The sun’s out, the Packard’s out

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The sun’s out and so are we…we’ve taken our 1939 Packard 120 out for a spin today and got some lovely pictures on the way back in to the workshops.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”26816,26832,26831,26830,26829,26828,26827,26826,26825,26824,26823,26822,26821,26820,26819,26818,26817″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Cutting the Packard valves

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ady has been cutting a 45′ seat with a Mira.

We have also made a new valve guide.

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Making up a number plate bracket

The car came in to us with some after-market number plate surrounds but with the car being so beautifully original we wanted to try and keep the car exactly how it came in to us.

At the time, the surrounds were only mounted on the back so we have fabricated a bracket to hold the front number plate surround and we have also used the existing plates. These could be replaced with the pressed silver black plates which the new owner may choose to do.

Cleaning up our 1939 Packard 120

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We managed to secure another day with Paul Johnson Valeting this weekend so he spent the day detailing our 1939 Packard 120.

Although we are yet to complete the engine works on the car (due to a couple of valves having to be made) we are almost complete with the rest of the project so she’ll soon be ready for a new home.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”24702,24701,24700,24699,24698,24697,24696,24695,24694,24693,24692,24691,24690,24689,24688,24687,24686,24685,24684,24683,24682,24681,24680,24679,24678,24677,24676,24675,24674,24673,24672,24671,24670,24669,24668″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Fabricating a new battery tray for the Packard

As you can see, our Packard’s existing battery tray has seen better days so Pete has been busy making up and fitting a new one.

Equalising the combustion chambers of our 1939 Packard

Ady is currently equalising the combustion chambers on our 1939 Packard 120. This process can be time consuming depending on how far out the readings are originally. Equalising the combustion chambers is a way of levelling the readings of the cylinder capacity (CC). If the cylinders are reading differently from each other then his can cause the engine to run badly or not at all in some instances.

Removing our Packard’s head

We needed to remove the enormous head of our 1939 Packard to reveal the gasket and as expected unfortunately this is what is causing the running issues.

A new gasket has been order from the US and the head is currently being machined to remove all imperfections.

We can now confirm that the head is misshapen by approximately 3/4mm which explains a lot of the difficulties we’ve been facing. Once we’ve machined and skimmed the head the new gasket can be applied.

Recommissioning our 1939 Packard 120

In our workshops today we have our stunning 1939 Packard 120. Having been in the showroom of world renowned classic and vintage car dealers Vintage and Prestige for over 3 years she has had little to no attention with regards to servicing and maintaining.

The car is owned locally to us here in Woodbridge so we are looking to get her back on the roads running and sounding as beautiful as she looks.

Initial inspection suggests a possible head gasket issue as she is not running as sweet as she should be. We’ll also look over the entire car and assess exactly what needs to be done from start to finish. We do not envisage there being too much to tackle on this one…

Collecting our 1939 Packard 120

Here is our 1939 Packard making it’s way to our workshops having spent some time with the guys at Vintage & Prestige in Grays, Essex.

We’ll look to carry out a full re-commission of the car to ensure everything runs as it should before we find her a new home in the new year.