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Current status on my car:

Waiting to send out the fuel tank to get the "Renu" treatment done on it. All the varnish and and rust in the tank is coming back to haunt me even thought I already cleaned it once. Just don't want to mess with it anymore as every-time I have taken the car out for a drive I have been burned with a clogged filter, and have had to limp home. I've already spent to much time and money on various chemicals to get it clean and also shook it will handfuls of nuts and bolts over the last couple of weeks, only to have it clean up a little bit, but the stubborn stuff just wont dissolve of come loose. But when driven the sloshing fuel is breaking loose fine bits (silt) that coats the filters and starves the engine of fuel.

Just tired of messing with it. Cost is about $300 to get the tank media blasted inside and out, and then have a coating baked on. Lifetime guarantee and peace of mind makes it money well spent.

Also need to order a replacement exhaust system. Looks like it will costs about $220 with shipping, and I can install it myself. The gas tank was completely sooted down one side from the current exhaust system which has the tail pipe rotted off right before the gas tank.

Next on the hit list is the tranny. Currently works nice in all gears, but the direct drive clutch never engages (or tries to). After exchanging an email or two with Ross he said I should do some pressure tests to see where the problem may lie. Based on that, the rear-upper valve body may have to be removed and cleaned.

How difficult is it to remove just that valve body with the tranny in the car? Does the entire valve body/brake assembly have to come out to get at it? The service manual (55/56) only shows the complete removal of it.

I just don't want to get anything else out of adjustment where it currently is.

Or perhaps I just keep on driving it for a but and see if more crud flushes out on it's own and it frees up. Either way it will have to wait until the tank and exhaust is squared away.

Kevin - If you are doing pressure tests, I can arrange a loaner of the Packard Ultramatic gauges, the 3 gauge panel....

Dave,

I already have a set (sniped from eBay last year). But I do appreciate the offer!

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Kev....remember my huge trans rebuild on my blog....should help you alot getting out that Valve Body to clean.

its pretty simple.

Hank

I was bidding on those gauges but they went to high! If i recall, there was two sets of those and two sets of ultramatic bore gauges on ebay at the same time, and out of 4 auctions i didn't win a single one. Sigh.

I think I paid $34.99 for that gauge set and what included the original wooden box.

The ones i bid on went over 200 i think, maybe over 100. Either way, i was looking at spending about 3-4 on tools i'd likely use once. I was mainly looking at getting them to loan them out to members here after i had finished with them, for the price of shipping. It'd be nice if we had some of the tools you can't find anymore, like the tool to drive the 2 bushings into the blind hole on the very front of the converter in the ultra.

Status Update:

Spent some time last night sanding on the roof of the car. The roof has turned out to be a challenge. I stripped the rest of the body shell with 2 stripping discs. I have already used 3 on the roof alone. It's like the primer & surface rust was sun baked into the metal on the roof to form a super hard shell. Just really slow going to remove the material on the roof, but she is getting there.

Also today I placed the order for a replacement exhaust system. My current exhaust is original, and the tail pipe is rusted off just before the rear axle. So hopefully some time in the next two weeks I will be installing it.

Gas tank is out of the car waiting to be dropped off at the "Renu" place. So this will make it easier to route the tail pipe under the car. I probably should start the process of soaking the exhaust system bolts in some penetrator to help get them loose while I am waiting for the new exhaust to arrive.

Cort... You can take out and put in those blind hole bushings with tools from autozone. See my blog for specifics.

Keep it goin kev

Hi Kevin,

I'm a rookie here. Recently I bought a Packard Clipper 1954 in the Netherlands, that could have been a sister (or brother) of your car as you found it. I'm an enthousiastic reader of your project blog and I learn a lot from it about my own car. If you're interested, take a look in the Owner Registry. This morning I put my car in the list. It is not a restoration project, the former Dutch owner restored it technically (including a full professional engine rebuild!) but preserved the car's relic appearance. I will follow his path, which means keeping it in good running order and cherishing the traces of time. The Clipper came to the Netherlands in 2007, after having spent 30 years in the Californian desert. You can imagine, in Holland it is a real neck twister.

Keep up the good work on your car!

Hans

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