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The front axle itself was in good condition. The front wheel bearings had apparently been replaced not long ago. However, the steering knuckle bearings and the steering knuckle pin were in a deplorable condition, like all the technical components shown so far. In those years, the bearings for the knuckle pin were still designed as ball bearings. It wasn't a good idea to transfer these vertical forces to balls. But it can be done if these bearings are replaced regularly. The better solution for such bearings has always been to choose tapered roller bearings for various design reasons. I know that there are/were replicas of the teat pin and bearing. However, here too the price was beyond what I was willing to pay for it. So, I looked for an alternative to these bearings... as a tapered roller bearing.
Around this time of the restoration I found this forum here while searching for Packard parts. (“Packard Information.com”). But I hadn't read much about it yet because I didn't have the time. I searched the Internet using relevant keywords for tapered roller bearings for steering knuckles. I was surprised to find an article that addressed this exact problem. I can't remember exactly where I found this one article. But he described exactly the problem on these early Packard types and offered a solution saying that the tapered roller bearings from an earlier Toyota SUV could be a solution. Type and vintage were described in more detail. The article stated that someone in Australia had been working on this problem and had found this tapered bearing. I quickly found this tapered bearing on the internet. And since the price was ridiculous, I ordered one to see if that could be a solution. It was the solution! From the pictures you can see that the essential and important dimensions of the Toyota bearing are absolutely accurate and identical to the original. The important and crucial outer bearing shells have exactly the dimensions of the original shells and therefore fit absolutely precisely into the sockets of the steering knuckle housing. To be on the safe side, I secured the bearing shells with a few drops of Loctite metal glue. The diameter of the inner bearing shells was only slightly smaller than the original. This made it possible to adjust the knuckle pin to the required size. I had the old pins machined to the required dimensions by a company with precision machines. (As I already said... my lathe no longer works precisely enough in the 1/100 range). A few months later I had my first contact with the member DavidMc here in the PI. I wrote to him with other questions and then told him about the Toyota front knuckle bearing solution and that some Australian had found a solution for it. And…surprise…. this Australian was DavidMc. At this point, thank you again, because this solution to this problem is brilliant. It's also incredibly cheap and a real improvement on this old component. With the linkage installed and the steering knuckle bearing adjusted without play, the wheels can be turned wonderfully easily.

Karl

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Sorry, I forgot this picture which shows that the outer diameter of the new bowl is the same as the old one.

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..forgot this pic too.

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That will definitely hold the weight far better than ball bearings! Excellent work.

Hi Karl,
Thanks for the mention, this is a great resource for the exchange of information.
There is a bearing and seal company here in Sydney (Au) where I was able to buy new bearings for virtually all the bearings in my 1922 and 1929 Packards. They got to know me well over many years, usually greeting me with "Oh no, not you again, what is it this time!" but they actually went out of their way to help and when I showed them that kingpin bearing they came up with those tapered roller bearings. My memory is that they came from a Nissan Patrol but maybe they were also from the Toyota.
I am enjoying your 136 Sport restoration story, it will be a stunning car.
David

David, mentioning helpful bearing suppliers, when I was with Wade at his workshop in West Ryde he used ABC Bearings Pty Ltd at Silverwater. They gave great service, going out of their way to source the bearing/s needed. As an example, I was able to get some front wheel bearings for a fellow PackardInfo member who also owned a mid '30's Chrysler product and couldn't source them at all in the UK!

Mal, I used Advance bearings at Blacktown,advancebearings.com.au/setup.htm
David

David, you're right, they were the bearings from a Nissan. I hadn't taken any notes at this time and it's been a few years ago. So I probably mixed it up because at that time I was rebuilding the brake calipers on a Toyota “Bush Taxi” for a friend and so the name Toyota stuck in my head.

David, I found a new project for you !! It´s also maybe just around the corner.

justcars.com.au/cars-for-sale/1924-packard-7-passanger-tourer/JCW5222012

Thanks Karl, I think I will leave that one for someone a lot younger than me!