pmhowe

My 1928 Packard 526 has Hotchkiss drive, I suspect all of the mid 'twenties on did, and maybe those earlier.

I think the link is fixed.

This seems like an awfully good car for the price. I love the looks of these old Cadillacs. Asking price is $34,800.00 which seems very reasonable. https://classicpromenade.com/for-sale/1930-cadillac-series-353-v8-sedan/

Three good friends enjoying dinner. I forgot to include the car connection when I first posted this. Two of the three animals loved car rides. When the dog was older, he had arthritis very badly and had difficulty walking, so I would take him for car rides early in the morning. The skunk loved to ride, also. The dog would sit beside me and the skunk would sit on my shoulder and pretend she was an eagle. Every morning, the two of them would be waiting by the door for their car ride.

I’m looking for the chrome part that covers the crank hole in the lower part of the radiator shell for a1928 Packard 526. The car presently has (I think) a cheap J. C. Whitney gas tank cap.Doesn’t look bad, but well… it does still look like a cheap gas tank cap.

Every time I visit these forums I come away pleased and surprised, having learned something new. Over the last few days, I have been mulling over the idea of doing a search/starting a new thread regarding the best friction materials to be used on pre-war car brakes. This morning I visited the thread “A text message while sorting a car…” and found Ed’s fascinating discussion of redoing the brakes on the 1934 Buick. Next time, I will probably do my own brake relining. This is just one example of the many reasons I like this site. Phil

It's that cool, looking from the front. PMH

Other cars had engines mounted low. From an engineering perspective, I think it makes sense to mount the engine low. As a teenager, I was lucky enough to buy a 1929 Pierce Arrow for $150, which I loved. However, I was totally unimpressed with the view of the engine, which seemed to me lost in a huge engine compartment. Below is a picture of a 1929 Pierce engine (not mine) and, for comparison, a 1929 Stutz engine. Phil

I think I would try something like Meguiars' polishing compound. I'd try it first on a spot where it is covered by an instrument or is otherwise hidden. Just be careful not to rub through the paint. Phil

1935Packard's suggestion is a great one. Ed, please give someone permission to videotape your talk and post it on the forum. Someone, please videotape it. I'm sure many who cannot attend (including me) will greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Phil

In another thread, the comment is made: "The current reproduction tire/tubes seem to made below yesterdays standard. Don't be surprised if the whitewalls turn yellow and the new tubes leak 1 lb a week. Just Sayin." I'm going to need to replace the tires on my car soon. My knee-jerk reaction is that it makes little sense not to replace the old tubes with new ones at the same time. However, the old tubes won't have seen any UV light and may be in good condition - at least much better condition than the tires - even though old. The comment above seems like good reason to stick with the old, if the old appear to be in good condition and aren't leaking. What are people's experience and recommendations? Thanks, Phil

I think that the five passenger sedans with blind rear quarters of the 'twenties and 'thirties were particularly good looking. They went by different names - club sedans, town sedans, landau sedans, club Berline, etc. Here are some pictures, gleaned from the web. The first is a Hudson Super Six, with a Murphy body, their "Landau Sedan". The second is a 1929 Cadillac Club Sedan. The third is a 1929 Pierce "Club Berline". The fourth is a 1932 Marmon Club sedan.

"It's a noisemaker." Well, the makes sense. That possibility didn't occur to me. Should have. Thanks.

John, Thanks for posting this car. Very interesting. I guess many (most?) cars of the teens had priming cups, but this one has the remote operated one, which I think is very rare. Also, notice the size of the fuel shutoff valve. It seems far bigger than necessary. Probably someone's replacement?

Walt G (No Gosden). Sorry, I had to do it! Phil

Here is some lovely footage of a beautiful car - in this case, a Derby Bentley- in an incredibly beautiful setting. The Real Car Company has several of these videos, of various Derby Bentleys (my interest) and some Rolls as well. For a few relaxing minutes, the car and the scenery are hard to beat. Phil

Here's hoping for a quick recovery and that you (and your cars) are good for at least another 100,000 miles! Phil

Congratulations on the new car. Town sedans and country coupes are my two favorite body designs. Phil

I'm bemused by my reaction. Rationally, I am glad that this car wound up at the Elcar Museum. Emotionally, I wish it were in the hands of a family that loves it and drives it. Elcars are magnificent.

"The dipstick is obsolete." This is not "Breaking News": Some car manufacturers recognized this a few years ago. A few examples: In 1928, Packards had an upper and lower petcock. The rule was to fill to the upper, and not let the oil level go below the lower. The 1928 Hudson Super Six had a small red cap in a sight tube to indicate oil level. The cap was connected by a thin rod to a cork floating in the crankcase. The 1935 Cadillac V8 had a system similar to the one Hudson used. I'm sure there are many other examples. Anyway, Peter, you have made a fun post. Thanks, Phil 1st Edit: By the way, I assert - without evidence to support - that the examples I mentioned are far more reliable than the modern warning lights. Probably just old age showing. 2nd Edit: Year ago, I had a colleague who was less than disciplined on engine maintenance. His oil light burned out and he drove the car to the point where it destroyed itself. He paid to have a new engine installed, but he didn't pay to have the oil light fixed. You can guess the result. Sometimes the weakest link is not the engineering design.

Here are two cars that I think look good without side mounts and look good with whitewalls. The upper car is Ramair’s 1928 Buick shown above, In this case, the whitewalls provide balance to the light colored top. I am not a fan of disk wheels, and think that the 1928 Packard 526 would look better with either wires or wooden spokes. However, I think the whitewalls make the disk wheels look a little less ugly. It all comes down to taste, I guess. Phil

I think this 1929 Buick looks good with blackwalls and no side mounts. I also like the rear bumper treatment. To bad there is no spare.

Thanks, Jon. I will make a note of this, and keep it in mind. (Actually, I have a whole bunch of DL posts that you made and I have copied and filed. I have a 1935 Cadillac that has a DL model 51 and your comments on other posts have been very helpful.) It looks like, on this carburetor, there are only a few potential wear points. I will worry about the throttle shaft, as well. The choke shaft shouldn't be much of a problem; if it wears, it wears. Interestingly, in that book I mentioned, it warns in two places about the dangers of pulling the choke full out, and over-choking. Apparently, that was a problem. That seems strange, I would think that would be easily corrected in the linkage external to the carb. Phil

Thanks for the replies. Charles, that Lincoln V12 is an attractive engine. I am surprised with Packard’s decision to retain priming cups through 1928. I’m even more surprised to learn that Lincoln retained them through 1930. These must be about the last examples of use of priming cups. Jon, I am hoping I will not have to do anything major to the carburetor. I won’t gain access to the car until sometime after Christmas, at which time I will start to go through it thoroughly. I like to be familiar enough with each assembly and its condition so that I can anticipate potential problems and fix them (or get them fixed) before they bite me. I am new to this carburetor design, so I want to study it and make sure I understand how it is supposed to work. I’m lucky in that I just acquired a copy of “Carburetors”, a supplement to Dyke’s Automobile Encyclopedia. It turns out that it contains a very nice description of this carburetor. Phil

I like the airplane (I like the MG, also). But, back to your question: I have seen cars that look ugly with the top up and beautiful with the top down, and vice versa. Maybe it is hard to design one where it looks beautiful up and down. You could learn to compromise. Here is a compromise.