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Hi all,

I'm a new owner of a 52 Packard 300 Sedan. In pretty nice shape I might add. I have obtained a manual and have removed my Power Brake unit. Wheel Cyls are next.

I have removed the large Nut/valve in the reservoir and the circlip retaining the pushrod. According to the manual the rod should slide out. It doesn't and I don't want to apply too much force to do it. Feels like something still needs to be removed somewhere for it to come out.

Any help appreciated.

Also, are there any other forums/discussion groups on Packards?

I'm in Arizona.

Chuck

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IF you have disassembled the unit per the factory shop manual (which was the first thing that BigKev uploaded to the site, under "Packard Articles"), the seals could just be stuck after decades of co-mingling in the master cylinder bore.

Soak 'em down with some WD-40 and let sit overnight. I bet that will loosen 'em up just enough. If not, try a good penetrating oil, and wait about 15-20 minutes.

P.S. - Thanx for the nice pic of your '53 - and taking time to add it to the Owner Registry here.

Thanks! Got it.

Totally dis-assembled now.

Has anyone done a conversion on these things? In my searches I've read that these are failure prone, and will leave you without any brakes at all.

Anyone have a excellent history with these?

I suspect I'm going to take a lot of flak from some on this forum over this answer, but that unit was, in addition to Packard, used on millions of GM and Ford products in its time, and was not failure or problem prone then. There have been some failures in collector cars which I sometimes think might be related to rebuilds by unknowledgeable folks, or using old,dried out NOS rebuild kits instead of modern kits. My own experience with 3 cars with Bendix TreadleVacs over 30 years is that I've never had a problem. I know others will present horror stories.

Thank you for that reply.
I was hoping someone out there had good success. Having just purchased the vehicle I have no experience with them. My plans are to purchase the Rebuild Kit from Kanter or Merritt.

Are there any other sources?

I too have a rebuilt treadle-vac and it works fine. I think the kits from max or Kanter are only for the hydraulic side of the T/V. If you need to rebuild the vacuum side then you must buy another kit. Double-check me on that. I had mine rebuilt by Ed Strain who advertises in HMN. It was $215.00 which included the shipping back to me.
Welcome to this Packard forum and your car is gorgeous.
The PAC club and Packards International both have websites you will want to examine.
There is also this website which has an active Packard section.
forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php?Cat=0

All Packard owners are pretty good people and most are willing to help out a newbie so don't be afraid to ask.

I am in Arizona (Phoenix) also. Have not done much yet, looking for a .030" under con. rod bearing for my 39 super 8. no one seems to be able to sell me a bearing, used, new, used rod and bearing or whatever. Some good guys are trying, so I will be patient. Once finished, I would like to do some tours and shows with other Packard owners here in Phoenix. Pics of the car are posted on the owner registry. it is black.

I appreciate your plight on those rod bearings; 25 or 30 years ago they were VERY hard to find. So hard in fact that some folks bought earlier (babbitt) rods to keep their their later engines in service. I'd think by now finding one or more would be nearly impossible. Yet I keep hearing rumors that one of the major national Packard vendors is considering having some made overseas. Let's hope that happens and that the quality is better than some of the reproduced parts now available.

Boro -

I've never had a big problem with the TreadleVac unit, myself, and concur with Owen_Dyneto's position that they were used successfully for many years and on many cars.

The NUMBER ONE thing to look out for on these decades-old units (especially from cars that sat, unused, for extended periods) is a pitted hydraulic plunger. Because the seals are held in a fixed position, and the plunger moves through them, a pitted surface will act like a cheese-grater and cause a failure of the seals in short order. A hydraulic failure in ANY single-chambered master cylinder could be catastrophic, but such an event unlikely in a brake system that has been properly gone-through and is properly serviced.

One thing I feel that has often been overlooked in rebuilding these units is the compensator port valve spring. That valve is CRITICAL to hydraulic operation, but the spring is not included in the "minor kit" - not even in an original from Bendix. I have seen this delicate spring corroded in two in a couple of units that I disassembled - cars that hadn't been used in decades. I suspect this happens, over time, because DOT3 is hygroscopic (draws moisture right out of the air) and the reservoir is NOT air-tight (like more modern designs).

To 39super8

I'm about 55-60 miles south of you. Just south of Casa Grande in Arizona City.


Thanks to everyone that responded concerning the T/V, and the info. As I have the wheel cylinders to do next, and a few other things, I will most likely be here daily. :)