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I just bought a 1953 Patrican and would like to know the best rear end oil so I can change it ,also what brake fluid to use. Thank you.

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G'day walkerman,
Congratulations on the Pat and to PackardInfo. Plenty of knowledgeable, experienced and friendly Packard people here who can advise you, let it rip fellers!

Welcome. Those are very fine cars.

Regular 90W GL4 or GL5 will do just fine in the rear.

If you don't know the history of the brakes, I strongly suggest going through them thoroughly (see the posts on "What should come first") Otherwise, dot 3 brake fluid is good. Be certain there are no chunks or floaters in your master cylinder reservoir; the power brakes really don't like chunks. And if the car seems to use up brake fluid, have the power brake rebuilt sooner rather than later.

I have a 1953 Pat 6 volt pos ground. When I bought it, it had an electric fuel pump and it quit working. Does anyone know the best pump to buy .I have read that some pumps do not last long with unleaded gas and some will not work with pos ground.

Thank You

I was having a lot of trouble with a positive ground electric fuel pump on our '27 Pontiac (fuel was literally melting the internal parts) so I went to NAPA and bought their most expensive 6V unit and it has worked very well. I can't remember the brand name, but the guys behind the counter said it was "new gas" proof, and it was!

One of the CCCA regions also offers a 6 volt electric pump for positive ground, and suitable for all of today's (putrid) gasolines.

Don't forget to clean out the rear axle vent. Sometimes it's plugged and could cause seals to fail. Mine was plugged but I cleaned it before driving.

Welcome to Packardinfo and congratulations on your purchase of a fine automobile. You will find plenty of eager, knowledgeable Packard owners willing to help.
The 53 Patrician 400 was a modern refined luxury automobile.
If Mal hasn't asked you yet, please post a pic of your Pat in the owner's directory.