

I suspect the lower combustion chamber temperatures caused by the lower CR, maybe abetted by the cylinder head geometry, is the cause of this carbon buildup. Not a Packard-specific issue - Model Ts (I know, older engine) recommended pulling the head twice a year to clean the carbon. My shop manual also discusses needing to periodically clean out carbon. In my case, it was exacerbated by poorly fitting exhaust valves. Get your head gasket and a can of spray copper sealant from Permatex, lube your studs a week in advance, and it's a weekend job. Mine snowballed, but just the head gasket/carbon cleanout would've been a weekend.

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Thanks Dave... I'll report back when I have 1,000 miles on the new rings. Aiming for late May... I guess patience isn't a strong suit of mine :)