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Making my way to the rear brakes, the drums came off much easer than I expected using the puller. The hardware is in fairly good shape, but I will need new wheel cylinders. When I looked at the parts cross reference I saw 2 part numbers for Autozone. They were on the website for purchase so I ordered them, only to have Autozone cancel the order immediately. Does anyone have another part number for the “1 diameter rear wheel cylinders?

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Are yours not rebuildable? They look fine in the photos and have been rebuilt at some point which is obvious by the aftermarket springs. The part numbers I have are for senior models so not sure whether the same or not.

Check NAPA for the wheel cylinders. They had all mine in stock and ready to go at my local place, which never happens.

I agree with Don, it looks like someone has been in there before and replaced a lot of the brake components. Lots of meat left on those shoes too.

It looks like your gaskets are leaking around the axle grease seal, allowing grease to drip down into the drum. You probably ought to pull those off and make your own seals. While you're in there it's probably a good idea to pull the axles and repack the bearings. If the axle seals look good then I don't think they need to be replaced.

This was all stuff I had never done before, and if I can do it anyone can. It just takes some guidance.

-Kevin

Kevin,

I'll have to check with NAPA - I usually go in there with a part number and it really smooths out the process, otherwise I get a lot of confused looks.

But they did have the fronts. My only concern is the rears list in the cross reference are for the senior cars, not the clipper, and the one part number I tried the parts existed but apparently are not in stock, at least at Autozone...


Someone had definitely rebuilt the brakes not long before this thing was parked. I'd love to hear about the circumstances of it being parked. In the documents I found this car had been in an auction in the late 90s, so it was presumably in good shape then. Such a shame.
Mine could most definitely be rebuilt, but there's some corrosion in the wheel cylinder that needs some attention. If I bought a hone I could probably clean it up. But wheel cylinders are usually not much more expensive than the rebuild kits, so I was hoping to go down the quick route.

And about the seals... they are most likely leaking, and could probably stand to be replaced, but I'm wrestling with what outcome I want for this car. I feel like if it runs, drives and stops, relatively safely, I could find it a new home with someone willing to put in the extensive work to get this thing in decent shape. Or more realistically part it out. :/

If the corrosion is near the center, then it is no consequence as the boots don’t travel that far. Just get a good hone, keep it lubricated with brake fluid and hone it back and forth with an electric drill motor.

As for senior vs junior, when I did my 1954 Patrician’s brakes recently, I noted the Napa numbers used but forgot to note the diameters. If anything, the senior would be larger but might still work.

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I kind of feel the same way about mine, I think I will just drive it how it is, once it is mechanically sound. The sale prices on these are not high enough to justify restorations on them, or even close. However, I see this as a blessing in disguise, as you can find cars in "pretty darn good" condition for not a whole lot ($6k–$9k) or even cars in great/restored condition for $15k–$20k. In time I believe this will attract a good number more enthusiasts to Packards of this era. Anyway I digress...

I've been thinking about it and to me, the most economical choice by far is to pick up on someone else's project, which you can often find by asking around. They aren't often advertised because it's the type of thing where then owner isn't necessarily planning on selling, but also doesn't have time to keep going on it.

Just as economical is getting one already in good interior/exterior shape but maybe needs some sorting mechanically. It's counterintuitive but having a great interior/exterior is much more valuable than a car that runs and drives great, because you can go through the mechanicals to get them in good shape for only a few thousand (and often much less), yet a redone interior can be $10k, chrome is the price of gold, painting takes forever, etc.

Some great recent examples of these are
- This project I found while tire-kicking a Cragislist ad for a different Packard (was in the same garage):
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... 2534&post_id=244687#forumpost244687 (#4405)

- Mike P's 1955 400. Needs some mechanical work but very nice overall and picked up for less than $9k.
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php
And as a counterexample, the two threads of the other cars he was considering (caveat emptor):
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php
What's nice about working with ANY classic car is you will learn so much about it, that if/when you want to buy a better one, you will really know what you are looking at. You'll know what the common problems are, and how to tell a good restoration from a lazy restoration from a survivor, and if you keep up with the CL Pickings thread you will have a good idea on value too. Not to mention all of the friends that you will make along the way that you can ask for advice. So even though an economist may think that there's no point putting a grand or two into a car that's otherwise in pretty bad shape, I believe there are a lot of hidden upsides to the whole process.


Even more than that, with the greater number of young people attending college, and the lesser number working with their hands for fun, there are fewer entering the trades and being able to work with your hands is becoming more and more valuable in the job market. Especially if you are also college-educated. Now I'm certainly not against college or video games (I have a bachelor's and for years have been very active in a certain indie game community), but those seem to be the facts and trends today.

Hell, at my college ONE CLASS is easily $4,000 and a great education can be had in classic cars for the same amount of money and time.

P.S. You may want to hyperlink your registry listing onto your signature like I have, so people find the listing easily.