My next project? 1921 Packard Coupe

3 minute(s) of a 548 minute read

Hi all

Many thanks for the suggestions.

I seem to have managed to remove all the insulation material with some spray can Gasket stripper ( very aggressive solvent) but now have a wad of copper wire that seems to have welded itself to the inside of the tube about half way along its length. Possibly as a result of a short circuit at some time in the distant past. This wire is "live" when the ignition is switched on, and may explain why it was cut off flush with the bottom of the tube.

I think that the only way I am going to remove this is by "driving" it out with a suitable length of 3/16 semi-bright steel rod.

Many thanks to the several people who e-mailed their concerns. Living as we do in Victoria in the south east of Australia we are sufficiently far away not be affected by the floods which are mainly to the north in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

1-14-2011

Hi all

Again thank you for all the helpful suggestions. The big problem is that the inside diameter of the smallest (centre) tube is less that 1/4 inch. My guess is that a lot of patience and a little gentle persuasion will eventually bring the desired result. The "hole" saw idea is a good one Ben but I am just not good at working in miniature. I have tried the idea of bronze welding a 1/8th drill onto a length of heavy fencing wire only to have the tip of the drill snap off compounding the problem.

Persistence and patience seems to be the only answer. Or as we Aussies are credited as saying during times of stress, "Don't let the bastards get you down".

What Ho Jeeves! For those unfamiliar with such exotic things, attached is a photograph of a very fine example of a two tone Oxford and Cambridge blue P Type MG. This one is a very smart Aero coupe. Absolutely Supah! Don't-cha know? Frightfully British and all that....

The "Blues" are all about the inter-varsity boat races of course.

1-17-2011

Enough nonsense and back to work. Yesterday I decided to start moving towards pulling the motor and gearbox out. First thing was to remove all the accessories, starter, generator and carburettor. I have stripped down and cleaned 80 years of gunk off both the starter and generator and painted the exterior components. I will have the armatures checked but there is very little wear evident anywhere so they should be a straight forward re-assembly job and then they can go on the shelf for the time being. I am debating whether to nickel plate the brush covers or to paint them. I have a pile of other small parts that I intend to have plated so will probably throw them in too.

My feeling is that especially with a side valve engine as large as the Packard's that a little dressing up does no harm.