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

Hi, Folks. I'm a definite beginner when it comes to owning/maintaining/repairing my newly-acquired 1949 Packard Super Eight. So, here's a simple question. I'm prepping to change the oil, and in searching for the gasket that goes with the oil drain plug, I can't find any Packard supplier that lists it as a part. I'd rather have one in hand BEFORE I do this, rather than examine the one I remove and trying to find a new one by matching the size. So, experts, what gasket size/material am I looking for...and do I need to go anywhere other than the auto parts store down the street to get it?

Try a good local hardware store, mine has an assortment of sizes in nylon, brass, and copper, all of which should be acceptable. Just take the drain plug to get a size that fits snugly around the threads. Given a choice of materials, I'd take the copper.

The Packard part number 433248 works fine. This is a copper gasket that crushes to make a great seal. I have never had one leak. I bought enough for my cars at SASCO in South Bend at the national Packard meet last year. You can also send that part number to the major vendors to check and see if they have it.

It should be just your standard 1/2" drain plug gasket, available anywhere.

I don't know what the straight 8s used, but the drain plugs on my '56 V8s were originally fitted from the factory with a washer-style, nylon gasket. This gasket is cited in January 1956 Service Counselor as P/N 6480955, but I never liked it.

While a nylon gasket does a great job on other cars, the drain plug on my V8s has a hex head with no flange. That leaves nothing to contain the nylon as it is compressed by the head of the plug and the material deforms around the hex, making it tough to get a wrench on the head next time. After tens of thousands of miles, the drain plugs on these cars were practically rounded off, and I had to trim the nylon material away so that I could get enough of a grip on the head to get the plug out.

For the Packards, instead of nylon, I use the annular type of copper gasket as descirbed by packards1. These are similar to gaskets used on spark plugs that don't have a tapered seat. This same gasket is also used on the drain plug in the pan of the Ultramatic.

Once you have a correct sample to go by, you may find these gaskets available from a good old-fashioned parts store.

Thanks to all of you for your comments/inputs. What a great forum!