zdillinger Posted July 3 Author Share Posted July 3 I'm in deep trouble... I already know I won't be able to part this new/old 160 but I'm pretending I will be able to do it. Fake it till I make it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 Just a couple of quick updates on this project: I finally got the title switched over into my name. Getting a DMV appointment in Michigan is easy but they schedule pretty far in advance so it took a minute to get sorted. The "parts car" was picked up in Washington yesterday, with estimated delivery in approximately one week. So, that's good! Then it's back to the DMV to switch this one over to my name as well. While I'm waiting for the needed mechanical parts, I've started picking away at the body work. I've got the passenger rear fender smoothed out (learning on the job from my father-in-law, who is a former body and paint man for GM). Thankfully, the hood sides and tops are in much better, essentially ding-free condition, so those should go much faster. They had been primed previous but sat long enough to develop some surface rust, so I've treated them with Ospho and synthetic steel wool. I'll sand them smooth before applying primer. I don't have a ton of experience with this type of work but, going slow and listening, I'm learning as I go. I'm aiming for it to be as good as possible. Once the "parts car" arrives, I'll pull the radiator and gas tank and send them off for inspection/repair. While that is happening, I will start getting the front fenders, grille surround, etc. straightened up and primed. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 I think I know who Claudette, Myrna and Rita are but what about Barbara?............. Stanwyck? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 9 Author Share Posted July 9 27 minutes ago, TAKerry said: I think I know who Claudette, Myrna and Rita are but what about Barbara?............. Stanwyck? Yup, my favorite of all time. I'm still trying to think of a good name for the 160 convertible... I might break tradition and go with Walt, since Mr. Disney had a 160 convertible coupe as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted July 9 Share Posted July 9 (edited) I just watched Double Indemnity for the upteenth time the other day! I would go with Jean (Harlow). Sorry for the hijack😬 Edited July 9 by TAKerry (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 (edited) I believe that was the model Disney was filmed in, while driving in and out of his studio during the 1941 Animator's strike. Footage of him driving the car (a light coloured car with a tan or white top) made the news. (But there's also shots of him in a darker (blue?) Packard in the same time frame. Perhaps he owned two convertibles around the same time?) Edited July 10 by Sidemount33 (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 11 Author Share Posted July 11 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Sidemount33 said: I believe that was the model Disney was filmed in, while driving in and out of his studio during the 1941 Animator's strike. Footage of him driving the car (a light coloured car with a tan or white top) made the news. Thanks for the lead! I found this clip from the American Experience show on Disney. I managed to pause it just in time to catch a good glimpse of the Cormorant and grille. Looks like a 1940, which would make sense given the stated date. That one you show in the photo, though, is clearly a different car and obviously 41-42. Edited July 11 by zdillinger (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 If Uncle Walt wanted to fly under the radar and the Newsreel cameras, he shoulda stuck with his DeSoto... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 17 Author Share Posted July 17 Well, the "parts car" arrived, and as @Sidemount33predicted... I'm going to have a hard time killing this car.... its an Earle C. Anthony delivered car. Always wanted one. Oh well, it has to be done. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted July 17 Share Posted July 17 30 minutes ago, zdillinger said: Well, the "parts car" arrived, and as @Sidemount33predicted... I'm going to have a hard time killing this car.... It's all to a noble purpose, Zach: it gets to live on in a slightly altered form. That shade of blue is nice. Is that ballpark to the colour you were thinking of for the convertible? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 17 Author Share Posted July 17 8 minutes ago, Sidemount33 said: That shade of blue is nice. Is that ballpark to the colour you were thinking of for the convertible? Yes, very close. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 25 Author Share Posted July 25 Well... I did it.... it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would, especially seeing the extensive rust at the fender attachment points and basically everywhere panels overlapped. Next thing will be taking the radiator and gas tank to the shop for cleaning/repair. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 47 minutes ago, zdillinger said: Well... I did it.... it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would... Sometimes you have to just rip that band-aid off! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsbrassnut Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 Is that a power brake booster that I see on the lower left side of the engine? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 26 Author Share Posted July 26 1 hour ago, nsbrassnut said: Is that a power brake booster that I see on the lower left side of the engine? No. That is part of the Electromatic clutch setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsbrassnut Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Thanks for the clarification on the cylinder. I forgot that the Electromatic clutch came out that early. I kept thinking it was '46. Curious, are you going to install the electromatic clutch in the convertible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted July 29 Author Share Posted July 29 On 7/27/2024 at 7:49 PM, nsbrassnut said: Thanks for the clarification on the cylinder. I forgot that the Electromatic clutch came out that early. I kept thinking it was '46. Curious, are you going to install the electromatic clutch in the convertible? I am undecided at this point. I know people love the setup when it works right but that it is difficult to get working correctly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 An update on the status of this project. With the project car front end disassembled, I was able to send the radiator out for cleaning/inspection. It came back on Tuesday with a clean bill of health. My radiator guy cleaned it out, pressure tested it, fixed one small weeping leak, and gave it the thumbs up. I gave it a light spit coat of flat black paint and proceeded to install it back into the support frame. I still need to find the assembly for the thermostatic shutter, the "tuna can" as its called, but I'm not worried about that now. The opening in the top tank is currently covered with a blockoff plate and it can stay that way for however long is necessary. I then made some new rubber radiator pads to replace the old decomposed ones that came from the parts car before installing the assembly into the car. This includes the thin rubber piece between the radiator and the support, the 3/4" thick chunk between the assembly and the frame, and the 1/2" thick round spacer between the castle nut/washer and the frame. I also made new hoses. I spent some time in the radiator hose section at the local Autozone and found an off-the-shelf piece, E72248, that has the perfect bend/length for the upper hose. That hose also provided enough straight material from which to cut the two 3 1/2" long pieces that connect the upper and lower return connections to the bent steel pipe that makes up most of the distance. Digging into my stash of hose clamps (I always buy old clamps at swaps), I found six appropriate clamps and installed everything. After a quick return to the store for 3 feet of 5/8" heater hose to short circuit the heater passage system, I should essentially be ready to fill the rad. I realize now that I didn't document the body work I had completed previously. I'm not an expert but I feel like the practice fender came out OK. The paint is basically temporary just to get an idea of the color on the car itself. I also found out that my daughter is good at sanding and actually enjoys it. Lucky me. Little by little I'm getting closer to the first attempted start. The motor seems to have compression and had clean oil in it so I'm hopeful. Still waiting to get my starter relay back from the local electric motor repair shop. They said they would take a look and it has been a week. I also still need to find a wiring harness and to clean out the parts car gas tank. That's going to be a project in itself, and one to which I am not looking forward. That's all for now. Thanks for reading! P.S: As a happy bonus, I was able to turn the parts car motor over by hand, after previously thinking it was stuck. It also seems to have compression (which you can hear leaking through several of the shattered spark plug bases). This engine may be going into my '40 180 so this was definitely a happy moment! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted August 2 Author Share Posted August 2 Oh, and one question that I wanted to flag seperately: I'm not an electronics "guy" and have a question about the generator. I've always heard that you can't turn the generator at engine speeds (i.e. run the car with the belt hooked up) without having the generator output connection either wired to the harness/regulator/battery or direct to ground. Is that true? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted August 2 Share Posted August 2 10 minutes ago, zdillinger said: I've always heard that you can't turn the generator at engine speeds (i.e. run the car with the belt hooked up) without having the generator output connection either wired to the harness/regulator/battery or direct to ground. Is that true? Yes, particularly a '3rd-brush' type. I don't know whether that applies to your Packard, but I would not hook-up the generator electrically if running the engine without the entire system connected. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 On 8/2/2024 at 9:09 AM, zdillinger said: I still need to find the assembly for the thermostatic shutter, the "tuna can" as its called, but I'm not worried about that now. The opening in the top tank is currently covered with a blockoff plate and it can stay that way for however long is necessary. I'm not sure what you're seeking. The "assembly" is visible in this photo. Are you looking for the linkage? Or the brass thermostat itself, which fits in behind the plate??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 On 8/2/2024 at 9:09 AM, zdillinger said: Eeewww....! That color would be a mistake, IMO. Too much magenta mixed in, and not nearly dark enough. "Packard Blue" and "Legion Blue" are much darker, with Legion having metallic in it. If you want to go with the lighter blue, the metallic "Algiers Blue" is also very pretty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 On 7/10/2024 at 7:40 PM, Sidemount33 said: I believe that was the model Disney was filmed in, while driving in and out of his studio during the 1941 Animator's strike. Footage of him driving the car (a light coloured car with a tan or white top) made the news. ( Based on the hub caps, it's a 1942 model. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 7 hours ago, West Peterson said: Based on the hub caps, it's a 1942 model. He must have engaged in a little "retail therapy" for himself following settlement of the Animator's strike 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 3 minutes ago, Sidemount33 said: He must have engaged in a little "retail therapy" for himself following settlement of the Animator's strike 😉 What I was trying to say was that since the animator's strike ended in July, and production of 1942 models didn't begin until end of August, the photo couldn't have been taken as he drove through the strike lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted August 5 Share Posted August 5 1 minute ago, West Peterson said: What I was trying to say was that since the animator's strike ended in July, and production of 1942 models didn't begin until end of August, the photo couldn't have been taken as he drove through the strike lines. Yes, I'm aware of the strike timeline, West - just having some fun. Tks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted August 9 Author Share Posted August 9 Just a minor update. The wiring harness has been ordered through Mid-Atlantic Packards and I found a good starter solenoid through Jeff Adkins of Moose Motors. The harness will take a while, unfortunately. I have also ordered the new fuel pickup/sender from Max Merritt. This will go in the newly cleaned out tank from the parts car. I will soon be able to run a new fuel line, further preparation for lighting the thing off (hopefully). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidemount33 Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 Out of interest, what prompted you to select Mid-Atlantic for your wiring harness, Z? Were they recommended to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted August 10 Author Share Posted August 10 4 hours ago, Sidemount33 said: Out of interest, what prompted you to select Mid-Atlantic for your wiring harness, Z? Were they recommended to you? They are a chapter of the PAC club and they have worked out a deal with Harnesses Unlimited. The cost to me was the same but this way a Packard club organization gets a small percentage for their treasury. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 Now this is what I enjoy. A good friendly follow along on my restoration thread. The names you give your cars is interesting. "Claudette" of course is obvious (to film buffs) and PERFECT! I love it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted September 4 Author Share Posted September 4 Morning all, Just a quick, no pics update. I have the parts car front end torn down and waiting test fitting/assembly. This will be done after I get my wiring harness, which should be any time now. The gas tank is ready to install, complete with new sender from Merritt. The exhaust system from the parts car is actually useable, no damage or rust in it except for the very end of the tail pipe (which will be covered by a deflector anyway), so that can be installed as well. On a personal level, I managed to leave the job that was giving me stress and found a new position. It was a fairly big promotion for me so I'm really digging in to make sure I do the job to the best of my abilities. This has lead to some delays on the Packard but I hope to get back out there and make progress again as soon as the wiring harness arrives. I hope everyone's summer is winding down well and that you're enjoying the pre-winter driving months. Zach 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Congratulations on the promotion! Hopefully it will work out very well for you. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericmac Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 Zach I've really enjoyed the read about your Packard project. I'll have to get a personal tour sometime. Congratulations on the new position. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted September 8 Author Share Posted September 8 On 9/6/2024 at 6:21 AM, ericmac said: Zach I've really enjoyed the read about your Packard project. I'll have to get a personal tour sometime. Congratulations on the new position. Any time you are in the area!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zdillinger Posted September 13 Author Share Posted September 13 "The new phone books are here!" Well, OK, not a phone book but a very expensive, and quite heavy, little box has arrived.... Looks like my weekend is booked. 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 That is exciting. I replaced just the engine harness on my car and that was enough fun! But its nice knowing that everything is new. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Cluley Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 (edited) 12 hours ago, zdillinger said: "The new phone books are here!" "Stay away from those oil cans !" 😂 Seems like this project is coming along nicely. Edited September 14 by Dan Cluley (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 22 hours ago, zdillinger said: "The new phone books are here!" One of my all-time favorites! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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