DavidMc

Don't forget to open the throttle wide when testing or you will get a lower compression reading

I have an AC Messenger with original seats if you need details to copy

No need to fit an electric pump, just fill the vac tank with some fuel and use it as a gravity feed supply. If you connect the vacuum line it is likely it will work.

That short section of tubing attached to the top of your vacuum tank is the suction line that needs to be extended to connect to a nipple on the underside of the intake manifold around the centre. You can't see it, need to feel for it. The "T" is for a vacuum line from the same location to drive the wipers.. The vent is open to atmosphere. The are many articles on line with detailed information and drawings showing the Stewart Warner vacuum tank.

I see in the photo above David posted how the ring is separate from the wheel nut. Just to be clear, that ring holds the wheel to the hub, that large hex headed piece with the logo is screwed into the hub center internal thread and is decorative only. The rings are left hand thread on one side and RH on the other.

We call them "C" spanners here in Australia, I called it a wrench because it a US based forum. One of many different car related names.

Looks the same as the wrench for the 24" Rudge Whitworth wheels on my 1922 Packard 126 except that mine is marked 80 not 100.

I have restored two open cars using professionally steam bent bows. In both cases I had to stiffen the horizontal part of most of the bows to prevent them bending when the top material was pulled tight. I stiffened them by shaping wood to fit neatly under the bow blending in at the curved ends. The trimmer who did the work on the tops said that this is usually needed. However your problem is a little different in that the bows have curved before there is any load on them, it will be interesting to see if your solution works but you may need to stiffen them even if that works. A bit off topic, the man who made the bows also makes bows by laminating and gluing thin strips of wood around a former. I believe the advantage of making them this way is that it is possible to achieve a tighter radius. It is also easier for DIY as steam is not required.

The non return valve was a simple ball and spring type

I have experimented with an external oil pump on a brass era car that originally had drip feed total loss oiling. The system required non return valves and they continually clogged with dirty oil. I reverted to the original set up because of this problem.

I have successfully removed all rust from similar surfaces by first using a power wire brush in an angle grinder to remove all paint and surface rust, then applying many coats of one of the phosphoric acid type metal preparations to clean out the rust pits. The wire brush does not get down into the pits and neither will any other form of abrasive. The acid will eventually remove all pitted rust but both the wire brushing and the acid are very slow, it would take days to prepare a car like the one in the photo. I considered using hydrochloric acid to speed up the process but I was informed by a chemist that it can continue to react even after it is washed off and painted, I was strongly advised against that . Molasses mixed about 10: 1 water is excellent for smaller parts that can be dipped but it needs a big tank and it needs to be positioned somewhere where the smell is not offensive. It can take a long time but it will remove all rust from the pits and does not affect the steel. As has been said above, whatever method is used all rust must be removed .

Reproduction horn buttons and many other similar material interior parts are available from La Vine's Classic Car Restorations https://classiccarreproductions.com/product-category/horn-buttons/

West, referring to your comments above: The car is about six inches lower and six inches narrower than any of the other Packard phaetons of the time period 1923-26. The Sport is actually 2" lower than the other open models, other differences are the windshield is further back, the rear of the car is further forward and the body is narrower. This all improved the proportions by giving it a long hood short body look . It was sold as a 4 passenger car as opposed to the 5 passenger Touring. The bodies of the 126 " wheelbase, six cylinder and the 136" wheelbase, eight cylinder are identical from the front of the cowl back, the body difference between the 136 Sport and the 126 Sport are are all in the length of the hood. The 126 Sport has a higher or taller ratio final drive compared to the 5 or 7 passenger 6 cylinder open cars but was otherwise mechanically identical . I don't know if the 136 Sport differed mechanically from the other 136 or 143 cars. Attached are copies of further information about the 136 and 236 Sport .

Frank, the bonnet (hood for the benefit of our US friends) on my AC is about 18" high from the side rails. I am curious as to whether the curved metal cowl from the earlier models was tall enough to accommodate this or whether Maxwell extended the cowl to take the AC bonnet. Is your LD metal cowl tall enough for the AC bonnet? The AC Messenger like mine is a bit odd in that its body is quite different to all previous 2 cyl Maxwell models which at first seems strange when Maxwell were stopping production of the 2 cyl cars . The body has a wooden cowl taller radiator lower body due to the round fuel tank at the rear instead of under the seat however the reason is simple. The company was being run by Walter Flanders of Flanders car fame and the body on my car is from a 1912 Flanders car. The occasional 1912 AC that turns up with a body that is a mixture of body parts points to a company using up its parts inventory before ceasing production. The AC is mechanically identical to the 1911 AB and earlier models with a 4.5" bore however in 1912 Maxwell advertised it as a 16 HP car while the earlier cars were 14 HP. It seems the sales people discovered a couple more HP without the burden of "truth in advertising"

Hey that's my car! Its a 1912 Maxwell Messenger AC 2 cyl. There are some similarities with one in the B&W photo but that gear lever for example is quite different , the radiator looks deeper than mine. Mine was the first year with a painted radiator and a wooden cowl like the one in the B& W photo. Tthe previous models had brass radiators and curved metal cowls. There were more than one Maxwell Messenger body style in 1912 , below are only photos I have of two of the body styles. The one on the right is the same as mine the one on the left has similarities with the subject car such as the gear lever but it does not have the wooden cowl and it has the earlier style brass radiator. 1912 was the last year of the 2 cylinder models and it looks like Maxwell may have selling cars with a mixture of parts from current and earlier models. My guess is that it is a 1912 Maxwell AC but with some unusual body features.

Mike, This is some basic information about early petrol. I am not sure what you are looking for. My 1912 car runs fine on modern fuel as do my 1920's cars. https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp-country/en_au/media/fuel-news/modern-petrol-vintage-engines.pdf

That switch, bought for the speedster, is identical to the one in my 1922 Packard 6 and probably fits other early Packards

The Roadster was built on the 133" chassis not the 126". Perhaps it is a convertible coupe which was on the 126" wheelbase. I have seen a 626 Roadster but the rear part of the body had been hand made. It looked good but it was not a Packard built body. A photo of my 633 Roadster is below. This is the 626 convertible Coupe, it has wind up windows and has a quite different body

Not rare among Packards of that era, 1929 was a record year for Packard production, the 7th Series cars in 1930 are more rare due to the depression. The carburetor cracking problem Matt refers to applies to the Detroit Lubricator carburetor that was introduced at some time in production of the 6th Series cars, most of the 6th Series Packards I have seen have the Packard Fuelizer carburetor which was the standard before the Detroit Lubricator. They are all brass and no problem . I have restored two 1929 633's ( Roadster and Sedan) they are mechanically identical to the 626, but have a 133" wheel base. Some spares can be found or at least that was the case with mine but the restoration period spanned over a very long time which helps when looking for the hard to find parts. What body style is the 626? What wheels does it have, disc, wire and wood spoke were all available when new, discs are the easiest to find. The 5 passenger sedan seems to be the most prevalent of the 6th Series cars still around. I had to replace all, of the wood in both of my 633's, its a huge job , particularly the sedan , if the wood in the one you are looking at needs repalcing unless you can replace it yourself that would be a huge cost . Post a photo for better comments.

I don't think its a Packard . That tail light was also used by Chrysler and the headlight buckets and hood are different to the Packard

I had a car with a 6v ignition coil that had been fitted with a 12V battery and the coil exploded, it went off with a huge bang with pieces flying in all directions.

Maybe the holes were someones idea of decoration or styling, strange.

What would be the point of an open top armored car? Extra ventilation? Not much point in that either. Intriguing. Any idea of where the photo was taken?

David, did you take those photos just for your response? I took those photos a while ago in answer to a similar question. I am glad they were useful. I guess your car is a 426 please keep us posted of your progress. There is information that might be useful on the Packard Information site: http://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/article/view.category.php?51

That shaft protruding out the front is spring loaded and needs to be pushed in. The attached photo show how it engages the end of the crankshaft. You will need a crank handle to turn it even if the engine is free. These parts are from a 1922 6 cyl Packard probably the same as yours. Nice looking car