1955packard

The following number is listed for the front wheel grease seals in this thread. National #5975 This National part number has become obsolete or so I'm being told by my local suppliers. I have located a Napa replacement part: NOS17145 Is anyone aware of additional part suppliers and part numbers? Front Wheel Grease Seals: 1951-56 Packard except below: Victor - N/R Chicago Rawhide - N/R National #5975

The box in the back is the trunk mount A/C unit. The openings on the fender are for the outside air intake. This system was used in factory and add-on systems in the 50’s. It may also have a split system with an undermount evaporator in the front and one in the trunk along with a fan in the trunk box to blow air through tubes or vents into the car. As to why the carb. and coil are apart, who knows? As to price, a car that doesn’t run can’t have the drive train evaluated. So, it’s not worth much. It is basiclly a parts car if it isn't running. You might want to check the body numbers to see what they are. A ’66 with a 390 is not the norm. most people bought the smaller engines. Even at 25 cents a gallon a 390 was considered a gas hog in the ‘60’s. Remember, the hourly min. wage in 1966 was $1.25 an hour.

Ref: I have emulsified oil in my breather cap and in the fill pipe. I know this is usually an indication of a bad head gasket. What does the engine oil look like? When was it last changed? If the ambient temp. is cold and the humidity high and the car has not been driven enough to get thoroughly hot long enough to burn off the moisture there might be nothing wrong. A car started and idled but not driven regularly can have emulsified oil in the breather and vent and fill pipe. If the oil in the crankcase shows no signs of water, just the breather and etc. and the car hasn?t been driven at temp. for extended periods of time, I wouldn?t be concerned. I used to live in the San Francisco bay area and drive a ?56 Ford. There were certain times of the year when the breather would show signs of water vapor. Once the weather changed and the car was driven it would clear up. When you drain your oil the next time see if there is any water in the oil pan. You can also pull your spark plugs, perform a radiator test by pumping pressure to about 15 lbs and see if water comes out of a spark plug hole. This will only happen if you have a major blown head gasket. This is not likely your problem. You would be finding the car hard to turn over when 1st starting it because of water in the cylinder and there would be water in your oil pan as well.

I haven?t looked at the forum lately, sorry for the delay. You probably have fixed your problem by now but I?ll give it a go. Yes, your description of the analysis is correct. Air = Block-Rings, Air= Exhaust-Exhaust valve, Air=Carb.-Intake valve. It is best to put your piston at Bottom Dead Center, not Top Dead Center. If the piston is at Top Dead Center and 90 to 120 psi is introduced into the engine, the air pressure will push the piston down until one of the valves opens. The only way to stop this would be to put a cheater bar on the crank bolt and clamp it off so it can?t move. The recommended way is to put the piston at BDC and back off the valve adjusters until both valves are closed. Then add the air to the cylinder to determine where it is leaking. This way the engine will not try to turn over. I just went through this with a 289 Ford. I found that I had air coming out of the engine breather not the valves. Problem? 1. Cracked piston, 2. Broken Compression Ring/Rings? 3. Broken ring land (area between two compression rings allowing them to move out of proper alignment and leak. I haven?t pulled the head to look inside. That?s the next step. If it all looks good from the top and the cylinder walls are not scored, then it?s time to pull the piston. Yes, you will need to borrow or rent an air compressor. The air tank method may work for one cylinder (I haven?t tried it). I would be surprised if it would have enough volume of air, and air flow to the cylinder, to check the cylinder properly. Good luck.

I have put 40,000+ miles on my 55 Clipper and here?s my experience with both bias and radial tires. My first set of tires were bias ply. They tracked every line or ridge in the road and squealed around corners. I changed over to radial tires and all of that went away. The Clipper stopped its bad habits. I did have a failure of one wheel rim. The retaining safety rim on the wheel cracked and cut through the tire bead. This may or may not be related to the radial tires. It did happen when the radials were first installed ruining one tire. I replaced that rim with another Packard rim and have never had another problem. The rim probably was already cracked but I don?t know for sure. Have your rims checked to see if they turn true are not bent or wobble and have no cracks around the bolt holes and safety rims ?before? the tires are mounted. My best advice, go with radials on a car you want to drive, put bias show tires on a trailer queen.

I would recommend you get a Parts Manual and a Service Manual for the ?21 6cyl. It should be available from a number of sources, including the Nation Packard Club. These manuals will help you see how the car fits together and show pictures of missing parts. As the car is dismantled you should take many pictures at different angles of each part removed, both before and after it is removed from the car. With the help of a digital camera and possibly a digital video you can document every part. Colors of paint, condition of parts everything needs to be recorded. Each part should be listed on an action sheet as to what needs to be done to put the part in replacement/new condition. A list of missing parts, parts needed to be plated, painted, welded, items to purchase etc. As you can see, documentation and lists are a major part of knowing what you have to do. This applies to all mechanical and interior items. A car is an assembly of parts. If the removal process is documented the assembly is mainly the reverse. I have a ?25 3rd Series 6 cyl. Limo. in the disassembly process. I?m going through the same process as you are. You don?t have to be a professional to restore a car. You may need to use their services for things you don?t feel comfortable doing. Painting, upholstery, engine rebuilding will usually need to be done by professionals, but disassembly and reassembly can be done by many people with general mechanical skills. With good documentation and a plan of action most people have the ability to restore a car no matter how much of the work they do themselves. Good Luck,

Yes, pull the drums and take a look. I have had a problem when the brake shoe retainer pin, the one that goes through the backing plate and the shoe with the coiled spring over the pin, broke. It caused the shoe to rub the drum and also caused the brake pedal to drop because of the extra play. Good luck......

Does anyone know of a readily available substitute/cross over for a 55-56 Packard fuel tank sending unit?

I purchased my ?55 Constellation as one of 3 junk yard specials. Three of us went in together bought the cars and each got the Packard they wanted. After fully restoring the Connie it was driven to the San Francisco PAC National. When the engine was rebuilt the mains were turned .010 under, the rods were standard size and polished, the cylinders were still standard. A Packard International rebuilt oil pump w/o vacuum pump was installed, new rings, timing chain and gears, cam bearings, valves ground, main and rod bearings and lifters. ?Ole Blue ran strong and fast. From Dallas, ?ole Blue was driven to Detroit, Galveston, Kansas City, Ashville, NC by way of Swansboro, all at 65 to 70+ highway speeds including numerous short trips. The Packard engine is great on the highway and around town. I was putting around 3,000 to 4,000 miles a year on the V8. With all this going for it ?ole Blue spun a rod bearing after 40k rebuilt miles on the engine. The lifters were starting to make noise just prior to the failure, causing me to think the oil pump was starting to suck air. Upon tear down pump shaft was not broken, just a spun #3 bearing. Only the one rod bearing, the rest showed only nominal wear. Go figure? Yes, failures do happen to great engines.

I have just talked to Mr. Bob Aller this afternoon about the oil pump problem. His opinion is from the perspective of a Packard Engineer. The last job with Packard was as the Zone Parts and Service Manager in Saint Louis. Bob worked the problem when it originally arose, and a solution was finally found. The Service Rep. at the Dallas Dealership solved the problem. The various previous fixes tried by Packard in ?55 including the tube mod. and pressure valve were an attempt to fix the problem. The fix wasn?t found until too late in the year to get a Service Bulletin out or new parts designed and in service before Packard closed shop. As far as the steel plate, misalignment of the shafts, and other areas of discussion, Bob believes these to be non-issues. He replaces gears only if they are pitted from rust, worn or show excessive wear. ?The original pump when it was brand new worked very well. It was only after mileage wear that it developed a problem.? ?The vacuum pump played no part in the pump failure and should never be removed?. (Bob Aller). Yes, the original pump did not have a separate bushing; it used the housing for its bearing surface. This is the problem with the original pump, not enough shaft support allowing for excessive wear. With the wear comes the air. No wear no air. Bob has rebuilt over 100 units and has not had one pump failure to date. This doesn?t prove there is no possibility of additional things that could be done, only that they are not necessary. Bob is available to discuss this with anyone who is interested and would like to call him. (Bob Aller 816-781-0029) CC: Bob Aller

I have tried twice unsuccesfully to contact you at the listed e-mail address. Is the Posted address correct?

Wanted-Jump seats for a 1925 Single 6 - 7 Passenger - 133" wheel base Limousine.

Larry, I have just returned from the 27th Annual Saledo, TX Regional Packard Meet. One of the attendees is a Mr. Bob Aller. Bob was an engineer with Packard in the ?50?s and is considered by some as the Packard expert on Packard?s in general and especially on the V8?s and Twin-Ultramatics. Bob has told us that the oil pump problem arose very early in ?55 and the cause was found by one of the Packard technicians here in Dallas. Hot weather accentuates the problem due to the thinning of the oil and Dallas has an abundance of hot weather. Bob?s solution to the problem is to reinforce the top drive bushing of the pump. He agrees that the original bushing was undersized in the pump and wears out prematurely allowing for air to be sucked into the top of the pump shaft. He does not believe that removal of the vacuum pump solves anything and only creates additional wiper problems. I am not sure exactly all the things he does to the pump but I know the bushing length is increased for more support. Bob has been rebuilding these pumps for years. If you send him a complete core, I believe, he charges around $125 for the conversion. If you have any questions related to the V8 Packard engine or the Twin-Ultramatic give him a call at 816-781-0029 (1997 PAC Roster). He has always been willing to assist Packard owner?s in solving problems. Of course, as with most things, Bob?s is only one solution.

Craig, I used this tool only once to take the load off the T/L arms to rebuild the upper A-Arm bushings on my Constellation. It worked ok for this application. I bent the clevis bracket with my torch, vise and hammer and drilled it with a drill press. I didn?t have original drawings to follow nor had I ever used one of the factory tools so the outcome didn't turn out to the tolerances it should. I can see that the clevis bracket holes should be closer to the arm to allow a tighter fit to the T/L arm thus raising the arm higher. The clevis bracket holes could be welded closed and re-drilled to allow a tighter fit. If additional height is needed a shim or bolt of the required spacing could be welded to the nose of the tool to lift the tool higher in relationship to the frame, thus raising the T/L arm up also. Feel free to modify the tool if you wish. I believe the basic design is sound, it just needs tweaked a little to get it right. It would be great not to have to use a chain setup to hold the T/L arms up high enough to replace the T/L links. Good luck with your project and put me on the list for a set of adjustable T/L links.

I've been using a VW 3 prong for years. Works great, last a long time. Be sure to use a socket that fits and don't overtighten. Good luck.