OFFICERS PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM · OFFICERS PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM John Sands John Sands--President 224-8558 BobHill--Vice President 277 -9065 Randy Light--Secretary and 270-8031 Membership

PACK,ARDSINTERNATIONAL MOTOR CAR CLUB SAN DIEGO REGION

VOLUME FIVE NUMBER 11NOVEMBER 1979

PRESIDENTIAL PODIUM John SandsOFFICERSJohn Sands --President224 - 8558

Bob Hill -- Vice President277 - 9065

Randy Light -- Secretary and270 - 8031 Membership Chairman

Joe Shaw -- Treasurer278 - 1136

Al Shearer --Activities Chairman271 - 1395

Mark Rothermich -- Technical Committee466 - 0087

James Dahmann --Publications Chairman1 - 748 - 3244

"\ Jim Price --Projects Chairman280 - 5683

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

November 7General Meeting 7:00 pmNorth Park Recreation CenterShuffleboard Clubhouse.

November 10Packard Birthday Party; potluck lunchat Beaumont's 1 pm. See article.

December 5General Meeting 7: 00 pm

December 15Christmas Party; shalom at the abodeof Mark 1.Greene. See article.

January 2General Meeting 7:00 pm

POTPOURRIALL-CAL TOUR The '79 All-Cal Tour is

history, and, largely due to the unstinted efforts ofMark Rothermich, the tour director, it was a greatsuccess. Other special plaudits must go to JimPrice, whose pursuit of Dick Teague brought us thehighlight of the tour with his talk Saturday night.

Teague gave an accounting of his final days "inthe Bunker" at Packard, and he left me ponderinghow often in history great bursts of creativity seemto be engendered by periods of hazard and turmoil.The best is oft begot by the worst. Needless to say,the tour would never have been successful withoutthe time and effort of many of you locals. It wastruly a tour to remember.

LUBER-FINER Usually I come away from afoursuch as the above, with only a reminicsence ofa good time and a resolution to keep the octanelevel down in the future. But this time wasdifferent. I ran into E. C. "Charlie" Last,considered by many to be the dean of the PackardTwelve experts in California.

Although I had heard Ed Henneberg discourseat length on the virtues of the Luber-finer OilFilter, and seen the enormous one perched in theleft fender well of Ed's Twelve, I was surprised tohear that Charlie Last was enthusiastic about italso. He echoed Henneberg's sentiments. In fact hehas two in his car, both tucked under the left frontfender (series or parallel?). Moreover, heemphatically recommends that a Luber-finer OilFilter be used in all his engine rebuilds.

The Luber-finer Company does no advertising,apparently content with having its fame spread byword of mouth. Which accounts for why I hadn'theard of it until now. But you can bet that thetruckers have. You can't pass an eighteen-wheelerbut that it doesn't have a Luber-finer canistervisible somewhere on the cab.

But what is it that makes the Luber-finer sowell regarded? According to Last, Packard used alarge amount of tool steel in their engines, morethan any other engine manufacturer. This made theengines rugged and longlived, but the tool steelsurfaces are especially susceptible to the acid thatgets into the crankcase as a result of combustion.

(continued)

Presidential Podium (continued)

This acid causes pitting and etching of the surfaces.Additionally, the acid dissolves the copper backingof babbit bearings. When this happens, thecrankshaft can get pounded square in a hurry. Laststates that the Luber-finer Oil Filter is able toextract all the acid in the oil presented to it in asingle pass, which cannot be said about any otherfilter.

In our Technical Corner this' issue, you willfind more complete data on the Luber-finer OilFilter. It is available locally in a variety of sizesfrom Oil Filter Supply, 1987 Main Street, San, Diego, California.

PACKARD'S 80th BIRTHDAY

Again this year as in the past, we will gather at amember's home to celebrate the unveiling of thefirst Packard Motorcar. On November 6, 1899,James Ward Packard rolled his new gas buggythrough the streets of Warren, Ohio and thus begana great contribution to the fledgling motor carindustry. Beau and Wilma Beaumont will be ourgracious hosts this year for a pot luck Saturdaycelebration on November 10, 1979. Please callWilma at 463-6415 and let her know what you arebringing as your contribution to the feast. TheBeaumonts are fixing roast beef and a birthdaycake and hope to have a great turnout.

The Beaumonts are located in La Mesa at 4658Terry Lane - thats one block west of 70th Streetbetween EI Cajon Boulevard and University Ave.Turn west at traffic light at Solita and then southon Terry Lane - see map.

~8University

Solita

4th houseon right •

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4658 Terry Lane 70th Street

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"First the good news-you're gonna save a bundle on gasthis month,"

CHRISTMAS PARTY

Santa will be arriving again this year in Packardlandto distribute joy and happiness to Packardenthusiasts who wish to celebrate, this time at thehome of Mark Greene in La Mesa. Markand Kathywill have a spread of food and mixers and inviteyou to bring your own b~ttle of additionallibation. The start of festivities at around 8 pm onDecember 15 will be our last tour of the year.

As we,have done in the past, we will have a giftexchange of the non-offensive kind. Bring a smallpresent marked for man or woman and join the funand good fellowship.

Mark Greene the map below, for in San Diegoit does not snow.

______~L-a_M~-~e~

Lemon Ave

Eastridge

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ALL-CAL '79 - - SANDIEGO, IT WASGREAT!

Jim Price

Dick Teague's parting comment after All-Cal '79 toJoan and I was "Marion and I really enjoyedourselves out here. Thank you." That seemed tosum up the feelings of everyone who went toAll-Cal this year. It was a leisurely, luxurious, andlovely time for some 130 people and 65 Packards.

Dick Teague's speech on Saturday night wasindeed the highlight among highlights. He discussedhis years at Packard and included some stillfuturistic sketches that came from his drawingboard but never made it into production as bigDetroit iron. He related several anecdotes, includingthe time when then Packard President Jim Nancewas so impressed with Dick's design of the new1955 - '56 Senior Series "Cathedral" taillight, thathe nearly doubled Dick's salary! But then therewere the "days in the bunker" at Packard when itwas all coming to an end which were not so muchfun. Still Dick's years at Packard are treasuredtimes for him. Dick concluded his talk with somehilarious sketches from his AMC shop whichdepicted several approaches to making cars "EPAproof". Needless to say the talk was warmlyreceived.

The opening event of All-Cal on Saturday wasa tour of the Castle of Cars in downtown SanDiego which was as intriguing as it was interesting.In a converted roller skating rink sits a fabulouspersonal collection of classic cars - heavy onCadillacs and Rolls Royces with a few Packards,Buicks, Mercedes- Benz and special one-of-a-kindcars added for good measure. A Duesenberg and anAuburn boattail speedster grace the floor as well.The intrigue? - "no one knows" who owns thecollection nor is one allowed to ask. Thankfully,it's open for car clubs to see, but one can't helpbut wonder ...?

After an afternoon of relaxing, everyoneclimbed on board a tour boat for a dusk cocktailcruise on San Diego Bay. A San Diego sunset andthe gradual turning on of city lights as night set inwas enjoyed by all. Back at the hotel, it was chowtime, and the Kona Kai Club provided all therequisite comfort and convenience for the Packardguests, including a very tasty banquet dinner whichpreceded Dick's presentation.

Now the Sunday brunch at the Hotel delCoronado was REALLY super. In a setting that isboth gargantuan and lavish, the hotel serves up themost decadent brunch we've ever enjoyed. The oldVictorian hotel was in fine form for the occasion,too - sparkly white, posh, with picture perfectweather to boot.

Finally, we got to check up on the Navy bytouring a nuclear-powered cruiser at North IslandNaval Air Station. The USS TRUXTUN and its

crew welcomed the Packard buffs, and it was quitea sightseeing 50 some shining Packards lined up ona pier adjacent to the ship. Our thanks to the Navyfor letting us on board!

Well, what else is there to say? The weather wasperfect, the cars were elegant, the fellowship waswarm, the tours were informative and well done,the food was. yummy, and Dick and MarionTeague's presence was the icing on the PackardCake. There was one little hitch tho: the inevitible"Broken Piston" award. Al and Mary Lou Wilson's"Scarlet Lady" ('53 Caribbean convertible) saw fitto break a rear axle right in downtown San Diegoon Saturday. Thanks to some quick action by twoof our members, and the Wilson's were back ontheir way home on Monday, and as Al said, "Ican't think of a better place for this to happenthan in San Diego". It was a good place for All-Cal'79 too!

Special plaudits go to Mark Rothermich, theAll-Cal Tour chairman, who did an incredible jobat putting it all together. Jim Price arranged forDick Teague's appearance. President John Sandsprovided guidance and direction. The other boardmembers and all San Diego Region Participants inAll-Cal helped and hosted willingly. In otherwords, folks, we done good!! !

Dick Teague at the Hotel del Coronado

TECHNICAL CORNER Mark Rothermich

At our last two meetings, Ed Henneberg has beendiscussing various restoration and maintenance aidsthat he has been using on his Packards over theyears. He has mentioned more than once theLuber-finer Oil Filter.

The Luber-finer Oil Filter has received strongendorsements from a variety of people in thehobby including E. C. "Charlie" Last of LastAutomotive in Alhambra, California. Mr. Lastattended the All-Cal Tour in San Diego in a trulygorgeous 1937 Twelve 1507 sedan. Those of youwho observed this car closely noticed two (count'em, 2!!) Luber-finer Filters mounted in seriesunder the fender. When asked about this, Mr. Lastreplied that the Luber-tiner does a superior job ofremoving acids in the oil. The removal andneutralizing of these acids inhibit the formation ofadditional acids, gums, varnish and resins. Bykeeping the oil extraordinarily clean, it does abetter job of lubricating the engines' vital parts.Mr. Last strongly recommends the use ofLuber-finer Filters on the engines he rebuilds. Thispoint of clean oil was demonstrated rather vividlyat our September meeting when Ed Hennebergdescribed the zero-lash valve mechanism of thePackard Twelve. He told some true horror storiesof the problems that occur because of improperlyfiltered oil and their effect on the valvemechanism.

Luber-finer Oil Filters for automotive use rangefrom the model 78 for 4 quart crankcase, model135-S for 5 quart crankcase, and model 200-S for 6quart crankcase. For larger capacities these filters.can be hooked up in series. The Luber-finer isavailable from Oil Filter Service Co., 1987 MainStreet, San Diego, California. Telephone (714) 239- 6792.

Finally, I would like to thank Mark Greene forallowing us the use of his 1959 edition of theHollanders Manual. The material gleened from this"bible of the interchange" totaled some 100 pluspages of interchangable parts for Packards of thevery late prewar and all of the postwar era. Thismaterial will be filed along with the rest of ourinterchange material. It will be available at anymeeting for your use and/or inspection.

NEWMEMBERFrank Soto , Jr.4681 50th StreetSan Diego, California 92115 1955 Clipper

ASK THE MAN WHO OWNS ONEThe Packard name is back-grille,

cormorant mascot and all. BayliffCoach Corporation, 509 W. High St.,Lima, OH 45801, is building Packardcoupes, sedans, limousines and stretch

limousines based on new Cadillac DeVille chassis, drivetrain and interiorcomponents. The company expects tohave its production rate up to two carsper week shortly, and the initial an-

nouncement made no mention ofprices. The coupe shown here comeswith five wire wheels, including thebuilt-in spare in the Continental kitintegrated with the trunk lid.

From MOTOR TREND, October, 1979. Note: It isNOT the Packard from Detroit that Mr. Teague'sson has an interest in.

TECHNICAL CORNER COMMENT The article inthe February issue, "How to install the J. C.Whitney electric antenna on '55-'56 Packard &Clipper", resulted in total frustration when tryingto install the item I purchased. The instructionswere adequate but with two discrepancies. First,the cable wire was long enough to reach the radioat least three times. Secondly, the only receptionreceived was motor and other related noises. Theantenna works fine if placed inside the car. RadioSpecialist on India Street said they have never seensuch a cheap and poorly constructed antenna. Themain problem was that the cable did not have acopper shield, but instead had aluminum foil whichwould not function as a shield in these cars, andnot very well in any car.

That was my experience - how about yours?

Contributed by Ken Yankee

PARTS FOR SALE

1, 1955 Rochester Carb rebuild Kit for5560 - 80 Series $20.00

1, 1955 Rochester Carb rebuild kit for5560 - 80 Series $10.00

1,1955 Rochester Carb, used 7,000 mileson rebuild. $50.00

1 pair rocker panels for '55 - '56 two door$40.00

Ken Yankee (714) 273 - 4513

MEMBERSHIP 1980 Randy Light

Beat the year-end rush -- renew your 1980 P. I.membership now! Send $25.00 to:

Packards International, San DiegoP.O. Box 33535San Diego; California 92103

Be sure to write your full name, spouse's name, ifapplicable, telephone(s) and list your Packards byyear and model. Thank yous

Thank you.

CARS FOR SALE

1947 CLIPPER Custom 8 model 2122, o.d., runs,is complete and trim off for painting. Somemechanical restoration done. $2500.

1948 CONVERTIBLE Standard 8 model 2279.power windows, missing some chrome, bodygood, needs top and interior. $2000.

Stan Forrest10809 West Lilac Road, Valley Center, Calif(714) 749 - 1084

The SAN SYLMAR Tour was just fantastic! Should we plan one next year?

BUSINESS CLASSIFIED BUSINESS CLASSIFIED

(C~[R5~®w~

ITJ)u ~u~~~u~(Q)U~~RESTORATION - SALES

LEMON GROVE PLATING1400 CLEVELAND

NATIONAL CITY. CALIFORNIA 92050

Frank A. Thomas George S. Farres7985 Raytheon Road

San Diego, California 92111 . (714) 292 - 7336

730 FRONT ST. SAN DIEGO, CA. 92101

.pair. IUtb ",watilm••or All C•••• Can

We do mechanical and electrical work

for any Classic Car, trom minor tune - up

to complete restorations.

We specialize in PACKARDS and Cadillacs

and give free estimates.

RUSTY MADSEN, PROP. (714) 2369488

To Packards International Members:

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

Ask The Man Who Owns One

BILL RHODESPresident (714) 474 - 4424

MHo"BEROF THE

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OFF. PH 4t13-!!514RES PH 448·3!!1'

8500 LA MESA BLVD.r>OST r)FFICE BOll'. 71!5

LA MESA. CALIFORNIA