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I have the photo in my collection. I am not sure I can make that setup work from me at this point.

I am looking for photos of the linkage to the original Ultramatic. I think there was a "pivot" that bolted to the top of the frame. I have the part. I just don't know where it bolts in.

I'll check out McMasters site when I start fabricating something.

I figured out the gear shifht linkage. found one on eBay and should have it this week.
The brake lines are nearly filled. Should have that done this week as well.
Also got that return spring installed for the throttle while I was underneath working the rear brakes.

A new fuel tank has been ordered this past week and I have measured for a new drive shaft. I may order that in the next couple of weeks.

Finally got the replacement door hinge painted and installed but it did not help the sagging problem. It is still an inch too low at the outside end of the door. The second photo shows where it's hitting inside. I am afraid that I am going to have to drill the holes on the hinges larger to allow a little more movement. They are drilled for 3/8 bolts now. May have to go to a 7/16 hole.

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I forgot to ask.

Does anyone have a part number for the rear universal joint? The listings in the Parts Cross-Reference appear to be outdated. I am unable to locate those part numbers.

On the door:

Did you try adjusting the bolts where the hinge connects to the door?

Also, what about just shimming behind the lower hinge on the body side?

You know, when I installed that new hinge I tried putting a large washer behind the bottom bolt. That did not work because it put the center hole (inside) out of alignment.
So, maybe I should put a washer behind all 3 of the lower bolts. I did not think of that until you reminded me with that shim idea

Have you verified the nut plate the bolts thread into is free floating? Don't remember how much the plate can move but it is captured in a box like affair that lets it move in 4 directions. The sheet metal actually attached to the door structure has holes that are larger than the bolts so if the plate can move there should be some adjustment. Once the bolts are tightened the hinge leaf and plate are compressed so tightly the door metal cannot move between them.

After doors were factory aligned, particularly on the heavy long doors used on hardtop and convertible models, a thru hole was often drilled so the hinge and plate were captured in the proper position relative to the door metal by a roll pin or small diameter screw that went thru all pieces including the box. If that pin or screw was broken when the door was removed but enough is remaining unseen, the nut plate could be fixed and not be able to move. If that is the case it could be the cause of the issue.

On early 22nd series convertibles where door sag problems developed they actually tack welded to the edge opening to keep the hinges from moving and doors aligned. I doubt anything like that was done on a 55 since it has the larger bolt heavier hinges designed after that issue first came about. If there is no evidence of a pin and the plate won't move, since they did have so many body build and quality issues in 55 nothing can be ruled out -- either done by the factory or a harried dealer.

Maybe it’s not my place to say, but your throttle spring should attach to a small bracket. Enjoy seeing the progress on your project

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I placed a washer behind each of the lower hinge bolts in order to alight he door better. That helped but it was not enough. So, I have added a second washer to each bolt. I am short on hands today so have not remounted the door but I am not sure i want to do that anyway. Look at the first few images below. I am not sure I like being able to see through that gap.

The new fuel tank arrived today. I took some pictures of them side by side. I have read on this site about the filler tube being “off” a little bit. That issue has not been resolved. I put a tape measure on each one and it shows the height difference.

That last image with the spring. I found those 3 parts in a bag with parts. I was positive that I must have left them out of the rebuild that I did on the steering column but when I pull the gear selector lever it springs back. That is the internal spring at work, correct? I have no clue what that spring and other parts are for.

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You should not need the washers on the jamb side of the hinges. That hinge portion on the jamb side is non adjustable and was where Packard suggested removing the doors from the body to avoid disturbing the alignment. If the door side threaded plates move but still does not have the play to get the doors in alignment is there any chance the body was twisted or torqued by use of improper thickness cushions at the body bolts when it was put back on the frame. I still have a small dose of that issue remaining from when I did a body off on my hardtop some 40 years ago.

Not sure what the middle item in the extra parts photo is for --anti rattle or vibration control maybe??-- but believe it is item 3.32586 and goes inside the column below the shift setup. The lower item looks to be the inner bearing race and goes around the shaft to form part of the upper ball bearing assy between the shaft and column. The spring goes on top of that and when the steering wheel is installed pushes down on the spring and inner race to keep it and the bearings under tension.

Here are a couple of parts book illustrations and a photo of a 47 column showing the race. Spring slides on the shaft after the race and then the wheel. Note that if you need to adjust the height of the column to change the gap width after the wheel is installed, depending on how tight the race is grabbing the shaft wheel, spring, and race may need to come off again so the column can slide on the shaft.

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Thank you Howard but I wish I knew that 10 years about removing a door. I was an idiot and eager to get started so I just started undoing body parts and did not do the right thing like look at the manual. Believe me, I do not want to put washers behind the hinge but I don't know what else to do. The "nut plate" in the door is free and moving. I have some 1/8 metal plate. I could probably make a complete plate to fit behind the hinge and remove the washers. That would fill that gap.

I thought this larger spring was the horn spring. It is in the box with the remaining parts for a column.

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