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

Pictures have to be smaller than 2048K and of proper format so if either was wrong, that may be why it disappeared. Another thing is if you are logged in for a time without doing anything, your session may have timed out just as you posted. Sometimes it will give a message and you can quickly copy to save text but usually you start over. Several of us have had that happen.

Sounds like several of you are in the Portland area. I have a good friend who's working on his 52 club sedan also in Woodland.

It may have been all of the above in my case. I thought I clicked on the picture I had re-sized but..... It was in JPEG. Anyway, I'll get the process down.

Jim L. in OR

My grandfather had a '51 200 model. it had the 288 engine Ultramatic. He had the cormorant added as an extra cost option. it was a nice car, roomy, and smooth. the Ultramatic was totally reliable as they all seemed to be until 55.

His '52 also had the cormorant with the lowered swept back wings, the 3 bottle openers on each back mender and the chrome fins on the back fenders. i remember the 52 as being a more powerful car with a deeper sounding engine. not sure what the displacement was tho. His 53 was a Cavalier with the 327.

The interiors were rather bland by todays standards but comfortable. These were all great cars for long trips. the cavalier was the most comfortable with the longer wheelbase, extra legroom in the back, and a quieter overall ride.

I have a 54 convert now. but my first packard was a '51 convertible bought in 60. it had the 288 and ultramatic. I loved it and drove the heck out of it through college. It started in the middle of winter covered with ice, and never overheated on the hottest days of summer. It was a joy to drive.

john

Quote:Jim,

Congratulations on your Packard purchase, sounds like a great car.

Thank you, thank you.
It has a few things that need to be done: things that will "keep me from being underfoot" with retirement; and things that I can do that won't result in my being laid up for three days after I do them. And with the help of you all, it should be a breeze.
I really am looking forward to seeing it in my garage!

Jim L. in OR

Jim,
for including your '51 200 Deluxe Touring Sedan in the Packard Owner's Registry.

EDIT - I inadvertently deleted Jim's original entry for his '51. But good guy that Jim is he re-created it here - '51 200 Deluxe Touring Sedan.
for fixing my mistakes Jim.

I just got the preliminary report from my mechanic who's checking over my new '51 200 Deluxe Touring Sedan. He says that it is another 288 that has hydraulic valve lifters instead of solids. Was that an option for the 288 or did Packard make a late running change?
As far as the rest of the car goes it seems the seller had put an electric fuel pump in it which was alternately flooding the engine at idle and starving it to death above 30-40 mph.
They have also been running a lot of chemicals through it and when I stopped by Friday afternoon it was sounding 100% better. Full report as to what she needs next week.

Believe the hydraulic lifters were an option. One of the service counselors alludes to that when reminding service personnel to stamp an H on replacement blocks so equipped.

Interesting on the electric fuel pump. Don't think I have ever heard of one starving--usually just the opposite so the flooding is very believable. I think the usual cause is too high an output pressure which the floats can't control.

The original mechanical pump specs are 4-5psi and 1 pint in 45 seconds. Unless the electric pump is worn out, would expect all could do that so wonder why the starving. Any chance there is a hose collapsing with suction or a too small or clogged filter in the installation. If it still has the ceramic filter near the carb, that would be an excellent place to look. If they varnish up from gas evaporating while sitting, you can blow air thru but it can't pass required flow with engine much above an idle. Been there, had that.

If the electric is plumbed thru the mechanical pump, there is a screen in the bottom chamber that might have clogged. There have also been reports of floating debris in gas tank that gets sucked near the outlet pipe pickup and throttles the flow.

Thanks, HH56 for the help with the pump problem. I'll pass your thoughts along to the kid working for my mechanic on the car as he is young enough that the car could be his Grandfather.
Really interesting about the fuel bowl by the carb. It does appear to have a ceramic filter in there and I know I would have branded it OK if I could get air though it.
The electric is back by the tank and is supposed to be a "helper" for the mechanical one. We did briefly talk about rebuilding it as the vacuum side will be needed for the wipers. I will contact the seller to see if he had the tank cleaned. If not, that will certainly be moved up the list.
Thank you again,

Jim