Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

Quite a bit of work done on the car.

Reassembled the front suspension.
Rebuilt the center steering arm.
Rebuilt the front brakes.
Built four of the six new hard brake lines today.

Oh yeah, and I picked up AL's 1955 Packard Patrician today.

Lots of work has happened, but there isn't a lot to say. A lot of thread chasing, painting, and putting together.

I'm taking the rear axle,driveline, front motor mount, and intake/exhaust manifolds for sandblasting Monday. The rear axle is currently fully assembled, with brake drums and all, and I'm going to get the main assembly sandblasted. After that, I'll disassemble the rear, rebuild the brakes, and then put everything back together again.

Attach file:

---

  (74.78 KB)


  (112.04 KB)


  (109.20 KB)


  (97.75 KB)


  (96.90 KB)


  (127.26 KB)


  (164.59 KB)


  (124.04 KB)

Well, I got a bit more done today. Finished bending brake lines, and I didn't even forget to put a nut on the line before I flared it! I also installed the master cylinder, both master cylinder hard lines, the front hard lines, and all three rubber lines. I didn't install the clips, because paint was still drying.

My most wonderful and patient wife actually came out and helped me out by cleaning off the pedal assembly, so we got it primed.

I also removed the transmission from the bellhousing in prepartation for rebuilding/repainting it. I have the rebuild kit from Kanter, so I'll be replacing the input and output bearings and seals. Not a full rebuild. I will be inspecting all the gears.

One question- is there any reason to not use gasoline vice kerosene when working on the tranny? I have some old gas (not ancient, just not old enough that I'm going to run it in a vehicle) but don't have any kerosene.

Attach file:

---

  (150.41 KB)


  (170.83 KB)


  (190.51 KB)


  (100.94 KB)

KenP, I am impressed with the quality of the work you are doing. If you decide to use gasoline I strongly recommend you do it outside with plenty of space around, and have a fire extinguisher close by. Generally speaking though, it is a bad idea and I advise against it.

(o{I}o)

Thanks JW!

Got a bit more done today. I picked up some parts from the sandblaster and was able to get some paint laid down. First time using a spray gun; it went pretty well.

Now I just have to let the paint dry; I'll probably start in on the transmission tomorrow, depending on my work schedule.

Attach file:

---

  (125.59 KB)

Ken

Can you forward me that Jpeg of the 55?? I would like to add it to the others I have to make a folder for it's next owner.

Al

Well, didn't get any work done yesterday, but decided to put the rear end back in today. Chased the threads in the rear drums because they were getting a little bit galled. I put the wheels on for the psychological gain; I will have to pull them off next week when I rebuild the rear brakes and install new parking brake cables. I also have to replace the 3rd member gasket and all the seals in the rear end.

Also went over my trailer and truck, plus put a little air in AL's tires. Probably the last time in long time I'll have two Packards (or more) in my driveway.

In other news, my Harbor Freight air compressor bit the big one today. I bought it not very long ago, so back to Harbor Freight with that one, and I'll get the craftsmen one I wanted in the first place. Trying to get by until I stop moving all the time and I can buy a big (220V) compressor.

Attach file:

---

  (66.36 KB)


  (116.06 KB)


  (93.18 KB)

Had a pretty productive weekend. I went down to Roanoke, VA, dropped off a '55 Patrician for AL and picked up 4 doors, a pair of rear fenders, and a fuel tank for the car. The fenders and doors are in MUCH better shape than my pieces, so I'm pleased about that. Also ordered a differential 3rd member gasket and a water pump gasket from Ebay, the next project on my list is to tackle leaks and rebuilding the brakes on the rear end. Still need to get two oil seals, but everything else is just putting it all together. My e-brake cables and pinion seal also showed up, so I have a lot of work to do.

I was able to get the driver side drum off tonight, so I'll be able to order the outer oil seals tomorrow. When I was attempting to pull the passenger side brake drum, one of the lug nut inserts stripped out. As it turns out, I will be getting Heli-Coils in the future. I'll need to evaluate, and see how many inserts are damaged. If it is more than one per side, I'll probably look into sourcing different rear drums.

I was surprised to see evidence of an inner oil seal on the rear end- I thought there would only be an outer.

Hoping to get some assembly done by the end of this weekend.

Quote:

Ken, when I did the rear brakes, bearings, and seals on my 115C I found only an inner oil seal. The bearings were a type that was fully shielded and lubricated for life; obviously a replacement, but a good move in my opinion. There were no outer oil seals. You need inner oil seals to keep the differential lubricant from washing-out the grease in the wheel bearings. I hope this helps.

(o{I}o)

Had a pretty good weekend. I was going to rebuild the transmission, so I got it all cleaned up/out and dis-assembled, but I can't get the counter-shaft out. So, I switched gears. Put in the differential 3rd member gasket, cleaned and inspected the 3rd member, put in the pinion oil seal, and rebuilt the rear brakes. I was a little disappointed in the brake shoes. I got the master kit from Kanter, and the brakes are *almost* the same front and rear, so both sets of brake shoes were the same part number. On the rear shoes, there are two additional pieces of metal on the leading shoe. Those two pieces of metal were not on the Kanter shoes. So, I had to drill out seven spot welds, chisel the two shim pieces off, and bolt them to the new shoe. I also had the grind the coating off of the shoes so the adjustment ears at the bottom of the brakes would fit over the shoes.

I also have an insight from my last post. There is only an outside oil seal on the rear axle. The mark on the inner portion of the axle shaft is from the bearing race.

Should've taken some pictures (like the Packard script on the edge of the ring gear), but I was busy working, not taking pictures. Not very good at that.

EDIT: In order to remove the passenger side drum, I switched to 9/16-18 bolts that were 1.5" long- sufficient length to pass through the puller and fully engage the threads on the brake drum. Oh yes, and a BFH. I'm convinced that a heavy duty impact gun (like a 3/4" for pulling lug nuts on logging trucks) would be more efficient than a BFH, but until I get into the trucking buisness, a hammer it is.

Also, my compressor returned to life. No clue why, but I have another 45 days for it to bite the big one and I can still get a replacement. C'est la vie.