PACKARDS INTERNATIONAL MOTOR CAR CLUB SAN DIEGO REGION

VOLUME FOUR

OFFICERS

Jim Price -- President 280 - 5683

Bob Hill -- Vice President 277 - 9065

John Riess -- Secretary 475 - 0256

Tony Paradowski -- Treasurer 474 - 4096

Lloyd King -- Membership Chairman 276 - 3673

John Sands -- Activities Chairman 224 - 8558

Ken Yankee -- Technical Committee 273 - 4513

James Dahmann -- Publications Chairman 1-748-3244

Steve Cullen -- Projects Chairman 287 - 4952

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June 7 General Meeting, 7:00 P.M. North Park Recreation Center, Shuffleboard Clubhouse.

June 9 thru 11

June 10

AACA National Spring Meet­Western Division, at Bahia Hotel Free admission (for looking)

Cars on display at Bahia Hotel

June 11

July 5

CHV A Meet, Rancho California -Tour and picnic, we're going to leave early in the morning, yeehhhh. Plans for this tour will be announced at the June meeting. Call for details.

General Meeting, & at 7: 00 P.M. North Park Recreation Center, Shuffleboard Clubhouse.

JUNE 1978 NUMBER 6

PRESIDENTIAL PODIUIVI

The Prez and bride are back! We had a delightful honeymoon in Europe, and we had a few car experiences which 111 briefly mention below.

I understand that the Mother's Day Breakfast was a fun and successful event - good show!. Also thanks to Ken Yankee (and Ed Henneberg) for the Packard-of-the-Month presentation at last month's meeting. This month we'll have a discussion of torque and its unique applications in the Packard 12 valve train and in the Torsion Bar suspension. Be sure to attend! Remember you get participation points for meetings as well as outings.

We'll be going to Rancho California to the big CHV A show on June 11, the day following the AACA convention here in San Diego-quite a weekend! Be sure to mark National Tour (July 4th weekend) and our own July 22 tour to Coronado on your calendars, too. Come one, come all-and bring a friend.

In Europe, Joan and I saw a parade of old, beautifully restored, antique European cars in downtown Munich. It was raining, but all went OK. There were a couple of American cars in the parade (there must have been 100 cars or so-many Mercedes), and even one car with Oregon license plates on it (the only US plate we saw on the whole trip!) It looked as though the antique auto business is very healthy in Europe, too.

We had wanted to see the Daimler-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, but it was closed due to terrorist attacks on the Mercedes Benz plant, of all things! But we did go thru the Technisches Museum in Vienna which contained several old German and Austrian cars, along with a truly impressive collection of old railroad cars, engines, etc. We saw several pre-1900 vehicles there, including some of Benz' first.

Probably the most interesting car experience was simply being in Prague. Not many Western cars were in evidence- mostly Czech and Russian vehicles. Czechoslovakia makes a little Renault-like car called a Skoda. The more interesting were the large, black Tatra's, and some Studebaker-like Russian cars. I'll show you some pictures at the

(continued overleaf)

PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM (continued)

June meeting. The Tatra is really interesting- it looks a little like the early-50's step-down Hudsons, but it has a V-8 mounted in the back!

Of course all over Europe there were many nice driving machines on the road-many models which aren't available in the US. I think I was the most impressed with the new Citroens we saw in France. Rover is also making a very racey looking car, fashioned somewhat along the lines of a Porche 924. By the way-they see Mercedes as fleet cars in Germany (e.g. taxis), but if you, want to order one for yourself, it takes about 2 years to get it! We did see about 25 U.S. cars on the trip, but none of special note. Most were like Mustangs, Camaros, Cutlasses, etc.

I'm ready for an active Summer! Let's all get those Packard machines on the road, and have some more good tours. See you at the June meeting ....

PROJECTS REPORT

Steve Cullen is heading a committee again looking into the 1954, 1955 Clipper bubble taillight lens. This project looks very encouraging this time because he has found an aerospace diemaker to manufacture a metal mold and the finished lens will be formed of modern "Lexan", a super, weather resistant material. An updated report will be revealed at our next meeting.

We are also working on reprinting lube charts by Shell for the Packards from 1941 thru 1958. We're searching for the right price and a report will be made at the next meeting.

CLUB PROJECTS

Predictor Brochure reprint Packard Crest belt buckles Tee=Shirts; script or radiator Vehicle_Regulation booklets _ . 'Packard Service' hats

More Projects and ideas coming soon!

CALENDAR OF EVENTS (continued)

July 2

July 22

National Tour to Mammoth Lakes

Fred Hauck hosts 'Packard of the Month' potluck and picnic at his Coronado Cays home.

$1.00 10.00

5.50 2.00 8.25

TECHNICAL CORNER IGNITION TIMING, with tachometer and vacuum gauge.

Detonation and the results of detonation are costing automobile and truck owners thousands of dollars every year. Detonation is the major cause of top ring breakage, piston land and groove troubles.

One of the greatest causes of detonation is improper ignition timing. The practice of setting initial ignition timing with a timing light and then road-testing the vehicle and listening for detonation is often unsatisfactory. On some engines it is possible for the vibration damper to move on the damper assembly, which will cause the timing mark on the vibration damper to give an erroneous reading. A faulty vacuum advance diaphragm, inoperative or worn centrifugal governor mechanism can also cause erroneous ignition timing.

To eliminate the possibility of detonation, the following procedure can be used. Connect an electric tachometer and a vacuum gauge to the engine. Set the engine speed to 1000 r.p.m. with the idle speed adjusting screw. Loosen the distributor mounting screws and slowly rotate the distributor back and forth until the highest vacuum reading is obtained on the gauge. If the engine speed changes, readjust to 1000 r.p.m. After the highest vacuum reading has been obtained, rotate the distributor in a retard direction until the vacuum gauge has dropped exactly one-half inch and then tighten the distributor locking screws.

If the engine speed drops more than 20 r.p.m. after retarding the timing, one or more of the following conditions exists:

• Loose distributor shaft • Improper cam angle • Faulty advance mechanism • Poor point condition

If this ignition timing procedure is followed, the possibility of detonation will be eliminated

and power settings of the timing curve will be up to standard.

WELCOME NEW MEMBER

William Bennett 12957 Sunderland Street Poway, California 92064 (714) 748 - 6391

1956 Clipper

'-

PARTS FOR SALE

1955 - 56 '400' rocker panels - $40.00 1953 Radio - call for details, thank you.

Ken Yankee (714) 273 - 4513

MORE PARTS FOR SALE Wire wheels, 20", 7 lug, set of six will fit seventh series. No snap rims or hub caps. $1000. / set or $200. per wheel. John Sands, (714) 224 - 8558

PACKARD HISTORY (continued from last issue)

THE PACKARD VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM by Mark Rothermich

With the introduction of the Eighth Series in August 1930, Packard introduced a new Vehicle Numbering system, the BTPPN. Prior to this the Vehicle Number was identical to the Engine Number. Twin Six's from 1917 to 1924 carried a Vehicle Number consisting of 5 to 6 numeric digits preceeded by an S. Earlier vehicles carried no Vehicle Number. The new system was much more sophisticated and accurate than the prior system. It would tell the owner, and later restorers, much more about the car than any other system. Packard used this system with minor modifications until June 1956 when production in Detroit ceased.

BTPPN is short for Body Type Plus Production Number. This is the code that would now appear on the car's vehicle plate as the Vehicle Number. The first digit of the code is the numeric code Packard assigned to that Body Type. Packard has used Body Type Codes in their internal record keeping since the very beginning and now would use them as the first digits of the car's Vehicle Number. The Body Type code serves as a double check on the cars age and body type. This is because each Body Type Code was assigned to only one body type in only one series. The PPN or Production Number code follows the Body Type code and identifies how many bodies carrying the same Body Type code preceeded it. For example, you see a Packard having Vehicle Number 501-18; by consulting the Packard Identification Manual*, you will find Body Type Code 501 assigned to the Ninth Series Standard Eight Phaeton on a 136 inch wheelbase. The Production Number, 18, indicates that it is the 18th factory produced Phaeton built on a 902 or Ninth Series Standard Eight chassis.

*The Packard Identification Manual is published by Pac kards International. Editor: Fred Mauck.

For those of you fortunate enough to own a Packard with a custom built body, a slightly different system was used. When the factory sent a chassis to an outside bodybuilder, it had no idea what type of body the chassis would ultimately support. The factory would then stamp on the car's Vehicle Plate the Chassis Number, which consisted of the Series Number followed by the two-digit code assigned to that particular line of cars built on that chassis. Then the final digit (s) would be the production number of the chassis. For example, a Packard has Vehicle Number 845-94. A quick check of factory assigned Body Type numbers show no bodies were assigned that paritcular 3-digit code. However, Packard did assign number 845 to the Eighth Series chassis with a 145 inch wheelbase. We then search for the Bodybuilders Plate to find more information. The digits 94 indicate only that it is the 94th 845 chassis sent out for custom body work. Incidentally vehicle 845-94 is an Eighth Series Deluxe Eight Rollston Convertible Victoria.

The factory built cars used the BTPPN system, with minor changes until the very end. The changes that would take place would be in the Production Number Base and later in the Body Type Codes. Beginning with the Twelfth Series (August 1934) the Production Number Base for each Body Type in each line began with 200. The advent of the Sixteenth Series (August 1937) would boost the base to 2000. Therefore if your Packard is a 12th, 14th, or 15th Series car, the first body of each Body Type would have a Production Number of 200. The same for the 16th through the 54th Series cars, the first body of each Body Type in each line has a Production Number of 2000.

(to be continued)

BUSINESS CLASSIFIED

FINE RESTORATION of ANTIQUE & CLASSIC CARS

P. O. Box 747

2344 Main Street

Ramona, California 92065

JOHN R. CRAIG, Prop. (714) 789 - 2011

730 FRONT ST. SAN DIEGO, CA. 92101

&epair. aub ... tarathm • .lin" AU Caa-k ear.

We do mechanical and electrical work

for any Classic Car, tram minor tune · up

to complete restorations.

We specialize in PACKARDS and Cadillacs

and give free estimates.

RUSTY MADSEN, PROP. (714) 2369488

BUSINESS CLASSIFIED

LEMON GROVE PLATING 1400 CLEVELAND

NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA 92050

To Packards International Members :

Over the years we have established a reputation for quality plating, and a quality car deserves Quality plating . I own a 1928 PACKARD Roadster and know the value you place on your parts. If you have a plating need, come in and ....

Ask The Man Who Owns One

BILL RHODES President (714) 474 - 4424

MEMBER OF THE

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OFF PH 4113·5514

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8500 LA MESA BLVD. P O ST OFFICE BOX 71S

LA MESA CALIFORNIA