1934 Packard Std 8

Is there an easy way to take off the intake and exhaust manifolds? The nuts on the exhaust are difficult to reach with anything but an open end wrench and hard to turn.

Sometimes a thin wall socket on an extension can make it to the nut, sometimes you have to use a wrench and go 1/8 turn at a time. If it doesn't already, put on brass nuts when you reassemble.

I believe Packard engineers figured the car would be obsolete before anyone needed to work on the engine, thus awkward positioning and pesky things in the way like fenders, sidemounts, hood, and so forth.....next you'll be asking silly questions about adjusting the valves....

This is from my experience with a 1938 Super Eight, where the intake and exhaust are nested within each other.......

To those you want see what he is dealing with with here is a photo.

Tom, I've had manifolds off a 34 Eight quite a few number of times, can't say it was any problem at all. But I did separate the two manifolds at the heat box first. By the way, the car isn't a Std. 8, it's just an Eight, the designation Standard having been dropped after 1932.

Tom, I've had manifolds off a 34 Eight quite a few number of times, can't say it was any problem at all. But I did separate the two manifolds at the heat box first. By the way, the car isn't a Std. 8, it's just an Eight, the designation Standard having been dropped after 1932.

I am down to 4 nuts to remove on the exhaust manifold. Of course they are the really tight ones behind the carb, which has been removed. I have tried to separate the two manifolds since the intake has all nuts removed, but no luck yet. I bumped it with a rubber mallet and stuck a putty knife in the joints, but it does not want to move. Is there something that I am overlooking?

Thanks, Tom

A 1/4" drive universal socket often will get in those tough locations. I works well on the Pierce Arrow 8's for the same difficult nuts behind the carburetor mounting flange.

Or, a good tight fitting crow's foot. or take a craftsman thin-wall socket and grind it extra-thin on one side, and use it like a wrench, turn the nut only about 1/2 a turn, remove the socket, and replace back on the nut for another 1/2 turn.

Sometimes a set of the special 30*/60* open end wrenches will be needed.

GLong

The picture almost makes it look simple, but what's hard to see is that the exhaust manifold goes down and bolts under the intake manifold ...... so they can't be taken off as a unit.....since each manifold is bolted to slanted surfaces...Greg the Pierce manifolds are relatively easy to remove since both are bolted to a vertical surface and the entire assembly can come off at once...but I agree that certain modifications to tools may make things easier....

Hi Dave, yeah, this is another example of how Packard made servicing their engines so difficult. The simple flat gasket surface on the pierce seems like it would be much easier to manufacture, and service. And the Pierce engine made more HP per cubic inch.. so the odd angled manifolds weren't doing anything special.

And the V12 valve 'silencers' what a rube-goldberg item..

Anyway, the problem of getting the manifolds apart was not mentioned in the first post. I think these manifolds need to soaked with some good penetrating oil, then maybe some heat. Then repeat.

But getting on the nuts is just a matter of digging deep in the tool box. Maybe including some careful use of the 'blue-tip wrench'

GLong

Thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement. After several hours and a little blasphemy the slightly rounded nuts finally came off. Tom