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That's a VERY nice present!

Looking forward to pictures of your new shop Kevin.

Thanks Paul! The sign is great, and it wasn't that expensive (compared to other ones). She got it from Kristen's Neon Garage, $329 (https://kristinsneongarage.com/products/approved-packard-service-neon-sign)

I had some time yesterday so I decided to start the Panama and let the engine warm up. Haven't started it for a month. The battery was low, but it started right up.

Pulled the car out of the garage and found a new spot of liquid on the ground. Yay! So now I get to add a radiator leak to the power steering leak, rear main seal leak, and transmission selector shaft leak. I can't tell for sure, but I think it's leaking at the junction of the upper tank and fins. Never had a leak anywhere on the system before, so this is a surprise.

Overall the engine sounded okay while running. The tank is full with brand-new ethanol free gas, and I put in Sta-bil and some Marvel to run through the engine. The MMO really seems to help quiet down the valves. I need to do a valve adjustment at some point.

The fuel/vacuum pump is super loud though. The camera in the video doesn't do a great job picking it up, but the pump sound far overpowers everything else. It's like a hollow "pump' sound. No idea if that's normal or not. I haven't been around too many cars that have original engines, so I haven't been able to hear other fuel pumps. When the engine is warm, it is overall pretty quiet but the pump can be heard from outside the car, inside the car, and from a mile away.

Video:


-Kevin

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The radiator has a brand name on it that I haven’t seen before on a Packard radiator and would be curious if anyone else has. Anyway, tiny leaks or not it’s a gorgeous car!

On the valves, it hydraulic, then there is not a simple adjustment that can be done. I did once perform it on the 327 in my 1951 Henney-Packard Combination but it was a lot of work and machine shop time!

Never heard a fuel pump make that sort of noise. I wonder if it is the fuel pump part or the vacuum pump that is making the noise?

PackardDon, I'm a bit surprised that you never heard of Long, well known as a manufacturer of clutches. Can't say though that I recognize them as an OEM radiator supplier to Packard. But I do believe that is their logo.

The adjustment with hydraulic lifters is just to insure that the stem clearance is within the take-up capability of the hydraulic plunger and can easily be accomplished with a simple bench grinder. A gauge block and feeler gauges are required.

Don - the valve lifters are mechanical on mine, so it shouldn't be too bad adjusting them after watching Ross's video.

John - I'm assuming it's the vacuum pump making that noise...it has a kind of hollow sound to it. The fuel pump seems to be working fine. I don't have any fuel delivery issues at all. But I'm at a loss as to what to do regarding the sound. At the best it's annoying, at the worst I'm concerned that something isn't right. It's a brand new pump.

OD - I have no idea if this radiator is OEM or not. My guess is not, but I don't know what an OEM radiator looks like. I don't think the leak is coming from the hose, which means it's at the bottom edge of the tank. So I guess that means I'm pulling the radiator and sending it to have it repaired. Might as well have it tested at the same time. Hopefully it's nothing major like a recore.

-Kevin

Kevin:

I have that same sound when I start my '53 Clipper Deluxe, same 327 as your car. It never seems to be any louder and always mostly quiets down once it's warmed up, just a minor bit of that sound remains. Unless someone more knowledgeable weighs in, I doubt if its anything to worry about.

We're all so used to new cars having every trace of mechanical din silenced out or deadened, we forget cars then weren't that way.

Steve

Kevin - on the pump, do you have the vacuum side hooked up? Mine was very loud when I installed the fuel pump because I don't have any of the vacuum lines hooked up yet. (Wipers are the least of my concern right now, especially since the roof insert isn't water tight after 85 years!). I plugged both sides, and voila - noise was gone.

Car looks great, and congrats on the new shop too!

Steve - It doesn't really quiet down on mine once warmed up. Maybe a little. The valves definitely quiet down though, which makes the pump all that much more noticeable. It seems to work fine, so I'm not really concerned about function. But it would be nice to have it quieter.

Ken - Yes, the vacuum side is hooked up...one to the wipers, one to the manifold. It didn't seem to make a difference in the sound when I hooked it all up. Maybe the screws aren't tight enough on the upper and lower of the pump?

-Kevin

Out of curiosity, have you checked the vacuum and is it a good high and steady number? If the manifold line is disconnected and plugged, is the pump doing the job of supplying a reduced amount but still enough vacuum to keep the wipers moving?

The intake manifold port should connect to the pump out port and the wiper motor to the in port. Normal manifold vacuum is strong and will keep the valves wide open during wiper use or a fully closed line will not allow any air to pass so valves should remain still when all is off. Sometimes there is an in between area where the valves in the pump can flutter if an amount of air not adequate to fully pull them open passes thru. The vibration can make a sound and might be what is happening. Have you verified there is absolutely no air flow when the wipers are off -- say maybe due to the wiper valve not closing completely to the motor or the washer port or maybe a loose or cracked hose somewhere.

There are also situations where one of the diaphragms is making the noise either due to misalignment or more likely being pulled tight because the housing screws were tightened while the diaphragm was in a relaxed state rather than having the arm pushed down so as to have the diaphragm pulled out to where it would be at full stroke.