Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

You have probably been thru this with the Clipper but you can try the lube procedure as detailed on page 52 of this service counselorpackardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/SC/SC-VOL23NO10.pdf but if it does any good I suspect it will be short term and probably crap out the day of the inspection. Use ordinary vacuum pump oil in place of the Trico oil the article specifies.

The motor is old and there is a good chance the paddle seal in the motor is worn and gaskets may have shrunk and dried out. I suspect a motor rebuild will be the only long term solution. Not sure what to suggest in Europe but if over here Ficken Wipersrebuildingtricowipers.com is the place. They do excellent work and bought or have repro'd Trico motor parts but will not sell rebuild kits for a DIY approach.

Another option might be an electric motor kit from Newport Engineering.newportwipers.com A downside is the motor is 12v only so either a conversion to the car or spend the extra for a 6 to 12v inverter they offer in their accessories section. Another problem with the kit is the motor has a regular electric switch instead of the push/pull cable operation and that switch will not fit in the Packard steering column location. It would need to be mounted in or under the dash unless you made some kind of module to take the cable operation and convert it to something to duplicate the plain electrical switch. I did the module bit on my 56 when I wanted to keep the stock switch in case a future owner wanted to reinstall the original motor.

Got my temp Tags and drove to the next gas Station!....I'll borrow the wiper motor from the clipper for inspection.
Gave her a little wash and she cleaned up pretty well.
Steering is a little light and vague, not sure if that is from the PS or wear.
Cross your Fingers the inspection goes well!

Attach file:

---

  20220720_081920.jpg (388.04 KB)

Yeah! The inspectors were quite happy with the condition of the Caribbean, and it passed inspection, and qualification for classic plates here in Germany.
Shift linkage hung up on me 3 times, so that needs to be shimmed properly asap. The ride is quite smooth. It will take some time to get comfortable with the car, but it feels good to be back in a packard!

Attach file:

---

  20220722_100907.jpg (225.81 KB)

Congrats! Your hard work paid off. Now time to enjoy it and drive. Throw in some small projects here and there to improve it.

That's a beautiful car.

-Kevin

Good deal....I didn't even need to read the post, picture says it all.

Congratulations. If it has a Packard shift linkage the levers are differently shaped and positioned but the basic parts, operation, and lube issues are the same as in the pre 51 models. Those have shifting problems when lack of lube results in rust and corrosion forming around the shift tube and making the levers at the bottom of the steering column stick on the tube -- particularly the upper 2-3 lever which gets no lube but can catch condensed moisture running down the tube. The levers must be free to rotate individually so when one is selected the other is not trying to move at the same time and select two gears at once.

Attach file:

---

  shift tube lube.jpg (34.17 KB)

I got my plates, installed seatbelts for the kids in the backseat First, and also got this gauge panel to install. Vac and oil press are mechanical gauges, but the voltage is of course electric. I have to see how I can isolate the volt gauge, since it is not positive ground.
Thanks howard for the tip on oiling the shift linkage.
6v gauge is from france, made in india.
autoelec

Attach file:

---

  20220729_220724.jpg (197.25 KB)


  20220726_211927.jpg (179.97 KB)

Starting to do little things on the car. I installed the Blinker relay that I got from ledlight.com on my hazard circuit. It works great! The thermal relay blinked fast because it was powering 4 bulbs. The electronic one blinks at a more normal rate. Yay! Happy about that.
Drove about 100 miles so far.
Oh, how does one open the top latch on the windshield frame? Turn to loosen, but does it require many turns, or just a few? I still have to take all the precautions about lowering a top after being up for ages. Clean the Hydraulic rams, and check the switch on the dashboard etc...

Three weeks ago, I took the caribbean for a nice drive, about 40 miles round trip, and everything ran fine. The car sat in the garage untill yesterday when I wanted to take the whole family out to dinner. (wife, kids and grandma) I had to crank it for a while before gas was in the carb. (I will be installing a pump I had rebuilt at Gould to help with that)
To my surprise and horror (well, it wasn't so dramatic) when the engine started on fast idle and I started to back out of the garage and driveway I left a thick trail of gasoline coming out from under the hood! I pulled back into the garage and shut the car off. Since we had to meet cousins for dinner, I didn't have time to anaylze too closely, but when I opened the hood, I could see the carb was all wet with gasoline.
Today I started the car after taking off the air filter, and everything was fine.
I guess the float on the carb was stuck? I do not see any leaks from the fuel lines or filter or carb, but it looks like the vent on the float bowl may show evedence of fuel coming out there.
What do you guys think?
This one screw does not screw into anything....but I don't think that is too tragic. Any ideas on what else I should look out for? The ceramic fuel filter looks clean. Think the float stuck because of dirt in the needle valve, or perhaps something is tight in the hinge area of the float?
Thanks for any input!

Attach file:

---

  20220901_101821.jpg (262.72 KB)


  20220901_102533.jpg (255.56 KB)

I have a high school friend who lives out on long island, so I sent him my wiper motor and he brought it to Fiken wiper service. I just got it back, and his rebuild price is still the same as it was years ago when I had the clipper motor rebuilt! That was a nice surprise.
He said this wiper motor is from a 54, which I guess means that the line that goes to the washer is different? Does anybody know how big the difference between a 53 and a 54 wiper motor is? Does that mean it will only work with the 54 wiper jar, and not a 53 wiper jar? Wiper motor looks nice and clean, but otherwise is not so exciting.