Preservation & Maintenance

Since taking ownership in 2023, I have continued the tradition of ongoing maintenance and preservation; sending her off in December 2023 for what may be her 4th restoration: the first beginning with a Maryland-based owner in the 1980s; the second (which may actually be a completion of the first restoration) in 2006 at Hibernia Restorations; the third in 2014 and now in 2024; the latter two at separate businesses.

This time around it will be a comprehensive updating of all mechanical systems (ie., brakes, suspension, engine, exhaust and electrical systems) along with some cosmetic improvements to aging chrome, paint, rubber, glass and stainless; approximately 1500+ hours of work; including a complete engine, carburetor and transmission rebuild.

Engine & Support Systems:

Remove and refit replacing worn mounts, fluids fasteners and filters on refit;
Disassemble removing heads, pan and timing chain/cover to correct valve operation and oil leaks. Inspect and measure cylinder bores, cam/lifters, and the like, advise conditions if additional service found needed. Recondition cylinder heads, reassemble and refinish engine as original replacing all seals/gaskets. Run to heat cycle once refitted, retorque heads and final adjust valves;

Ignition System:

Replace aged plugs, reset points, tune/set/adjust for optimum running;

Fuel System:

Service oil bath air filter;

Exhaust System:

Recent stainless steel system, replace weak and failed hangers and realign on refit of engine;

Transmission:

Diagnose and correct hard shift operation, drain/flush/refill with premium grade synthetic ATF replacing internal filter and seeping pan seal;

While wheel well colors may vary between black and body, judges decided on body color as the "official" standard.

Differential:

Level check OK, quiet and operating properly;

Driveline:

Service lube driveline joints. Originality Notes: Dual fuel filters fitted before and after pump. Trans cooler in radiator bypassed, aftermarket cooler fitted in front of radiator; restore as original;

Brakes:

Replace leaking front and corroded rear wheel cylinders, master cylinder, aged past safe use to brake hose set, hard squeaky aged and glazed four wheel brake shoe material with soft lining to eliminate noise and enhance stopping. Machine all drums;
Clean and lubricate handbrake linkage to ease operation. Flush/bleed brake systems, bed in and adjust;

Suspension:

Replace aged, hard, high durometer reading tire set with bias ply look, 3.25"WW 750R15 radial tires per photo below.
Parts only, labor included with wire wheel replacement per "brightwork" section following.
Replace failed, off center rubber upper and lower inner control arm bushes, missing outer control arm bolt securing nut, front suspension rebound stops, rear axle to control arm rubber mounts and failed Watts link bushes.
Reset front torsion bars to correct low ride height. Four wheel laser bench align,

Steering:

Correct power assist system leakage per photo below, Rebuild ram and reseal valve,
Functions: Time and part/material allowance to correct the following: Inop horn (customer supplied working horn) + left door glass power window function noting cause not known until component disassembled;
Adjust and reset drivers door frame/drip rail closure to fit flat to body side plane as original;
Remove, send to specialist for rebuild and refit inop vacuum wiper motor, adjust and service linkage;
Remove, clean, re-route correctly and lubricate to quiet noisy speedometer cable. Remove, send to specialist rebuilder and refit inop engine temperature gauge'
Rebuild or replace inop rear heater fan and repair flaps-cables-seals to correct inop defrost function;
Remove and replace customer supplied antenna for proper radio operation, 1 hr. included in totals at right;
Purchase and fit electric wiper conversion kit per photo below and eliminate trouble prone vacuum system;

Controls:

Electrical: Correct overheating headlamp switch, replace or rewire to incorporate switch load bypass relay if replacement NLA;

Other:

Restore and tidy patched aged, insulation cracked wiring and added inline fuses at battery mount area;
Replace headlamp bulbs with halogen seal beams to correct weak/dim hi and low beam condition, aim;
Brightwork Chrome: Prepare and triple plate (copper-nickel-chrome) adding 2-3 X extra copper coats resurfaced between applications as needed to correct pitting as follows;
Mirror base-hood vent trims - allowance for misc. other minor damage pending post removal inspection;
Replace worn and tarnished 6 x 15 wire wheel set with 4 reproduction stainless steel spoke rims per photo below. Save best existing as spare. Hand mount and precision balance tires replacing tubes with new;
Brightwork Stainless: Correct damage, dress surfaces and repolish stainless steel front fender side moldings-rear fender base moldings-drivers vent edge molding - allowance for misc. other minor damage pending post removal inspection and outline update as/if needed;
Brightwork Replacement: Replace horn emblems and body badges with parts provided;
Seals: Replace failed upper cowl to door seals per photo below, vent window seals including an allowance for seals that cannot survive dis/reassembly required for finish correction as detailed following;
Glazing: Replace pitted windscreen and scratched rear body and right door glass including replacement seals/tracks/scrapers where needed;
Emblem Allowance: Remove and replace emblems as provided by customer;
Top: Secure, mend, fill, feather and dye flaw in Hypalon material covering;
Interior: Remove and replace to protect/preserve included in DIS/REASSENBLY section. Note: Dash and painted interior trims do not show signs of film failure so these are to remain as is and protected throughout vehicle refinish process. Treatment of seat and panel leather with Connolly Bros Hide Food recommended to soften and preserve.

2026: Parker's Packards is an invaluable resources to today's Packard owner. In the spirit of continual improvement, we've undertaken the following, additional work to-date...

These invoices document much more than routine maintenance. Parker's Packards systematically diagnosed and corrected drivability issues in the original Twin Ultramatic transmission, performed a full transmission hydraulic service, tuned the shift linkage, corrected steering geometry, investigated a persistent right-hand pull, serviced the differential, repaired an intermittent brake light switch, completed a comprehensive mechanical inspection, and finished with detailing and preparation for delivery. The result was a Caribbean that shifted correctly, completed an extended road test successfully, and was returned after a thorough inspection and cosmetic preparation.

Work Period: April 6–24, 2026

1. Twin Ultramatic Transmission Diagnosis and Repair

The bulk of the labor centered on correcting improper transmission shift timing.

Initial Diagnosis

Reviewed and reset the throttle valve linkage adjustment.
Verified carburetor choke operation and linkage freedom.
Adjusted the transmission's:
- Low band
- Reverse band
Road tested after adjustment.
Determined the transmission still would not upshift correctly without lifting off the throttle.
Removed the transmission pan.
Removed and inspected the complete valve body.
Inspected the low-range piston for scoring (none found).
Cleaned the piston bore for reassembly.

Valve Body Rebuild and Fluid Service

The following week Parker's continued the repair by:

Reassembled the low-range brake piston.
Completely cleaned both valve bodies.
Found the throttle limit valve sticking.
Found the pump regulator valve hanging up.
Freed both sticking valves.
Measured all valve springs to verify they remained within factory specifications.
Reassembled and torqued the valve body.
Blew out the transmission cooler lines.
Completely drained the torque converter.
Installed:
- 11.5 quarts fresh ATF
- LubeGard ATF Protectant
Performed repeated road tests.
Fine-tuned throttle valve adjustment in ¼-inch increments until shift quality was acceptable.

Result

According to the invoice:

Transmission now upshifts properly.
Vehicle completed a 25-mile road test without missing a beat.

2. Steering and Alignment Correction

Because the car drifted to the right, Parker's performed extensive steering diagnosis.

Initial Checks

Verified all four tires at 34 PSI.
Measured toe alignment.
Found both front wheels to be toe-out.
Reset toe to factory specification (1/16" toe-in).

Road test showed continued right drift.

Further diagnosis found:

Steering wheel was not centered.
Passenger-side tie rod required adjustment.
Reset steering wheel position.
Re-adjusted passenger-side tie rod.
Verified all steering linkage tightness.
Determined:
- vehicle still wandered slightly right.
- both front tires exhibited cupping.

Final Alignment Visit

During the final visit Parker's:

Rechecked tire pressures.
Adjusted alignment to slightly favor the left side to counter road crown.
Final toe set at factory specification (1/16").

3. Tire Rotation and Wheel Service

Performed:

Removed all four wheels.
Cleaned and polished chrome wire wheels.
Cleaned inner fenders.
Rotated tires:
- Rear tires moved forward on same side.
- Front tires crossed to rear.
Torqued wheel lug nuts to 70 ft-lbs.

4. Rear Differential

Checked differential fluid.
Topped off with 80W-90 limited-slip gear lubricant.

5. Engine Tune

Performed:

Warmed engine completely.
Adjusted curb idle to 600 RPM in gear after choke fully opened.

6. Brake Light Repair

During the pre-delivery inspection they found:

Brake lights operated intermittently.
Diagnosis traced the issue to the aftermarket brake light switch under the dash.
Cleaned and filed the internal electrical contacts.
Verified brake lights now operate every time the pedal is pressed.

7. Complete Pre-Delivery Inspection

Performed inspection of:

All fluids
Lighting
Chassis lubrication
Gauges
Horn
Windshield wipers
General operational systems

No additional significant defects were noted beyond the brake light switch.

8. Cosmetic Detailing

Finished the work by:

Detailing the interior.
Detailing the exterior.
Cleaning the inner fenders.
Polishing the wire wheels.