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

Did my yearly maintenance this weekend.

First off, thanks to whoever had the post about checking the shock oil. Mine were both bone dry, filled them as described and the change is amazing.

Greased every single zerk according to the Shell lube chart, everything under there is coated with so much ancient grease, you can't even see what it is you're pumping grease into. I hesitate to clean all that mung off. I drives me nuts, but does it make any sense to just leave it be?

There is a spring-loaded flapper on the exhaust manifold. It moves freely, but what's the point of this?

I want to drop the oil pan, I guess I'll have to jack the engine up to get at the bolts behind the cross-arm? Every bolt on the pan was loose. Do you guys loc-tite these?

The Shell chart mentions an oil filter. Does one exist? Is there a strainer anywhere in the system?

Thanks,

Keith

The valve on the exhaust manifold is a "heat riser" valve which will direct warm exhaust gases towards the base of the carburetor to aid in fuel vaporization when the engine is cold. As it warms up the counterweight overcomes the tension of the bimetallic coiled spring and allows the valve to open, directing all the exhaust to the header. As long as the valve is in the open position, it doesn't really matter if it works or not if you don't mind a little temporary rough running of a cold engine.

The 356 engine came standard with an oil filter, mounted above the generator. In the lesser models, the filter was optional so you may not have one.

I wouldn't use Lok-Tite on the pan bolts, you may want to remove it some day. But you might see if the pan flanges has been deformed by excessive tightening such that the metal around the bolt holes is distorted. If so the bolts will make contact before the oil pan surfaces between the bolt holes does. A little tap-tap on a flat surface with a light hammer is all that's needed.

Yes, the oil pump floating intake has a screen which should be cleaned when the pan is down.

Thanks I appreciate the info.

All shined up & ready to cruise!

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Congratulations, a fine-looking car. Isn't it a Super Clipper?

Damn fine-looking automobile! I would clean all the grease and "mung' off the chassis by scraping and then including a power wash. You have to see what you're greasing.

Yup. That's what I did.

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Thanks, No, not a super, just a deluxe.

Man what a difference that cleaning made. My old grease doesn't even look like grease. It looks like some kind of geologic formation. And the first owner had the entire undercarriage sprayed with this very thick sticky waxy material. It definitely sealed the car, there isn't a speck of rust, but what a mess to have to do any work under there. It gets in your hair, and clothes and does not want to come out.

I'm not that familiar with the postwar Packards, but I know there are a lot of similarities between the immediate postwar cars and my 1940. In my "before" photo above, where the yellow arrow points... that is the center steering link Zerk grease fitting. Most people forget to grease this point because they don't realize it's there. VERY IMPORTANT... if it's not too late already. But, I'm not sure the Clippers had this or not.

West, I believe the center link steering went the way of the dodo bird with the discontinuation of Saf-T-Flex suspension; the Clipper introduced the new, more conventional (GM-style) front suspension and thus no center link.

You're right about the criticality of lubricating the center link and how it's often overlooked; early Saf-T-Flex center links were "lubricated for life" and had no provision for greasing and used pre-packed caged ball bearings. I'm not sure when the changeover was to a grease fitting, late 1938 perhaps when there was a design change to the unit.

I'll check again, but don't recall this zerk.