1937 Packard Rebuild

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Mike Rogers
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1937 Packard Rebuild

Post by Mike Rogers »

Has Any body rebuilt a Packard on here. L8 i have some questions.
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needforspeed66gt
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Post by needforspeed66gt »

PackardV8 should be around here somewhere - he will I'm sure be of assistance.

Why don't you post the questions now so that we or he can try and answer them ASAP.

I have done a couple heads for those old straight 8's - it's been years though.
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Post by PackardV8 »

The Packard straight eight is the biggest, longest heaviest hunk of passenger car iron around. The crankshaft alone weighs 109#, the block 283# and the complete engine 752#. I don't build many of them myself, but I know the guys who do and where to get all the parts.

thnx, jack vines
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Post by Mike Rogers »

Hey jack is it normal to have a bore of 3.322 in one of these. It also has custom forged pistons. with .045 .045 and .118 rings. This engine has less then 500 miles on it from the shop that built it. Has some kind of water leak problem. Do you mind if i call you. If not pm me your number.
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Post by Keith Morganstein »

Mike Rogers wrote:Hey jack is it normal to have a bore of 3.322 in one of these. It also has custom forged pistons. with .045 .045 and .118 rings. This engine has less then 500 miles on it from the shop that built it. Has some kind of water leak problem. Do you mind if i call you. If not pm me your number.
If you need the block repaired for cracks, I have a guy who is about the best in the USA and does many old blocks including Packard.
Automotive Machining, cylinder head rebuilding, engine building. Can't seem to quit #-o
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Post by Mike Rogers »

Hey Keith are you ready for this the block is going to Texas with the head and they are casting a new one for the guy to the tune of $12,000 :shock:
Some one put a sleeve half way down the bore and it is crooked.

What makes no sense is the bore is .132 over.
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Post by Keith Morganstein »

Mike Rogers wrote:Hey Keith are you ready for this the block is going to Texas with the head and they are casting a new one for the guy to the tune of $12,000 :shock:
Some one put a sleeve half way down the bore and it is crooked.

What makes no sense is the bore is .132 over.
Wow, what a mess! I never heard of that place in Texas that does a "one of" block casting like that before.

I do see a lot of messed up old blocks repaired.

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Post by Mike Rogers »

This thing was kinda drop in my lap. I didn,t want to do it but got it any how. There is something fishy with this whole thing ports intake and exhaust are black from exhaust.
Head was loose i don,t know if they were messing with it or not. They had the wrong cotter pins in the rod bolts most of them were laying in the oil pan.
And the oil that came out was like molasses. They used some sort of grinder on the counter weights to take weight off for these light weight pistons they put in.
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Post by needforspeed66gt »

Speaking of casting repair - if you need any done on the west coast, Rick @ A&C has been doing ours for a long time and does great work.

http://www.accastingrebuilders.com/index.html
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Post by ClassicComp »

Rick welded up a 1940 Bugatti block for us last year and did a great job.
Mike if you don't want that Packard job pm me.
results speak for themselves
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Post by PackardV8 »

Packard straight-8 blocks are still common enough it isn't worth that kind of repair effort unless there is something really odd going on. Do they have a lot of time/effort into port work or something? PM me with details of what model and displacement it came from/is going into. Bet we can find another for less than the cost of fixing that problem.

thnx, jack vines
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Post by CNC BLOCKS »

Keith Morganstein wrote:
Mike Rogers wrote:Hey jack is it normal to have a bore of 3.322 in one of these. It also has custom forged pistons. with .045 .045 and .118 rings. This engine has less then 500 miles on it from the shop that built it. Has some kind of water leak problem. Do you mind if i call you. If not pm me your number.
If you need the block repaired for cracks, I have a guy who is about the best in the USA and does many old blocks including Packard.
That guy is Frank Casey your talking about as I have seen some of his work as I consider him an artist at what he does.
Website is up and running
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Post by Keith Morganstein »

CNC BLOCKS wrote:
Keith Morganstein wrote:
Mike Rogers wrote:Hey jack is it normal to have a bore of 3.322 in one of these. It also has custom forged pistons. with .045 .045 and .118 rings. This engine has less then 500 miles on it from the shop that built it. Has some kind of water leak problem. Do you mind if i call you. If not pm me your number.
If you need the block repaired for cracks, I have a guy who is about the best in the USA and does many old blocks including Packard.
That guy is Frank Casey your talking about as I have seen some of his work as I consider him an artist at what he does.
Carl, yes it is Frank. He is just down the road from me. Make his own system of pins and locks and is very good at what he does. His shop is like a revolving museum of antique and rare iron as well as late model repair and modification. He checks every casting I work on. He doesn't do the internet thing. I have some of his work on the website and send him what I can.
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Post by bobqzzi »

Keith had Frank do a block for me- excellent work.
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Post by iadr »

Keith Morganstein wrote: I never heard of that place in Texas that does a "one of" block casting like that before.
I have.

Have heard some good some bad... the owner has changed, deposits lost, sometimes the new owner will bite the bullet and front the development himself, even though he says the previous owner pocketed the deposits before selling the company. Sounds like there is some "messy" and some "spin" used in describing circumstances going on, but, also according to others, some integrity and decent customer service.
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