Clipper47

Mike, My '47 is I expect similar. It is not an easy job because of the wiring. The gauges can be removed individually or in the case of the 47 in pairs. The gauge cluster is help by studs and nuts. They are attached with screws which can be a little hard to reach. I removed the front seat on my car to enable me to get under the dash to see what I was doing. A mirror might help also. Why do you want to do this?

Mike, Aaah the joys of old car ownership. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Will Merrit take the filter back? These items sometimes show up on Ebay so maybe it would be best to get an original Packard version.

I use Rotella in my '47.

Just a stupid question I suppose but how do you fit the block over 8 pistons at one time and how do you compress the rings while doing so? Obviously NOT a one man job! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Kev, Interesting that the 327" oil plugs are on opposite sides of the distributor than the 356" and that the oil pressure sender is in opposite positions as well.

Here is a photo of my 356" engine oil filter. Notice the return line connector below the pressure switch one.

Petronix has yet to make one for my Delco distributor on the 50, only the damned Autolite at last check. My parts car 47 Custom has a 356" with Delco distributor. I was going to buy a Pertronix for it also but no luck. I have 10 sets of points for the AL one. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Mike, The wire is or should be green. It runs from the black relay box lower middle wire to the + coil post. Since the wire enters and emerges from the cloth covered wiring harness loom you might want to disconnect it at both terminals and just run a shorter wire between the terminals instead of cutting into the original harness in the event you want to keep the harness original for the future. That's what I would do.

Mike, Maybe take the gas door off and take it to a paint supplier. I have one near me that can match colour with some hand held analyzer devise. He also has old paint chip books but most of those are now too old to be reliable.

I have started them and immediately started driving them even in below freezing weather, Wayne, That's how I do. What's the point of warming up an engine if the trans, diff and wheel bearings are cold? I see it all the time even at -40. People warm up the car in the drive way then hop in and blast off with no thought to all the other driveline components still encased in glue like gear oil. Forty odd years ago when I worked in the arctic on very cold nights I would drain the engine oil and bring it into the house and warm it up on a wood stove in the morning just before putting it back in the crankcase before I attempted to start the Chrysler 6 cylinder flathead engine in the old Bombardier. We had no electricity for a block heater or to operate a battery charger either. If the engine failed to start I have seen a gas soaked rag placed over the carb intake and set on fire as the engine was turned over. Once saw a Bombardier catch fire that way though so never tried it myself. Aircraft had a tent placed over the engine cowl and the oil was heated with a blow torch type devise placed inside the tent. Oil was also diluted with gasoline to thin it before the engine was started.

Ps- Dave did you take a vac reading when you had your problem? No I didn't. I pulled a few plugs and they were saturated with oil yet I had not noticed an undue amount of smoke perhaps because I was driving at highway speeds. I recall it was an Edelbrock manifold and I was not very familiar with installing such things. I had put silicone on the ends in place of the proper gasket or perhaps only silicone at the corners. I can say that when I replaced the gaskets I drove the vehicle back the 400 miles and had no problem with it ever after. <span style="font-weight: bold">It was oil getting into the cylinders from a leak at the manifold gasket.</span> The plugs were heavily fouled with oil but I'm not sure if they all were or only a few but that was the clue as to why the vehicle had used so much oil in such a short time.

Not likely you will find the correct colour as a touch up bottle or "rattle can". Perhaps if there is a good paint shop nearby they can match it.

I think that to a degree an oil leak would seal while it is being sucked past the gasket at least to a certain degree that might not show on a vacuum gauge. I am not familiar with you engine but I once had a 350SB Chev with a leak on the underside of the intake. I drove about 400 miles all highway and it ran fine but it burned as I recall about 3-4 quarts of oil. I took the manifold of and replaced the gaskets, torqued it to spec and it ran fine again without the oil burning. My only conclusion was that the gasket was leaking and sucking oil up through the lifter gallery beneath the manifold.

Frank, Yes the Bosch ones I have are flat lenses as well but at 80MPH I don't think anyone will notice. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I was wondering also about the fuse to the lights. would the relay operate as a fuse since it's rated at 30Amps? Would it blow in the event of a dead short? Just curious.

Yes I intend to install a 20A. fuse in the line. Where else would you suggest? Thanks.

The last time I entered "vibrator" in a search I got more than I bargained for! I picked up a vibrator for my radio in Minnesota last summer. When i returned to Canada the border guard asked the usual "Did you purchase anything while you were away?" You should have seen the look on his face when I told him "Yes I bought a vibrator.................(pause).. for my Packard car radio."

I like to warm up my cars the way my grandfather taught my grandmother. Start the car, and then immediately and repeatedly rev it up to about 9000 RPM for about 10 minutes. The black and blue smoke coming out the exhaust pipe tells you that it is getting warm, like a fire in a fireplace. I once had an 85 year old next door neighbour who rarely drove his old 75 Pontiac but he would wait until the temperature would get down to -30 or -40 ,plug the block heater in for a couple of hours, then crank the engine over until it started , rev it up immediately and hold it at about 5-60000RPM a few times and then shut it off and go back indoors. He "just wanted to know that it would go if he ever needed it." <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thank you very much for the information and advice. I appreciate the help.

After a near accident last summer due to the not very bright 6 volt sealbeam lamps on my 1947 Super Clipper I am installing a set of Bosch H-4 6 volt halogen lamps in place of the stock lights. On other 12 volt cars that I have made this conversion I have powered the 55/60Watt lamps through a relay rather than directly from the headlight switch to lessen the voltage drop of long sections of wire and strain on the switch. I generally use heavier gauge wiring as well. To avoid damaging my new reproduction light harness I will rewire the lights and preserve the original setup as well. My question is this. The power wire to the relay (terminal 30) usually is connected from the battery terminal or the alternator output on my modern cars. Where should I connect the power wire on a generator equipped car? Could I connect it to the "gen" terminal of the regulator or the "A" terminal of the generator or should I use the battery terminal? What size wire should I use. I was planning on using #10 or is that overkill. I would like to keep this alteration as unobtrusive as possible but absolute originality is not a big issue since I do not plan to show the car or have it judged.

Try http://www.yesterdaysradio.com/ .

Oil can be sucked into the intake ports from the valve lifter gallery beneath the intake manifold if the gasket is leaking.

Well there ya go.......... Caveat Emptor! <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

For you 1956 owners there is a 374" V-8 for sale on the Packard Club website Buy and Sell section. The ad says that it has new fitted pistons in an NOS block! Price is $2000. Perhaps I should have put this in the Buy/Sell Forum but I have no interest in this item and I am not the seller nor do I know him except that he is a long time PAC member.

It is my understanding that an engine will require a cold range plug if the car is used primarily in high speed highway driving. If the car is used for primarily slow speed city driving, long periods of idling or if the engine is an oil burner () then a hotter plug is recommended to burn off deposits which tend to accumulate more in these situations. I'm sure that there is more.

You sure have thanks!