JWLawrence

Shell Rotella 15W-40 for the engine.

You could contact Schumacher and see if they can help. They have offices in LA and Houston.

I had the clutch stick when the car was in storage for several months. I released the hand brake, placed the transmission in high, and rocked the car back and forth until the clutch broke free. It only took a few rocks to free the clutch. Try this first.

Many of us use Shell Rotella 15W-40 oil in our Packard S8s.

The bridge was built in 1939. The photo caption is incorrect in that all the bodies pictured are prewar. They are traditional bodies. The Clipper bodies were made by a contractor elswhere. Packard did not make any of its bodies postwar. Its a shame the bridge did not survive, but over 60 years of neglect will take its toll.

I bought a 1939 Cadillac 60 Special when I retired. It was a return to working on cars after a 40-year hiatus. It was a most gratifying experience and filled the gobs of spare time I had. Not to mention, it was a good excuse to outfit the garage with all kinds of tools and equipment. I was also a docent at the Blackhawk Automotive Museum. The two activities were a great on ramp to retirement living. Since then I have enjoyed having 6 other vintage cars. I was a member of their marque clubs during my ownership of them. They provided great support. I am currently not a member of any marque club, but still visit this site and others to enjoy the chats and share experiences and knowledge. A local car club or region of a marque car can provide much in meeting and enjoying others in a shared social setting. Enjoy your retirement doing what you like. JWL

I'll share this non-automotive image. A holiday greeting photo of our new (to us) house in Santa Fe with the farolitos lit and glowing on the wall. Farolitos are a traditional holiday decoration around here. Originally, they were brown paper bags filled partially with sand and lit with a votive candle, and only lit on Christmas eve. Now days, they are plastic and lit with an electric bulb and are turned on throughout the holidays. Old or new they still make a nice soft glowing light.

I ran Diamondback radial whitewalls (Hankook) on my 37 Packard Six Convertible Coupe for years and miles of trouble free motoring. The wheels (not rims) sealed and no loss of air pressure over months of time. Just more fuel for the discussion. JWL

Luv - I have been enjoying your project blog and impressed with the photos, descriptions, and quality of you work. Could the brake pedal travel be that there is too much free play in the brake pedal to master cylinder linkage? As you know it only needs to be a fraction of an inch. Thanks - JWL

Using a shim to restore the length of the crush collar was a method I used when replacing the pinion shaft seal on my 39 Cadillac 60 Special. This method was recommended by an acquaintance in the Cadillac-LaSalle club. Brad is his first name, but forgot his last. This work was successful and done in the early 2000s. Good luck. JWL

The after market dual point distributor plates were probably an improvement over the stock single point plates they replaced. IIRC they used two of the stock breaker point sets. They worked in parallel with one point set opening first and the second opening later to break the circuit and make the spark. This resulted in a more degrees of dwell and increased spark voltage. They were a quality made product and worked well. Early Chrysler V8s used a similar setup. The idea was to have a hotter spark in 6 volt systems. In regards to clothes pins on the fuel line: These were used when the fuel feed to the carburetor was by gravity. Vapor lock occurs in the unpressurized part of the fuel system. A leaking distributor vacuum chamber will deal all kinds of problems from almost unnoticeable to an engine barely running or failing to run. The leak makes a lean fuel mixture and results in over heating and a decrease in performance.

In 1976 I bought a Subaru Speedster off of the show room floor. The dealership also sold BMWs. While dealing on the Subaru everyone started running outside and looking down the street. There, a couple of blocks away was a new 5 Series BMW up against a power pole. The front end had serious damage. Some how the driver on a test drive lost control. Fortunately no one was injured. I wondered what happened to the BMW. Anyone buy a 5 Series BMW in Santa Fe in 1976? JWL

Your posting brings back memories of when I lived in the Bay Area. The Hillsborough Concours (not Concourse) was one of my favorite shows to attend. I participated in the 2004 event with a 1973 Datsun 240Z and it won a 3rd in class. Great show and pleased to hear it still continues. JWL

The Clark Gable Dusenberg was at the Blackhawk museum for many years. It had been touched by Bowman & Schwartz. Beautiful automobile. JWL