WCraigH

Eric and I were discussing a topic on his MSN Chat Room last night when it occured to me that there is no proper web expository for the many good ideas put forth on this DF, his Chat Room and offline between individuals. For instance, on my website, I have sections titled Project Topics and Special Projects but these pages are about info and solutions for my particular car project. On this AACA Discussion Forum, there are many threads about real and proposed engineering and mechanical solutions for 55th and 56th series Packards. <span style="font-weight: bold">Olds/Packard Hybrid Oil Pump</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold">Alternate Control Switches</span> being the most recent. The <span style="font-weight: bold">55-56 Xref</span> is packed with useful info, but like all the other threads, it's presentation is incoherent because it's in time-of-post order and the info is obfuscated by intersticed off-topic Q&A and ramblings. On Eric's MSN Chat Room, interesting and useful info often appears, but in addition to the deficiences of the DF threads just noted, the info is ephemeral because it disappears when one logs off. I think what <span style="font-style: italic">WE</span> need is a more permanent and coherent expository. Therefore, I volunteer my website. I can put a prominent link on its home page to an entirely new section for this purpose. The layout, contents and input from contributors are [color:"red"] TBD . That is the purpose of this thread. Also, it may be a good idea to culminate the initial design with an interactive session on Eric's MSN Chat Room in about a week, tentatively Sept 7. What do you think? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Randy, What is it about this dash that is different from every other? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Jack! Welcome back. Hope you and your Packard are "up to it"! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

My 1955 Pat is 13-3/4 on both sides with the car level (bottom of rear fender skirt thru center of rear wheel). Remember that I have adjustable links in the front. When I installed them I raised the car from where it had originally "sagged", so that "the distance from the floor to the flat section near the outer edge of the body sill directly below the center post" is 10-in per STB 55T-1 dated Jan 17, 1955.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">(snip) I think "Oh my Gawd, I AM in hot water now!!!!" Luckily she was away for the day. When she got home I got a big hug for cleaning her laundry room for her.... <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> </div></div> MrEarl, funny story! Been there done that! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for coming by and contributing to the Packard DF. BTW, I don't think you own enough 54 Buicks! Do all of them run?

BigKev, Thanks for the tip on the Harbor Freight cheap rocker tumbler for nut & bolt & small part cleaning! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I picked one up this last Sunday when I was in Las Vegas. The cheapest one they had was $24 (yours must have been on sale). I also used the brass media. My results were as you described. Not quite sufficient after 12 hours, but reasonably acceptable after 24 hours. A short stroke with a wire brush or short spurt from a handheld media blaster would clean up any crevices.

Randy: Your 400 and friend's Carib make those Chebbies parked nearby look really cheap and common! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for the pics! Made my day. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I just changed my oil the other day and used castrol 20w 50 and ive noticed way more lifter noise...</div></div> That's what I use and I have no lifter noise. You could try straight 40W, which will have a higher viscosity than the 20W-50 at lower temps.

So, time to IGNORE another poster (PFH clone), it seems.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">At the P15-D24 site, there was info only on the bypass system. It was pretty thorough, though, and this portion about the operation of the system might be of some interest (snip)</div></div> What was described is a bypass system that [color:"red"] ONLY filters oil whenever the oil pressure exceeds the regulator spring pressure. Who knows how much is actually filtered, anymore than who knows how much oil is at the end of the Packard V-8 bypass filter. IMO, neither system has much to commend it. P.S. Glad your '47 Dodge is running! With or without much filtered oil.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I guess the level of frustration depends on what you mean by the term "rodded".</div></div> In the case cited, the entire driveline (Chebbie), suspension (air ride) and interior (custom) was changed, but the body was "stock appearing." At least it didn't go to the crusher. <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> While I prefer my Packards as close to original from as possible, I can appreciate work done in good taste and with craftsmanship. There might be some people who question that position given what you and Paul are doing; there's a thin line and a slippery slope involved.</div></div> Thin line and slippery slope indeed. In the case of my Panther (to paraphrase BJ Clinton), it depends on what is the definition of "what if...". WRT my 55 Pat, as most everyone knows, brake system safety was my #1 motivation.

A friend & I went made a trip to Las Vegas today (primarily to buy cheap chinese tools at Harbor Freight), but we made a side trip to a new shop, "Las Vegas Rod & Custom". I heard about this shop from another local friend who's buying a 1934 Ford 3-window kit from him. Anyway, it is a nice shop. However, the owner had never even worked on a Packard, but he did know somebody who had rodded one. Aaarrrggh. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> I guess one can say that we're not mainstream? <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Microsoft announces official name of its next-generation Windows client operating system: VISTA Acronym for: Viruses Infections Spyware Trojans Adware <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Don't understand the need for second filter? Is it that the full flow filter may not be filtering properly? Second filter looks like another controled Leak, to me, which will reduce pressure and volume? </div></div> 100% agree. Where'd this diagram come from???

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">(snip) WHO SAYS and why does the oil have to pass thru part of the original oiling sytem to be filtered???? </div></div> Uh Keith, would you put dirty, unfiltered oil into all the delicate bearings and other moving parts of your engine? With a bypass system, that's what happens. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">(snip) an external oil filter and pump can be rather easily plumbed between the dip stick pan flange and vac pump block port. </div></div> When you're all done with this setup, you still have a by-pass type oil filter. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> The only "advantage" I see to this is that you don't have the "controlled leak" of the OEM end-of-line bypass filter.

5/16 OD on my 55 Pat 4bbl also. I'll use 3/8in on my Panther.

This is a continuation of the Packard vs Hash oil pump thread. Have at it!

Here's another 1940 Darrin Victoria! It does not appear to be the same one because its top is cream color whereas the eBay one is black. This one was displayed at the 1999 PI Centennial meet in Orange, CA. I've used a link rather than image because the JPEG is about 250KB even at 640x480: 1940 Packard Darrin Victoria Also, on the theme of custom bodied Packards and from the same show, here's Fred Mauck (PI)'s: 1951 Packard Patrician Dietrich Anyone know of a later model custom-bodied Packard than this 1951?

Located a few miles from me in sunny Pahrump, NV: a Billy-Bob & Cooter special conversion of a 1955 Clipper 4dr into a convertible! Upon cursory inspection, it appears complete except for the top. Anybody interested in this "rare" vehicle? Asking price unknown. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

51Patty400: What I haven't heard about your diagnostics is that you've installed a seperate mechanical temp gauge to determine the actual temp. Observing 50%+ indicated temp doesn't really tell the story, does it? Modern engines can run at 210F or more. There's nothing mechanically different in the older engines to cause one concern about this temp or more.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">(snip) Is it your observation that the insulation on the main wires is still reliable after 50 years? Thanks for your concern. I'm not anxious to spend $1,000 +/- and a lot of sweat if it isn't necessary. </div></div> It's my experience with my 55 Pat that most of the original wiring [color:"red"]except for the engine compartment is pretty good after 50 years. Also see my post about electric windows, WRT to backup light fix (also in the engine compartment). Personally, I wouldn't buy a complete original-duplicate wiring harness and replace everything. One must have the whole vehicle disassembled to do this right. I recommend piece replacing the offending wires as encountered. After all there are fuses and circuit breakers there for a reason.

For edification purposes, here are a couple of other electrical problems that I fixed on my 55 Pat. One is semi-related to the aforementioned electric window fix and the other is not. 1) Upon reassembly of the passenger rear door, the "courtesy light" on the outside of the [color:"red"]driver rear door was constantly lit. This is the light that illuminates when you open the driver side [color:"red"]front door to illuminate the ground outside the driver side door. This function is independent of whether the head lights or running lights are on or not. Since I had just had the passenger door apart, the problem had to be there. I traced the problem to the passenger door bulb recepticle. The end of the ground (light blue) wire right before it is attached to the contact had come in contact with the internal tension spring. The spring in turn contacts the case which is grounded when installed. When I had pulled out the bulb to get it out of the way of the window lift mechanism, this apparently moved the light components around enough to cause this inadvertent ground. The solution was to disasemble the bulb recepticle and wrap a little electrical tape around the exposed ends. This could have been a nasty (hard to diagnose) problem had this inadvertant contact occured due to vibration or door movement instead of my previous repair. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> 2) Inspired by my successes fixing the above electrical gremlins and malfunctions, I decided to find out why the backup lights only worked occasionally (mostly not). The backup light circuit is completed by a rotary switch attached to the steering column just forward of the firewall. The switch position is controlled by a short connecting rod attached (eventually) to the transmission shift lever on the steering column. There are four wires attached to this switch. Two of these wires are attached by screws and complete the starter actuation circuit when the shifter is in "P" or "N" position. This prevents the starter from engaging otherwise. The two other wires are pressed onto studs. These complete the backup light circuit when the shifter is in "R" position. There were three (3) problems contributing to the intermittent operation of the backup lights. I'm not sure which was the "real" culprit, but I fixed them all anyway and at the same time. The first problem was that the connections were very dirty and somewhat corroded. My 55 Pat is mostly an original (unrestored) car and I had never restored or serviced this part, so there was 50 years of gunk/junk/rust extant. The second problem was that the dark-green wires connected to the studs on the switch were loose and their covering insulators were so "cooked" that they broke into many pieces upon disconnect. The third problem was that the "clocking" of the switch was somewhat off so that when the column shift lever was in "R" position, the switch was barely making the connection for the backup light circuit. I took the switch off the steering column (after disconnecting the battery). I cleaned all the external connections, replaced the insulator sleeves on the dark-green wires and readjusted the switch "clock" position. Now the backup lights work like new. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sounds like we should also hold on to any DOA motors and strip them of any good parts for the "gear train". </div></div> Yes, I could have made one good motor out of the two (front & rear PS) simply by cannibalizing parts. Fortunately, these motors were repairable without that. As my friend Paul emphatically says, [color:"red"] NEVER throw away anything Packard! Of course one might also need a lot of storage space. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here's the follow up on PS rear electric window in my 55 Pat. The window would go up/down in a jerky fashion, sometimes slow sometimes faster (almost normal speed), but never stopping completely. This AM I took it out and bench tested it. It worked almost normal. Then I disassembled the motor gear assembly. As described in my first post, the problem with the PS front motor was the internal bronze ring gear was worn severely at one spot on one side. The problem with the rear motor was that the drive shaft between the bronze ring gear and the six-tooth lift drive gear was broken! The shaft itself was broken, but there is a sleeve around it so it exerted enough frictional force between the shaft and sleeve to transmit torque intermittently to the lift's fan gear. My fix was to lightly wire-mig spot weld the tube to the six-tooth drive gear. Then I ground and filed the excess weld material away from the teeth. Then I reassembled and bench tested it. After reassembly, the PS rear electric window works like new! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> BTW, dis/reassembly of the rear door lift mechanism is more complicated than the front. See plates 20D vs 20G in the parts book for details. The service manual pages are almost useless for the rear door. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />