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Anyone have any experience removing and replacing what I believe is a sleeve bushing at the top of the steering column on a 1936 Twelve? 33-36 Twelves, Eights and Super Eights may be the same or at least a similar construction.

A friend has excessive steering wheel side-to-side pay, this after having the column outer sleeve rechromed. I'm guessing the acid exposure in cleaning and plating partially degraded the bushing which wasn't noticed until after reassembly.

It would seem the only way to attack this problem is to unscrew the outer sleeve from the gear box and withdraw it up thru the car interior to get at the bushing if indeed that is what it is. Easy enough to make a sleeve bushing, not to easy to see the simplist way to remove & install. Pictures in the parts books not particulary useful, no info in the Service Letters.

Thanks to those who took the time to view the problem and at least think about it, even if no information or suggestions were forthcoming.

We still don't know quite what the original construction was, but the problem has been "solved" without diassembly other than removing the steering wheel. A stepped nylon sleeve was turned/ground to fit around the shaft into the space between it and whatever the original bushing was, with the step on top to retain it. The steering shaft now moves freely without friction or free-play side-to-side. Whether brass bronze would have been a better choice over nylon remains to be seen when the car hits the road and has accumulated some miles, but it's easy enough to change at that time if needed.

This is almost entirely an owner restoration and going to be a fine example of Packard's best. Looks like I'm due for some updated photos, engine & radiator back in, fenders and running boards on, grille and bumpers installed, dash and wiring completed.

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Very good pictures of the beginnings of the rebirth.
I had no expertise to contribute and so kept quiet, but I do appreciate the record of the restoration.
I also liked Bob Neal's recommendation to log vin and body numbers.

Hi Randy: Here's a picture of the starting point; car was purchased more than 20 years ago, restoration started about 4 years ago. That's me standing (no seats) on the first day we had it running. Though the car was originally a convertible, a prior owner had removed the seats, top, bows and mechanism and welded on a steel turret top which we think was from a Buick. Though the car has a 1936 vehicle and engine number, the Dietrich body plate shows that the body was originally intended for a 1935 chassis; not really all that uncommon with the low-volume senior body styles, in particular the 1939 Twelves, many of which had bodies left over from 1938.

Note the gravity 1-gal gas tank - barely lasted long enough for a ride up the driveway and back.

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Thanks Dave - you look right at home standing up there, perhaps waving to the admiring sightseers.
Those big engines gulp fuel quickly - ask me how I know!