Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Hallo friends,
I have a leaky top reservoir on my radiator
Besides of removing the hood (4 people) what is the best way of removing the radiator? The thermostat is already out.
Would I have to remove the headlights and the mounting bar of the headlights to extract the chrome ?
Any advice is highly welcome.
Wolfgang

On my 533, besides removing the coolant hoses and chrome stone guards/covers, I remove both sides of the hood individually and then the rod from the firewall to the radiator. I also have two (1/2 or 5/8") nuts that secure the bottom of the radiator to the frame that need to be removed.

I do not take off any lights.

Gar

Hi Gar,
many thanks for the reply. I had not considered removing the left and right side of the hood individually, rather than asking four strong person to help lifting the hood while disconnecting the central rod (spring loaded at the front).
I am in the process of unscrewing the chrome frame and removing the Louvre assembly. The vertical louvre are closed by a rather strong spring. Too much torque for the thermostat mechanics.
During the next week I hope to be able to "free" the radiator sufficiently.
Wolfgang

G'day Wolfgang(1930Phaeton),
I see you've been a Forum Member since 2015, but first posts, so to PackardInfo!

I was going to invite you to include your '30 Phaeton and the Packard in your Avatar into PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry. However, searching the Registry I found these, a '31 Standard Eight Sport Phaeton and a '54 Convertible Coupe which are registered to Eisert.
Is that you? If it is please disregard my Registry request. Instead a belated for including them in the Registry.

Hi Mal,
thank you for noticing my registration. My mistake- it is actually the 1931 Phaeton I am working on. The picture shows the previous owner on the back seat - and his daughter driving - together with Tony Curtesin the back seat in front of hotel Bel Air in Hollywood.
However, there is another Packard (1930 Sedan) with artillery wheels and less than 50k miles in our garage, carrying its original paint. I will place it in the registry.
Wolfgang

Quote:
Looking forward to seeing it there!

Again it's , this time for including your '30 Standard Eight Sedan in the Registry.

Hallo Gar,

With the help of two strong men, I was able to remove the folded hood.
I finally decided to take the headlights and the connecting bar off - simply because I did not want to risk collateral damage to the fenders while removing the chrome cover, the louvre assembly and the radiator.

Wolfgang

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I wish I had come across this post earlier! It looks like you've had success. For reference, I'm attaching my radiator replacement notes from my 1930 7-45 Dual Cowl Sport Phaeton. My job wasn't perfect, but I have peace of mind. In the end, I'm convinced that I did not need to rebuild the radiator, but only change the thermostat housing gasket - I believe that's where my leak was coming from. All the better now for the next caretaker!

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Radiator Repair Notes, April 2020.pdf Size: 29.57 KB; Hits: 17