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If the head is going to a machine shop to be assembled to the short block, and, if nothing else has worked to remove the unit from the head, why not just cut the cap tube and send the whole thing to the machine shop for removal while you (if you need to) send the gauge and salvaged parts to the repair shop for repair?

Steve, That is probably good advice. My 91 year old Dad said the same thing!! I guess I'm just stubborn and hate to give up. I went out and bought the 5/8-18 tap and a 37/64" bit and have the hole drilled nice and evenly to a half inch. Because it is so far back in the head, it is difficult to get at it squarely with the drill and tap, so I was going to leave it until I had the engine out and drill and tap the hole then. In drilling it out as much as I have, I've drilled into the sending unit and would really like to get the threads properly cleaned up and then make sure I get any parts and pieces of what's left of the sender bulb out of the head.

I've emailed Wolf's and not gotten a reply. Anybody have any suggestions on sources for the sender unit and/or the gauge line repair???

There are several instrument shops that do work on the gauges but Wolf's has been well recommended by other Packard people. Finding an authentic Packard nut may be more of a problem unless flackmaster or someone else has a destroyed gauge and can sacrifice the nut. You could also pick up a relatively inexpensive universal mechanical temp gauge that comes with several nuts. I did that when adding a second gauge to my engine. When I first installed the sensor in the original location before making a permanent adapter for it elsewhere on the engine one of the nut combinations fit the Packard thread size but was a bit short. I had to add a high temp O ring over the sensor bulb so the flange could squeeze it and seal tightly to the seat.

I would still recommend Wolf and would hope he can at least supply a modern nut if you give him the size but if you wanted to try your luck with a repair first there are some Packard people who have followed this procedure and repaired their own temp gauge.https://www.ply33.com/Repair/tempgauge

Thanks Howard, that is an interesting article. After reading it through and checking all the pics, I think I could do the sleeve-solder bit, but not so sure about filling the sensor bulb with ether and immersing it in ice water and SALT, what's with the salt????
If anybody has a sensor bulb in their 'for sale' pile, I'd sure be interested. Preferably with the retaining nut, but if not, we are dealing with standard fine thread and I think it would be fairly straight forward to shorten a 5/8"-fine bolt and drill a hole through it to make one.
I will continue to pursue Wolf's and will also scour the regular sources for a complete gauge with capillary tube and sensor already attached, although I think the odds of that are pretty long.

Salting the ice/water mix lowers the temperature and will thus reduce the evaporation of the ether. Perhaps you're familiar with salting ice on you walk in the winter to melt the ice (lower the freezing point)?

The article isn't specific about which ether, I'm assuming it is diethyl ether - extremely hazardous.

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What you would do to get a new bulb is buy an inexpensive universal gauge and use that bulb and line to solder onto the old gauge. The new universal gauge readout part is a sacrifice.

The ether is already in the bulb and different temperatures expand the ether and change vapor pressure in the bulb and line. The line carries it to and moves the gauge. What you are doing with the ice and salt is getting the temp so low that the ether will want to concentrate in the bulb and lower the line pressure. During the ice treatment almost all the ether will be in the bulb and will stay there while you do the cutting and soldering. Once it gets back to normal temp and assuming no leaks then the pressure will make the gauge move again. A potential issue might be if the bulb doesn't stay cold and any ether leaks so overall pressure will be lost after the repair then the gauge can't move full range.

Maybe...max Merritt.. Bruce Blevins..might be able to make it.

Google Roy Martin. The Temperature Gauge Guy in vermont. Burlington. I think. No muss, no fuss. Comes with new sender and hollow nut. Done.

Roy Martin - got him. Will call first thing on Monday. Thanks David. If I strike out there, Howard, would you be able to suggest an aftermarket equivalent that would be a candidate for the 'ice/salt bath'and sleeve solder??? Something that would go in the hole and seal in the same fashion with the hollow follower nut? I did the Ebay query and could not come up with anything that even resembled the pics you sent me of the original Packard unit. Thanks a lot for your help. Chris

What I do when installing the nut, is use liberal amounts of some sort of anti seize on the threads. I usually use either copper or nickel anti seize. Seems to work for me when every three or four years when I need to take apart, comes apart no problem.
I will take a look to see if I have an extra nut someplace, don't think so, but maybe in all my parts. If I do have one I should be able to make you one on my lathe for you.