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Both companies replied back that they would mail the decal instead of UPS. I went with danchuk.com. Both were same price so just a flip of a coin. Never heard back from Seattle Packard so they must not do the e-mail thing very often. When I get the decal, I'll post pics.

Haven't heard anyone's experience with the wings on the hood ornament. Do they usually have a little play to them or will I need to get them tighter somehow?

I don't think there should be any play. Don't remember the details but are the screws the right length or need a shim? Whatever it is, don't force anything trying to tighten. That pot metal breaks faster than you can blink.

I agree. That's what I am afraid of. Either breaking it by making it too tight or the wings breaking from vibration while driving. They move about a 1/16 of an inch. This part is held on by a wedge that slides between the wings, locking it to the base. The wedge slid in fairly easy. Once in, it slid down 1/4 more beyond the edge of the wing. In other words, it had more room to move in the cavity of the bird. Maybe the wedge is worn out and I need to grind a new one. That makes me even more nervous!

7-12-11

Not sure what to do with the wings on the hood ornament. Maybe some tape on the tabs that go in the body to fill some of the gap.

My air cleaner decal came in. Perfect match to the original.

Sunday, I media blasted the top to my air cleaner, primed and painted it semi-gloss black. I am debating whether I should try to improve the paint job before putting the new decal on. I know when they came from the factory, they were not perfect. Mine has a lot of imperfections and some paint build up on the lip. I'll keep thinking about it for a while.

Today I started the nasty job of cleaning the engine block on the manifold side of the car. I was going to remove the heater core, but it looks like it is held from the inside of the car. To get to the nuts, I would have to remove the windshield defroster and other parts. Decided to work around it instead for now.

Hindsight being 20/20, I should have cleaned the entire front end of the car, instead of doing one side and painting. The black junk flew all over the to the other side on the nicely painted parts. Most of it came off with compressed air, so I am hopeful it will clean off completely.

I got a lot of junk off, but still have a long way to go. I'll use smaller wire wheels in my drill to get in the corners and hard to reach areas.

I will have to move the car to finish cleaning the passenger side suspension because the car is parked a little off the asphalt.

EDIT: also tried to get the water pump apart again. Those slotted screws are not budging so I'm going to leave it alone and hope it's OK. The car was not overheating before I tore it apart.

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7-13-11

I have been thinking about it all day and decided to buy a cheap air powered die grinder on my way home from work. I figured it would be easier to get into tight spaces with rather than my drill. I worked pretty good.

I used some wire wheels of various sizes that are meant for drills, not grinders. I turned the PSI down to 70 to keep the wheels from flying apart.

I worked on the grime for about an hour today. I accidentally sanded off a yellow line that was painted on my balancer, but some more wire brushing and I was able to see the timing marks. That should help.

I thought this side was going to be easier, but it seems like it is dirtier than the driver's side was.

aint it the best! ;0) cleaning is messy...but oh so rewarding.

theraputic in away.

have fun

Hank

You'll be very happy with the results. You're more environmentally friendly than i was.

Pulled the motor, simple greened the CRAP out of the engine bay, hot steam pressure washed. Brake cleaned the engine bay. Hot steam pressured washed. Let the car dry then rolled it back in.

7-14-11

Hank, I don't know if I can agree with you on this one. Although the end result is very rewarding, I can't say it is therapeutic. If anything, it makes me frustrated. Every time I think I have something cleaned good enough, the next day I see more grease and grime! Cortcomp, I have tried every type of cleaner I have available to me. Nothing would touch this stuff. It's almost an inch thick in some areas!

Was back at it for another hour today. I posted a pic, but I don't know if you can see a difference or not. Attacked with the wire brushes again. The plan was to remove as much as possible with components still on the engine, then take them off for finishing. I can't take the balancer off because I do not have a puller. That should not be too much of an issue. I can work around that. Went to remove the trans cooler, but those fittings would not break loose no matter what I did. I really don't want to cut/break the lines because I'm not sure I want to have to bend new ones of those as well.

After wire brushing, followed up with some heavy duty degreaser and a quick rinse off. I already see areas that I have to go over again.

Even with gloves and a tyvek coverall on, I'm still picking wire bristles out of my legs and arms!

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Are you kidding?? "I don't know if you can see a difference..." That is probably the cleanest that engine has ever been in it's 60 years! You keep up the good work, your Packard is truly showing pride of ownership. :)

7-15-11
Thanks Paul. Made more progress today. The fittings on the trans cooler finally came loose so I removed that. Took the throttle linkage off the engine. More wire brushing and finally a coat of phosphoric acid.