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Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): What gasket material can I use for making a cover gasket? I'm thinking of using Fel-Pro Karropak 1/64" (Fel-Pro 3045). I measured the old gasket at about .0135" to .0145". I would imagine Packard used gaskets measured in fractions of an inch. 1/64 = .015625.

I was surprised I could access the pump for removal and re-installation by leaning over the fender. My blower is not installed. While the mounting bolts are removed, rotate the pressure regulator to 6 o'clock for removal and re-installation

The pump drive has 12 slots so I guess every slot moves the rotor 30 degrees. With the engine at 6 degrees BTDC and the vacuum canister at 9 o'clock I believe the rotor should be at 7:30. Each cap position is separated by 45 degrees. On the next pump slot the oil fill tube interferes with the vacuum line. On the previous pump slot the grease cup obscures the distributor securing screw. This is related to the 30 and 45 degree choices I guess.

I need a new gasket for the cover and thought I'd make one for convenience. It is Packard P/N 303930 I believe.

As I recall, to ensure the distributor rotor is at the proper location there is a procedure in the service manual as to how to prepare the engine and then insert the pump with a locating mark on the gear in a specific position.

The pump cover gasket must be extremely thin or the clearance to the rotors will be adversely affected and pressure will be lost. I don't know how the thickness you have found will work but several have made the mistake of using regular gasket material and when starting the engine found they had very low oil pressure.

I don't know the exact thickness of the original but the gasket supplied in full engine sets is paper thin. Some have used a thin hard coat copy paper that is almost as thin as tissue paper to make the gasket. That type paper was originally for making multiple carbon copies in the days when typewriters still ran supreme and I believe is referred to as onion skin paper. Should still be around and may be similar to another commonly found hard coat paper architects and draftsmen use for tracing over drawings.

The service manual has the procedure, but specifies the motor brought to 6 degrees before TDC and the rotor position marked.

The bottom line is hold the pump with the distributor blade parallel to the camshaft and the punch mark on the gear vertical. It's on page 32 of the manual. But make sure the #1 cylinder is at 6 degrees BTDC compression. When you are done the drive should be slightly off horizontal.

You can buy the oil pump gasket from Olson’s Gaskets in Washington State and they have excellent products from the full engine kit to individual gaskets and they are very fast too. They have far more than their online catalog shows. Whenever I need a special gasket they do not have, I make sure they get a pattern so save others trouble down the road.

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Howard, I think you’re referring to modern vellum.

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I recommend the thinner the better. Regular paper like used in a desktop printer is a good choice.

First, check the pump cover plate for wear. If you have a wear pattern from the gear rotation then either have a machine shop resurface it or dress it youself with some crocus cloth adhered to a piece of plate glass. Clean it thoroughly thereafter. For gasket material, the typical brown supermarket paper bag material is really too thick, just plain old office copier paper will be acceptable if you don't have anything thinner.

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Maybe. If it is the same it looks like what they call vellum is a lot less expensive and easier to come by than onion skin is now.

I just remember onion skin as a very thin paper my dad bought in large packs so it must have been cheap. It had the word COPY diagonally printed across in large thin letters and was used with carbon paper in his typewriter. Guess I remember it because as a kid when my brother or I needed some paper that stuff was always available in his office. I think it must have been cheap because he left it out while the good heavy typewriter paper we actually wanted was always hidden away from us.

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