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Monday 14th July 2008

Arrived at the workshop late morning after donating blood plasma earlier to find Wade waiting for me. I thought he was going out this morning to pick up the crank, rods and odds and sods for Kevin's '35 engine rebuild which had been at a machine shop for quite some time now and also take John's '39 110 pressure and clutch plate to be re-built. Turns out he was waiting for me to ensure I was gainfully employed on the '41 and left me to install the fuel pump, reconnect the exhaust pipe to the manifold with the new gasket, re-install the throttle linkage, the spark plug wire holder and air filter bracket. All accomplished, although struggled a bit with the fuel pump to align and start the bolts and pre-lubed the cam and arm before inserting the pump.

On Wade's return, in addition to the '35 engine parts, he had the clutch/brake pins and parts he had Ivan and Sam machine or repair for the '39 110. The pin on which the clutch pedal, which appears to be brass or bronze, and the steel brake pedal pivot had seized resulting in 2 bad grooves being worn into the pin itself. The pin at the bottom of the clutch pedal was also badly worn and Ivan and Sam had removed the old pin and inserted a new one. Various other pieces of the clutch and brake mechanism were welded and ground or machined back to original specs.

Also had a discussion about what turn indicators I should use on the '41. Wade advised that Harley Davidson indicators were now the part of choice, being of a good size and coming complete with a stalk meaning that only a small right angle bracket is required to mount them. And best of all they are apparently readily available, because for some reason many of the Harleys imported down-under have their stock indicators replaced. I think this is a personal preference thing but don't really know. So on Wednesday I'll be calling into the Harley dealer to pick up some indicators and also some silicon brake fluid as they deal in that too. Later in the week I'll be making the trip out to Ingleburn, a far south-western area of Sydney, to pick up lubrication for the '41 in the form of Penrite engine, gearbox and diff oils.

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Tuesday 15th July 2008

Dawn broke on a morning which though cool proceeded to become a beautiful winter's day with clear blue skies and a high of about 68 degrees. At about 8:00am a courier finally delivered the long awaited stub axle (spindle), no wonder it was such a great day. Nothing at all to do with the Pope being in town for World Youth Day celebrations of course. Arrived at the workshop before Wade and greeted him with the news "It's here" "It's arrived"! Haven't been this excited about a Packard part before, but with the anticipation building since I won the stub axle on eBay back on the 19th of May, it's a natural reaction. The stub axle came with new bushes and a new king pin installed however as the other stub axle has roller bearings and not brass bushes the first task was to push out the new bushes. And here's where things came unstuck! The stub axle, besides having new bushes, has steel sleeves as well, and because of this the roller bearings wont fit!

After a short pow-wow it was decided to proceed to plan B, heating and bending the original stub axle to return it to it's original alignment. Out with the oxy/acetylene and Wade heated the shoulder of the stub axle and when very, very, very hot I applied leverage with a length of pipe about 6' long. Not much happened except the bench moved! Then Wade applied some brute force with a large hammer and old king pin hammering around the inner edge of the misaligned shoulder, small movement detected, but not enough. So proceeded to a longer pipe slipped over a crescent wrench and tried the heating routine again this time with Wade holding back the bench but with the same sort of results. So I climbed up on the bench to gain greater leverage against the wall while at the same time pushing down, again similar results. Total of about 20 thou's of an inch achieved but still needed 20 thou's more to be in the ballpark. All this took about 2 hours before we gave the attempt away.

Plan C, you ask? Well yes, after another pow-wow, it was decided to push the previously removed bushes back into the new stub axle and go with that, at least for the time being to get the '41 mobile. I'll therefore be on the lookout for ANOTHER stub axle which we'll equip with the new roller bearing and swap in at some later date. So, pushed the bushes back in and found that because they'd been disturbed one bush was now a little tighter than before and wouldn't allow the king pin to be pushed through by hand. A little work with the reamer took only a gnat's whisker off that one bush only and we were back in business with a nicely fitting king pin. Fitted the stub axle to the support arm and pressed in the cotter pin and grease seals.

Now came the best part, putting it all back on the '41! Started with the left side, with the torque arm being secured at it's chassis mounting point. But first that old bogey, overpaint and with POR-15 it's so unforgiving, had to clean the mounting holes because the the large round headed locating bushing bolt "thing" wouldn't fit otherwise. And let me say here, at various points throughout the following assembly similar actions were taken at many points to permit bolts/nuts and other parts to fit together properly. All that painting and now taking a lot of it off, ! Another problem was finding all the parts both the new rubbers and other bits and the parts removed over 6 months ago. The removed parts having been cleaned and painted during which some parts got shuffled around although there was supposed to be a system in place. And over the course of all this, with re-shuffles and re-arrangements in the workshop they were not always easy to find. However all turned out well with everything eventually being located. Hardest part was installing the new spring. Wade was of the opinion this would be reasonably straight forward as he'd done it a number of times. It was not to be though, so we ended up using spring compressors in order get the spring in place. And to locate the lower support arm initially, a long bolt was inserted up through the chassis and arm and a nut installed. All this and finally it was together, Wade having done most of the alignment and assembly work with me as gopher and nut and bolt tightener.

Quite some considerable time had passed so Wade left me to mount the brake backing plate and steering knuckle arm while he took his '37 Super 8 generator armature round the corner to have it tested. Turns out its cactus. So while the Super 8 is running OK with the used generator he'll rebuild the original with a NOS armature he had on the shelf along with new brushes. He'll then re-build the used unit he has in the super 8 so he'll always have a good spare handy. When Wade returned he looked over my handiwork only to tell me he thought I had the backing plate bolts and nuts installed the wrong way round! Easy fix, and installed the required split pins at this time as fortunately I hadn't done so earlier, but the ego sure takes a pounding.

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Wednesday 16th July 2008

Didn't expect to get to the workshop today because I had some other matters to attend to. These included going to a large Harley Davidson dealer at Homebush about 8 miles from home. Reason for going to the Harley dealer was twofold 1) to purchase silicon brake fluid, and 2) to purchase some turn indicators for the '41 and for Wade's '34. The story with the Harley indicators is that many of the Harleys imported into Australia have the turn indicators replaced with a different style after arrival. So the many replaced indicators, not being required, are sold cheaply. The Harley dealers side of the story was somewhat different, being that there are basically 3 styles of indicators on the bikes imported to Australia and NONE of these are replaced after they arrive. Of course I could have bought genuine Harley indicators through their spare parts dept @ AU$95 each and AU$60 each for the mounting stalk but I declined their offer. Did buy the silicon fluid though as Wade recommends it and has been running it in his '37 120 for the past 17 years without an ounce of trouble. After the Harley dealer I went to the speed equipment shop next door and found turn indicators there for AU$22 each! Certainly not as nice as the Harleys but nice enough and 4 indicators for less than the price of one Harley indicator. Haven't acted on these yet as Wade is going to contact the guy who told him the Harley indicator story first.

Cleared my other matters sooner than expected so arrived at the workshop early afternoon and started cleaning up the excess POR-15 from the right side front suspension parts to be re-installed. Wade arrived just in time to apply some brute force to the right side torque arm bracket. This was done using a large crescent wrench then a large hammer resulting in the re-alignment of the bracket and allowing the shouldered pin to fit and seat properly. Next was the re-installation of all the suspension components with similar problems encountered in aligning the lower support arm bolts in the front cross member and getting the spring compressed.

In my travels today saw a couple of interesting cars first a Simca, French car, and a 33/34 Ford Coupe with a chopped top , pic's attached.

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Thursday 17th July 2008

Disappointing hour or so at the workshop this morning. Wade is away and I was to install the right side front brake backing plate and steering arm, but before doing so I needed to install the grease nipples on top and under the king pins in the middle of the hammered in grease cap as they have a right angle nipple. Should be easy, right? Not when they've been hammered down too far and compressed the diameter of the hole so the threads of the grease nipple don't fit! Tried levering out the hole but thought I could be making matters worse so left it for next week when my mentor returns.

Turned instead to painting a few minor items, the O/D Solenoid and 2 grease nipples fitted with large "reservoirs" which fit on the front suspension uprights.

Oh, and last night took the '38 over to Col who's going to fix the front fenders where I've bingled both as well as touch up nicks, scratches and chips. Pick it up again Sunday night.

Now off to see the granddaughters, two little rays of sunshine and joy!

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Monday 21st July 2008

Just to backtrack a little. On Saturday some members of the Packard club travelled to Bomaderry, which is near the coast about 100 miles south. This was for a social event with a few other car clubs and staying overnight enjoying a dinner, show and accommodation package. Good time was had by all but only 1 Packard made the trip, Wade's '37 Super 8. 2 otheres would have gone, my '38 Eight but it was getting the front fenders repaired(should be ready Tuesday or Wednesday) and Jeff's '52 200 but although the valves are fixed there's now a fuel leak! All going, except my good wife Kath and I, met at Pheasants Nest then proceeded down through Kangaroo Valley, where they had a pub lunch. Then onto Bomaderry where Kath and I met up with them at the motel for "happy hour" before dinner and the evenings entertainment.

The reason Kath and I travelled independently of the others was Packard related of course. With Wade working on John's '39 110 doing the clutch, as with all "old cars" the work just keeps on growing. John had said the trans was noisy so Wade had pulled it out to investigate, along the way finding the clutch and brake linkages had also suffered the ravages of time and poor maintenance. Anyway, after pulling the trans out and tearing it down, Wade costed the parts needed to rebuild it and these totalled in excess of US$800. A tidy sum you'd say, and well worth every penny as it would keep another Packard on the road. But, eBay at the time had a '41 110 rebuilt trans starting at US$150 and with zero miles on the rebuild, and for the price, even with a crating charge of US$25 and shipping to the West Coast of US$87 provided it went for a reasonable amount, represented better value than the cost of the parts which didn't include shipping either! The only problem was the auction ending when our little convoy would be making it's way to Bomaderry! So Kath and I made a late start to the weekend away to bid and WIN the trans for a cost of US$177. With the crating and shipping costs to the West Coast a total of US$289, a saving of over US$500! We were very pleased to arrive at Bomaderry to be able to pass on the good news.

Now back to Monday, and I arrived at the workshop to find that the fairies/pixies had been in since I was last there! Kablan had come late last week, walked in said hello, cut out the rest of the rust, fabricated and welded in replacement panels, said goodbye and walked out. Now I don't know that I've ever heard of a fairy/pixie named Kablan,(Do they have fairies/pixies in Lebanon?), but I know I've now met one! Wonder what type of nectar fairies/pixies like to slake their thirsts? I'll find out and ensure Kablan doesn't go thirsty.

Wade was already on the job, having read the blog over the weekend and had picked up on the grease nipples not fitting so was re-tapping the threads. Did this by liberally coating the tap with grease to catch and hold the metal chips/etc and very slowly and carefully doing the re-tapping work. Worked well as the grease nipples could now be installed at each end of the king pin. next I was able to install the brake backing plate and steering arm. After that installed new tie rod ends at the outer end of each tie rod, the inner tie rod ends were new but hadn't seen any grease! Then the drag link, only had to put it in and pull it out about 3 times before I got it together and tightened up satisfactorily! Next were the brakes. First up was cleaning out the old metal brake lines, flushed with brake cleaner and blown out with compressed air. Then installing the re-sleeved master cylinder, a few little hitches along the way, top mounting bolt had to be found and shortened, getting the 2 brake lines aligned and tightened into the fitting at the front of the M/C, but it fell into place, with Wade doing the undercar work of course. I then installed the starter motor, this had been left for now to give a little extra working space when re-installing the M/C. Next re-coupling the trans linkage rods to the linkage arms on the steering column. Onto assembly of the re-sleeved front wheel cylinders. Wade did one, and after watching him, I did the other. Then mounting the wheel cylinders to the backing plates, necessitating re-alignment of the top king pin grease nipples to clear. And installing the new flexible brake hoses. All in all, a reasonable days work.

And John, the owner of the '39 110 and his son Paul had arrived fairly early in the piece to catch up with Wade on progress with the clutch which is presently out getting rebuilt. Wade also had to pull the flywheel out because the clutch rebuilder required it in setting up the rebuilt clutch. They also inspected the dismantled trans with Paul examining parts using a jewellers glass, first time I've seen that but it makes sense. They also saw the worn and new pivot pins for the clutch/brake pedals and the other parts Wade had had welded up and remachined.

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Tuesday 22nd July 2008

Didn't get to the workshop today but did pickup engine, trans and diff oils from the Penrite state distributor Antique Tyre Supplies located at Ingleburn, a far south-western suburb of Sydney. While there noticed that David, the proprietor, had a display case containing a couple of different turn indicators along with various other bits, motometers, brass Vauxhall hub caps, etc, etc. On enquiring whether the turn indicators were for sale, was told yes, so now have 4 turn indicators for the '41. And will now have to fabricate brackets to mount them and replace the 12V bulbs with 6V higher wattage(to improve brightness) bulbs.

Then on the way home dropped into General Instruments at Lidcombe, a near western suburb. General Instruments are now making up a pair of hand brake cables to replace the seized ones from the '41. The new cables should be ready tomorrow, that's quick service! I had bought a NOS hand brake cable for a 41-47 Packard (Part #384182) off eBay but it's different to the ones that came off the car. The NOS one is one-piece while the ones off the '41(Part #333434 according to the 1935-1941 Packards Parts List) are separate for each wheel! #384182 came with the original box, what does it fit? Reason I ask is, I'll sell it at the swap meet at our 2009 Packard National Rally. It'll be the biggest Packard only swap meet in the southern hemisphere, mainly because it'll be the only Packard only swap meet in the southern hemisphere!

Oh, and harking back to yesterday, while John and Paul were at the workshop and looking at the '41 John said "and you've rebuilt the engine". I had to tell him, no, it was only a "cosmetic restoration" being cleaned up and painted outside and the internals cleaned of sludge. However, as a longer term project, I will be seeking another motor to rebuild and install in the '41 further down the road.

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Wednesday 23rd July 2008

The day started well. Col, the bloke repairing the "dings" in the front fenders of the '38 had called yesterday to say I could pick it up first thing this morning. In fact he even picked me up from my place to save me the hassles of car shuffling. And he's done a great job doing more than requested, see pic, and for LESS than he quoted and he threw in the Indian hood ornament that first brought us together as well!

Then disaster struck! And this even before I'd left Col's house. Col had gone inside and I'm backing the '38 out and managed through a combination of nerves, inattention, over-attention to the front end to scrape the right rear fender on the wall of the driveway! The shame, oh the shame! So I'm back to Col's tomorrow morning for a quote and repair. It seems obvious I shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of a Packard with my record over the past 9 months!

Anyway, later at the workshop assembled the rear brake cylinders and fitted them to the '41 and connected up the rear metal brake lines. And Wade tells me that yesterday morning when he went to start the Super 8 it wouldn't. So it was onto a tilt bed truck and to the workshop. There Wade found that the new set of points he'd installed before the run to Bomaderry last weekend were shorting out. Wade's now got another set of points in and she's working again. And today he assembled the generator he'd taken out of the Super 8 with a new core(armature?) and new brushes but when it put it in it didn't work! That's how I left him and will find out more tomorrow, or Friday.

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Hi Mal sorry to hear about your misshap! I also scratched my everyday car, a vw Polo, badly on monday so dont feel alone! The bad thing about this kind of prang is that you can only be mad at yourself!

Congrats with the rugby on the past weekend anyway!

There comes an age when you should stop driving.... How old are you Mal? I think it's around 60 or so when your driving skills begin to falter.... Maybe it's time to let Kath drive or start building a Speedster like me that has no fenders...!

I can still drive as well as I ever did. It's just that I can't see as well.