My next project? 1921 Packard Coupe

15 minute(s) of a 548 minute read

I am pleased to report that following a lunchtime gathering of friends the pudding is now all gone. One of the great joys of Christmas is sharing with loved ones and like minded people.

12-28-2012

Having got so far the problem was that the Amp-meter had a nasty tendency to swing to maximum discharge when the ignition was turned on. Having traced back the various wires everything pointed to a major short within the main switch box/circuit breaker. For those unfamiliar with the early (First series) Single Six, Packard opted for the then far more sophisticated and as we would say today "State of the Art" circuit breaker. On further checking the one on my car had neither a mouse or a spider internally but the 90 year old insulation had cracked and was breaking down. Now having had the thing apart I can say that it is really simple with a minimum of moving parts. Having cleaned everything including the one pair of basic "points"and with the insulation refreshed/replaced it appears to be working just fine. That is on the bench and only time will tell but first I have to re-assemble the switch box and replace it all back into the dashboard. Given the time of the year, family activities do take precedent and it is unlikely that very much more will happen before the middle of next week or thereabouts.

Hi

THe original insulation was red fibre, I replaced it with plastic. the short was where the copper strip for the contact points and the bent strip going to the main switch are held by two screws. The same screws also hold the flat spring strip that works against the magnet to keep the flap at the top up.

Not a very clear explanation but I hope that you can understand. If not I can do a thumbnail drawing but not right now.

1-3-2013

Thank You Roger

We have just returned from four or five relaxing days with my sister & her extended family on the coast at Point Lonsdale. A great time eating, sleeping, reading and enjoying the odd glass or two of good Australian wines, unfortunately it was too cool for swimming. Of course today we had high 30.s C for our drive home and tomorrow is scheduled to be in the mid 40.s C. None the less once I have caught up with some chores I will be able to set about re-installing the light/ignition switch. More later.....

1-4-2013

As predicted we had our +40 degree C. day It was a really unpleasant day and not all that conducive to working under the dash with a lead light to add to the heat. I am much more used to Lucas wiring and have discovered that there are couple of basic differences with the Atwater Kent system. I mentioned earlier the complexity of the ignition/lighting switch, attached below is a diagram of the internal arrangement. Today after a very hot and partially sleepless night it is much cooler and I am about to go out and attempt to finish installing that switch. That done the next task will be wiring in the extra stop/tail lamps.

1-5-2013

While some people are still un-winding from their Christmas/New Year celebrations others have important work to do.

One problem that had reared its ugly head was an apparent short circuit still lurking "somewhere" in the electrical system. Every time I switched on the ignition, the amp meter had this nasty tendency to zoom right across to maximum discharge. After a morning spent tracing the individual wires and checking their continuity from both ends, it finally showed up a short within the "fully restored and ready to fit" horn I had bought at a swap meet about two years ago. (You have to buy these things when you see them rather than waiting until you need them.) On taking it apart it became apparent that 90 year old insulation where the supply wires were connected was at fault. Sure It had a passable coat of paint but very little work had been done internally. Two red fibre washers and a little crushable black plastic tube and the job was done. After testing it could be re-installed on its original (correct) Packard mounting bracket, part of the oil filler spout on the side of the crankcase and all the wires behind the dash tidied up. No more short circuit and it only took about four hours lying on my back with my head up under the dash and my feet hanging out the right hand door. And the car is one tiny step closer....

1-7-2013

1-8-2013

Hi All

I am sorry for the lack of communication but our spell of hot weather has tended to slow me down, fortunately we are well away from the horrific bush fires that have been raging in Tasmania, New South Wales and parts of Victoria. Added to this I have been spending too much time tracking down and solving a series of electrical faults that ultimately proved to be a misplaced brass contact strip inside the main switch. Such a simple thing but one that has consumed hours & hours. The only thing now remaining is to connect the tail lights. The original one is up and running and now there are just two wire that connect the number plate board to a junction box linking it to the main loom. and most importantly the courtesy light in the luggage trunk still needs a new globe. That done I an ready to rush out and fill a 10 litre can with some fresh petrol, then stand back. Oh yes! there is one other thing. To fit the gear-lever knob that my son Steve is making for me, like the Body ID plate (above) an work of Art.

1-9-2013

Hi Ben

The good news is that you do not have to wait any longer! This morning I bit the bullet and filled the vacuum tank with some fresh petrol, filled each of the priming taps in turn, flooded the carb and retarded the ignition. As expected, it fired up straight away but is reluctant to speed up. I get the impression that it requires more advance than is available through the normal distributor links and may require the distributor drive shaft being moved by a tooth where it is driven by the camshaft. In addition the starter seems reluctant to release so I need to look at the Bendix spring. 

So it is good news with a couple of reservations. Comments are welcome from any other Single Six owners especially re obtaining additional advance on the distributor. Oh yes, the oil pressure is excellent the needle on the gauge going all the way.

Hi John

Thank you for your confidence in my ability. I still have to sort out the ignition timing/mixture before I go venturing down the "lane". The problem being that we live at the top of the hill. The attached photograph should have appeared with an earlier post. It shows the tail lamps illuminated proving the the electrical circuit is intact. Working on my own makes it very difficult to check if the stop lamps are also working however by observing the amp meter it is possible to see the change in the current consumed when the brake pedal is depressed indicating that in all likely-hood the lights are indeed coming on. I had hoped to include another photograph of the approved Ben Benson modification to the crank-handle but with the number of stray reflections the photograph was hopeless. I will try again later.

1-10-2013

Having had a long talk with David McC earlier and read up on the ignition timing in the 1922 Single Six Information Book. I am sure that given a couple of hours over the weekend I should have ironed out the bugs. Tomorrow we have a VSCC BBQ in the evening so will need to give the Lagonda a quick clean and check over.

1-12-2013

Hi Dale

Welcome to my thread.

My lack of activity here does not automatically signal a total lack of activity. Today has been spent sorting out several small things. Having among other things adjusted (advanced) the ignition timing and the timing chain the car is now starting "on the button" and running very nicely and quietly. Just as you would expect from a Packard. One priming cup had a tendency to leak (compression) and will have to be lapped in with some fine grinding paste (toothpaste perhaps) other wise the day has been well spent. I still have a couple of little nagging things to fix but hope to venture out on to the road some time soon. I probably need to re-tension the cylinder head nuts again after a few more hours of running.

1-13-2013

Thank you Mal

Just a cautionary tail for all those who would have me driving the Packard off into the sunset as soon as It had proved to be a runner. 

Rather than going for a quick run around the block I like to be sure that all systems are in order and that there are no surprises lurking in the wings. 

After some prolonged running (About 15-20 minutes) while I checked for leaks in the cooling system etc. I noticed that the engine had started to idle slightly roughly and it sounded as though the mixture had become rich. Opening the carburettor side hood I was alarmed to see a jet of petrol about six inches high coming from the top of the float bowl and petrol running out of the splash tray all over the exhaust pipe and forming quite a pond under the car. What had happened was that the float had sunk permitting a steady flow of fuel into the carb and out the top. I could quickly turn off the tap at the base of the Vacuum tank and switch off the ignition. One can only imagine what could have happened if I had been bowling along the road possibly completely unaware of the problem until the flames started to emerge from the louvers on the side of the hood. It just ain't worth thinking about! As it is after "boiling" the float in a pan of water to evaporate the petrol trapped inside it, I will be able to carefully solder up the two or three minute leaks around the centre seam and all should be well.

Hi All

Having "boiled off" the petrol from inside the float and throughly cleaned it I could check for leaks it by immersing it in hot water. By doing this I have been able to locate not one but four microscopic cracks around the soldered joint. It should be just a few minutes work to repair these by carefully running some solder into them.

Jobs done! it took a total of 15 minutes.....

1-13-2013

Hi Jeff

Good to hear from you. Another small step I have now reversed the Packard out of the carport and driven it in again under its own power all I need to do now is to save up enough $$s to fill the petrol tank and apply for a temporary permit so I can drive it legally on the road. Once it is completely sorted out I can take it for its roadworthy test and register it.

Keep on keeping on

1-14-2013

Some of my older friends will tell you that I am a bit "kinky" about the tool bags for my cars. I have just bought at great expense this lovely hand made genuine Buffalo hide "Cellini" bag for the Packard. Its beautifully patinated dark tan leather makes it perfect to match the cars colour scheme. It is basically 12 inches X 8 inches X 2 3/4 inches across the base. It has a number of individual pockets to isolate the spanners from the screwdrivers etc and smaller zipp closed compartments for those important little things, things like feeler gauges, a points file and similar essentials. It fits snuggly into the storage locker under the drivers seat. It will never rattle or scratch the paint or upholstery, you will almost certainly never see another like it! By an extremely talented Italian fashion designer it comes from a very exclusive store or would have originally...... Each of my cars have one, no two are the same. I bought this one for the princely sum of $2.00 from my local Charity Shop.

There are details and then there are small details, all are equally important in the over-all scheme of things. In the words of the old song "little things mean a lot!"

The holiday season starting to wind down I could collect the breeching staples from the plater where they had been receiving a shiny coat of nickel, while my good friend Tony the trimmer was converting a couple of off cuts of the upholstery hide into door check straps. With everything collected into the one place it was the work of minutes to screw them on. Another job done and now there is no chance of straining the door hinges by opening the doors too wide.

1-17-2013

Hi Tony

Apology accepted. We enthusiasts down here in Victoria take a totally different approach to our cars too. The Packard falls into the category of a Project car. You can expect to see it being offered for sale any time now in order to finance my next project. I am a compulsive obsessive rescuer of basket cases and lost causes. Having said that it is always my aim to have my cars 110% right. My other car a 1934 Lagonda Rapier has been with us since 1978 and will probably become part of my estate. It is driven competitively in VSCC events and is taken to Europe every five years where it is our daily driver for between three and four months. Our next trip away is in 2014. and will take us to VSCC Events in the UK, a number of rallies in France, down to the Pyrenees for a week or three and then probably over the Alps to Italy and into Switzerland. The Rapier loves mountain roads.

If you send me your e-mail I can send you a folio of Photographs of the "Flying Four" It now lives somewhere in Queensland.

 If you look closely you will see that we are taking part in the Chanteloup les Vignes a hill climb in a Village on the outskirts of Paris

Hi Ian

What is it about "Inorganic Chemistry" that you do not understand? You just have to learn to concentrate more on what is being said!

In line with my comment re wanting my cars to be 110% right, I have just spent the last two days with the generator spread across my work bench. For some reason the charge rate was either spasmodic or totally absent. Finally it is all back together and on the car again. 

The armature has been checked on a friendly auto electricians "growler" and pronounced healthy. A set of three new carbon brushes fitted, the commutator has been cleaned up and new plate to replace the missing one that retains the bearing at the outer end made and fitted, finally the wiring circuits checked. Now at last the amp-meter shows a nice steady 8 amp charge. This can be adjusted up or down if necessary by moving the third brush. To complete the job the date was stamped into the end plate.

The final finish touch is now in place. Our son Steve finished the gear lever knob earlier this week, he has just delivered it this morning. It probably needs just a coat or two more of wax polish to give it the right amount of patina otherwise it is a fitting end to what has been a sometimes trying but always satisfying restoration.

I hope to have a "photo-shoot" over the next three or four days and should have a complete folio of photographs available to potential purchasers. Genuine expressions of interest welcome.

Keep on keeping on