Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[jamespowers]

My grandfather has a 1953 Packard Clipper. Its brakes are broken, and it hasn't been driven since the 70's. It's been sitting in his garage ever since. It's pastel green with a dark green roof. I can't take a picture of it though, as my grandfather lives in New Jersey.

Those were nice. It needs to get back on the road.

 

[Stanley Doble]

My grandfather has a 1953 Packard Clipper. Its brakes are broken, and it hasn't been driven since the 70's. It's been sitting in his garage ever since. It's pastel green with a dark green roof. I can't take a picture of it though, as my grandfather lives in New Jersey.

If you want to put it back on the road here is an excellent Packard web site. There are some very knowledgeable enthusiast on there who can tell you all you need to know.
http://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/

One thing to be leery of, is the power brakes (if you have them). In those days Packard used the Bendix Treadle Vac system. It seldom failed but if it did fail you had NO brakes at all. This was typical of the single master cylinder systems used back then.

All parts are available for the brake system. You can get them at your local NAPA store. If their parts man cannot find them you can order parts from Kanter but they will be more expensive.

 

[jamespowers]

All parts are available for the brake system. You can get them at your local NAPA store. If their parts man cannot find them you can order parts from Kanter but they will be more expensive.

A LOT more expensive.

 

[GHT]

Hey, all you teasers, going on about my MG. There was a program on UK TV this evening called For The Love Of Cars. They restored a 1947 MG TC. They also gave a detailed history of the car. I was amazed how many were sold in the US, and there is still a huge following for the marque.

On second thoughts, it's because you have so many in your country that you are all too aware of their shortcomings!

 

[jamespowers]

On second thoughts, it's because you have so many in your country that you are all too aware of their shortcomings!

Now you are getting it.

 

[Stearmen]

Hey, all you teasers, going on about my MG. There was a program on UK TV this evening called For The Love Of Cars. They restored a 1947 MG TC. They also gave a detailed history of the car. I was amazed how many were sold in the US, and there is still a huge following for the marque.

On second thoughts, it's because you have so many in your country that you are all too aware of their shortcomings!

Sounds like a great show! Maybe we will get it on Velocity channel in the future?

 

[Stanley Doble]

The 1947 MG was a sensational contrast to the typical 1947 American car, and they attracted a lot of interest. Morris sold them by the boat load. They get the credit for sparking interest in sports cars and imported cars generally. To many of the younger generation they were more desirable than a Cadillac.

 

[GHT]

The 1947 MG was a sensational contrast to the typical 1947 American car, and they attracted a lot of interest. Morris sold them by the boat load. They get the credit for sparking interest in sports cars and imported cars generally. To many of the younger generation they were more desirable than a Cadillac.

Now why would that be?

[video=youtube;Hm0Uq6604L4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm0Uq6604L4[/video]

 

[jamespowers]

To many of the younger generation they were more desirable than a Cadillac.

And the young found out how quick it would break down by the side of the road faster than any Cadillac could. lol lol lol

 

[GHT]

This question could go in any number of threads:
Does anyone know how to double declutch? In today's world, it's not only redundant, but also unnecessary. to explain it is convoluted, so if you want to know how, see Wiki, or you can go onto Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI3cHXnGEx4

My first car was really a converted van. Someone had stuck windows in it and that was it. The thing had ,what we termed as, a crash gearbox. I guess a crunch gearbox would have been more succinct. To double declutch you have to know what clutch plates are and what happens when you speed them up by revving the engine in neutral.

Having learned the process at the tender age of 18, it became more of a second nature than habit. Years later, my wife, having just passed her driving test, asked why I always revved the engine when changing down through the gears. I explained the process to her. She asked what is there to be gained by doing that. So I showed her how a vehicle never jerks forward when the gears are used in conjunction with the brakes. She was impressed and resolved to learn the technique.

Fast forward a few years and she is undergoing driver training with the ambulance service. (She served as a paramedic for most of her working life.) Part of the driver training, back in the manual gear shift days, was to learn double declutching. This method helped to ensure an injured patient got the smoothest ride to hospital as possible. Essential where broken ribs could pierce a lung, or severe back injuries could lead to paralysis.

The training is first taught in a large car, before going onto an ambulance. My wife and two younger fellows had spent the best part of the day doing the theory, as well as visiting the repair workshops where they could see the clutch plates and have the technique demonstrated on a fixed engine. Next came the pratical experience. The instructor drove the car first, going over and over how to engage and disengage the clutch.

Now it was the turn of the students. The two guys were champing at the bit to have a go. First up, the younger, and more cocky of the two, got up to speed as instructed, now it was time to come down through the gears, double declutching. CRUNCH! went the first gear change, CRUNCH went the second and so on and so on. Second guy takes the wheel, gets up to speed, goes white knuckled on the steering and proceeds to tie the gear lever into a reef knot.

The lady's turn comes up. The two fellows, sitting in the back, all smug, waiting for her, a mere girl, to make an absolute hash of it. She gets up to the required speed and on the instructors word, doubles from fifth to fourth to third to second without a single hitch. Two gaping jaws in the back seat and an instructor demanding to know if she had done this before.

Once or twice.

 

[GHT]

And the young found out how quick it would break down by the side of the road faster than any Cadillac could. lol lol lol

They also realised that MG stood for: Mostly Gentlemen. Which is way those gents of old are still running around in MG's.

 

[jamespowers]

They also realised that MG stood for: Mostly Gentlemen. Which is way those gents of old are still running around in MG's.

Pushing them all the way. It keeps the older gentleman in shape.

 

[GHT]

Not according to Hemmings.

 

[jamespowers]

Not according to Hemmings.

As we wrap up our photo shoot, I remove a set of jumper cables from the floor. "You can't take those out," Gaynor jokes. "They're de rigueur for British car ownership, and so is the screwdriver jammed into the dashboard."

Yep, he got it completely right.

 

[rjb1]

Here we would call "double-declutching" just "double-clutching". In a way I'm not surprised that your wife could do better than those guys since it's a matter of finesse, not force. If you get two gears going at the same rotation rate they will slip right in.

 

[Stearmen]

And the young found out how quick it would break down by the side of the road faster than any Cadillac could. lol lol lol

Which one is parked and which one is being driven?

 

[jamespowers]

Which one is parked and which one is being driven?

And which one looks like the guy is stuffed into it like a sardine can? :rofl:

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I'd rather drive the Cadillac ANY day of the week.

Which one is parked and which one is being driven?

And this is one of the many reasons why lol

And which one looks like the guy is stuffed into it like a sardine can? :rofl:

 

[jamespowers]

I'd rather drive the Cadillac ANY day of the week.



And this is one of the many reasons why lol

I think you can fit that in the Cadillac's trunk.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I've got a lawnmower in the back of mine right now, probably bigger and more horsepower/displacement lol

I think you can fit that in the Cadillac's trunk.