Owen_Dyneto

Yes, all the 35-36 models except the junior "120" model have vacuum assisted mechanical brakes.

Best of luck finding one! Many street corner repair garages just tossed them away when doing brake work, saying you didn't need them (somewhat true), so they are indeed very hard to find. I'm missing one on my '34 Packard, I've been looking on and off for decades, not always that seriously, but have never found one.

What do you say it's Packard?

Perhaps the fellow on the East Coast that you were thinking of was Jay Fisher who made a huge array of various mirrors. But he gave up the business some years back and to my knowledge no one picked up his tooling or operation. I recently loaded a See-Rite sidemount mirror with clamping base for 33-34 Packard metal sidemount covers to American Arrow for reproduction, perhaps they have others as well.

No, it's only stamped on the Patent Plate. In the event the patent plate was missing or the number mutilated, Packard could identify all the particulars of any car built in 1929 or later thru the "theft-proof" or body serial number, the large embossed number on the cowl. Unfortunately those factory files have not survived on only very small segments of them have been recreated by a few Packard historians. PS - minor point but take a look at the plate, it's a vehicle number (VN), not a vehicle identification number (VIN). VIN generally refers to that very long federally mandated identification number that came along long after Packard was gone.

Pulfer and Williams, now a part of LaVine Restorations. A very large range of tags, and excellent quality.

My 1937 Dodge, bought in 1957 when I was 17. Paid $20.

Very common for dealers to fail to stamp their names and delivery dates. And factory deliveries were always stamped as such. And just to get the name correct, it's a patent plate, not a VIN# plate.

Packard's published engine specifications for the 640/645 call for 84-87 psi compression.

Great idea for a thread! Pix of myself at 16 with my first car, a 1937 Dodge bought at local church auction in 1957 for $25.

What are you calling "fabric"? Rubberized fabric as in the center roof panel of early closed cars? Or plain canvas? Or something else?

I typically use a copperized head gasket sealant on metal sandwich head gaskets for engines like Packard flathead engines, but would NEVER use RTV there!! In fact there are very few places where I might use RTV, perhaps a differential cover. And gaskets on manifolds on similar engines should not have a sealant as, due to different expansions, the manifolds actually "walk" back and forth against the block as things heat and cool.

Easy to distinguish a 5-main from a 9 main 327 or the 359, just count the main bearing oil gallery plugs down low on the manifold side of the engine, there will be either 5 or 9.

You might be guided by data in this chart.

As 23hack said, you probably need to adjust the pedal free play.

Lesters are still "siped".

Sure you can do it that way, I suspect the majority of folks with under-seat batteries have been doing it that way since these cars were new. The only downside is that you miss the opportunity to check the electrolyte level in the battery.

It would be great to have some of the critical dimensions, it looks like it might replace NE 5033469 used in 33/34 Packard Eight and Super Eight, and in short supply. No offset between the two ends, exactly 180 degrees apart?

Your really don't need the original specification, you can do far better by timing "by ear". Just keep advancing until you get the first trace of spark knock on a hard pull in high gear.

Yes, as trimacar said, you seal the ends with paper gaskets. And as to worrying about oil temperatures being too high without the cooler, I've driven my '34 about 40,000 miles with just a shunt in place and no engine problems.

A large number of '34 Eight and Super Eight 1934 Packard owners have been thru this problem. You can try if you're willing to make the effort but chances are very largely in favor of the heat exchanger core not being repairable. Just make a shunt to transport the oil from the inlet across to the outlet. Make sure you don't choke down the diameter of the internal oil passage as this is a full-flow system.

Your car and your choice of course but were it mine, rather than mongrelize a nice bona fide Classic, I'd just have the distributor rebuilt.

Sure.

Failure of the compensator valve.

A friend had that happen to him with a just prewar Packard. Cause was a very sloppy-fitting distributor rotor (missing the little metal clip that assures a snug fit).