Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Well i guess it is time i posted here. I have a 1953 packard clipper. My wife got it for me last year for christmas, we just recently got it home. Her grandpa had it, i'm not sure on history from there. Except there is a large dent in the rear, it was missing the trim piece which i ended up finding in the trunk, plus a PVC tube addressed to a doctor in oklahoma back on 4-27-84 which contained a brand new trim piece. There was also another dashboard, brake drum and transmission in the trunk. Those were cool to find.

It has a straight 8 and a 3 speed with over drive. I plan to restore the whole thing. I have removed all interior so far and started the floorboards. They wont need replaced, just patched in a few spots.

I need ideas on where to start, what you guys would check out. I'm not sure if the motor fires, her grandpa said it did but needs a battery. I'm going to drain and replace all of the fluids before i try to turn it over. Onto the pictures:

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Lots of nice folks here that can be a lot of help.

Certainly, get the oil changed, and drain whatever is in the fuel tank. The fuel tank is probably full of gooey varnishy stuff, so that's an early item. See if the motor is free.....

Good luck and enjoy.

Quote:
kirby,
A big to you and your '53 to PackardInfo. There'll be plenty of great advice to help you along the way from the more knowledgeable and experienced here. And you obviously have a great wife there!

Welcome to the wonderful world of Packard owners, Kirby! DEFINATELY drain and clean out the fuel tank. You may have to disassemble the carb and clean it as well. Long standing fuel tends to turn into a thick tarnish goo. You also may want to install an inline fuel filter somewhere between the fuel tank and the fuel pump. It seems to keep junk out of your fuel pump rather well and extend its life.

Also would be a good idea to have a quick look at wiring loom before connecting the battery. The old rubber & fabric insulation sometimes gets very brittle and falls off in chucks when flexed--also rodents have been known to assist the process. Just make sure nothing obvious is showing in some of the hidden areas (dash, trunk, or places out of sight where it branches).

If you are worried about electrical shorts I have used a safer method than just connecting the battery. I have a small 6 volt battery charger with an amp meter on it. The current output from the charger is limited to either 2 amps or 10 amps with a switch. I always start with the 2 amp setting because that small current will probably not burn anything (not even a fuse)right away. You then hook up the battery charger in place of the battery and keep an eye on the amp meter on the charger. With everything in the car turned off you will not have any current flow except possibly for an electric clock (if it works). You can then turn on items one at a time and make sure the current flow is not excessive. Since some items draw more than 2 amps you can carefully explore the condition of the circuit using the higher current setting.

The reason for this method is so you will never draw an excessively high current if there is a short. The battery has no current limit except the resistance of the battery itself and the wires, so unless a fuse protects the circuit by blowing out you get huge currents, heating, burning, melting, etc. On these old cars not everything is fuse protected.

Once you check for shorts you can then inspect the wiring insulation and either re-insulate or replace the wires.

Hi Kirby!
Welcome! Your 53 Clipper looks better than mine. I mean that as a compliment! Don't know how much knowledge you have on Packard. If you do not know already you should have a 6 volt battery with a positive ground unless someone has converted your car to negative ground or 12 volt. Had an ignorant serviceman put a battery in with a negative ground in my positive ground Packard once and it ruined my voltage regulator and I had to replace it. I have a blog on my 53 Clipper Deluxe that might be of interest. Best of luck!
Ken

Kirby,

Could you please include your '53 Clipper in the Owner Registry, together with a pic, any known history and how you acquired it?

Wow guys, thanks for the welcome! You guys are very helpful!

I don't know much about packards, i'm learning as i go. I was going to buy a 6v battery off a guy from craigslist but when i called him yesterday he said it wouldn't hold a charge so he didn't want to sell me junk. That was nice of him to check it before i drove out there. He only wanted 15 dollars, the auto parts store wants $67 for one. I don't want to spend that cause i want to upgrade to 12 volts.

I don't know where to start when upgrading to 12 volts. I do want to replace most if not all of the wires just to make sure i don't have any shorts. Plus all the bulbs will need to be tracked down and replaced.

The carb is gumed up already pretty good. I will need to learn how to rebuild it. I will check out the other 53 clipper too.

Last night i finished stripping all of the interior and floor, now i need to get the bad spots cut and patched. Since i don't weld i will have to ask a buddy to help me.

What would you guys put down on the floor board before the carpet as a heatsheild/noise barrier? I have heard dynamat used but i believe it is pricey. Let me know what has worked for you.

Thanks everyone.

Well today I went to oreillys auto parts to find out how much a oil pan gasket would cost. They told me it was only a whole gasket set and it would be 169 something with tax! Anyone know where to find some cheaper gaskets?

Also who can help me on the dynamat or some other insulation/deadening material to put down before I put carpet back in?