Hercules

[Couper]

Doing interior panels, put a flannel blanket with a field car image on it on the back wall just for something different - (didn't have any leopard print stuff like Torchie ) Carpet and the brown on the quarter panels are leftovers from the Packard..

Sweeeeeet!

 

[05snopro440]

Doing research on changes to the front suspension on the Packard when suddenly the light bulb in my brain turned on with regard to the Hercules front end troubles. While installing the Watts link helped, there was still some bump steer - I've been chasing small amounts of play in various components, thinking that was the problem - NOT!! My original Panhard bar mounting was backwards, with the frame mount on the right side and the axle mount on the left - it should be mounted to the frame near the pitman arm on the steering box, with the axle mount on the right. Then the drag link and Panhard bar move in similar arcs, eliminating bumpsteer. I've done two other cars with a similar air bagged solid axle and hairpins with a Panhard bar and they tracked fine - by pure fluke, I had mounted the Panhards the right way and didn't even know it ....
Pics tomorrow of design #3

Yeah that's the way the So-Cal panhard I have for my front axle mounts. That makes a lot of sense.

Hope it fixes it!

 

[zzrodder]

Yeah that's the way the So-Cal panhard I have for my front axle mounts. That makes a lot of sense.

Hope it fixes it!

Good to hear that I'm on the right track. Gotta wait a couple weeks to try it out till my new driveshaft gets made.

 

[zzrodder]

Sometimes, things don't work as planned
Trying to save a buck, I shortened the driveshaft(s) myself but either I got the balancing off or its just having a steady bearing in such a short driveshaft, but it had a real buzz around 30 - 50 mph.... So I had a new one piece shaft made by the pros to solve the problem.

 

[05snopro440]

The new shaft looks great! Between it and the watt's link problem you found it sounds like you're on the right track!

 

[DozerII]

That should take of the jiggle

 

[zzrodder]

New rubber and wheels for the Hercules
Seems like there's a lot of hotrods with red wheels, and to further the gold/brass theme, I had them re-powdercoated gold. Also new tires, upped the rears from 235's to 255's and downsized the fronts from 215's to 195's. Solved the front tire contact on the fenders problem and gives more of a rubber rake to the stance.
New driveshaft cured the vibration and I got rid of the temporary plexiglas door windows for the proper tempered glass ones.
Still trouble with bumpsteer, my compromised position of the left frame mount is still putting the Panhard bar at the wrong angle at ride height - more fiddling with that to do....

 

[Bamamav]

Dig the gold wheels ZZ! Really set it off![cl[cl[cl

 

[lowbudget50]

Very nice good sir!!! Looks sharp!!!

 

[05snopro440]

The gold wheels and new tire sizes are perfect!

Those 235's seemed just too tiny.

 

[zzrodder]

Yep, I'm likin' the gold wheels more all the time.
Finally solved the Panhard bar dilemma, mounted it close as possible in line with the drag link - at ride height - and the squirrelyness is gone. It was tough to squeeze it in between the tie rod and air bags so nothing contacted at full steering lock or max lift and drop.
4th times the charm.... maybe I'm a slow learner

 

[05snopro440]

Great news!

 

[zzrodder]

Great news!

Yeah, no more driving with white knuckles and clenched teeth

 

[Old Iron]

[cl[cl[cl

 

[BillM]

Well done ZZ!

 

[05snopro440]

Yeah, no more driving with white knuckles and clenched teeth

I thought that was related to age, not the car. [ddd

 

[smallfoot]

Problem solving....ain't it satisfying![cl

 

[zzrodder]

From the start I've had trouble with what seemed to be fan belt squealing issues. It was such a screeching noise at first, I figured that the alternator was really the problem, so I bought another one (from the same Amazon seller, cheap at 120.00 Canadian) still doing it. Every time I'd start it, then it would go away and sometimes just out of the blue it would squeal. Being an idiot, I thought to myself - 'self, is it the water pump you're actually hearing?' - so I changed that - still doing it: mad: Someone said, 'oh it's that chrome pulley, sand the chrome off, that is the problem - nope : Belt dressing - nope :
Out of desperation yesterday, I took an old remanufactured alternator from my junk collection and put it on - had to add a wire because its not a one wire like the chrome ones - Problem solved!! No more screeching, charging fine. Not only were those shiny chrome ones total crap, they were also constantly charging at 14.5 volts and made the battery boil over spewing acid on stuff.
When will I learn not to buy the cheap Chinesium crap??
I now have two more chrome paperweights....

 

[Bamamav]

Just put the good guts in one of the pretty cases.

 

[05snopro440]

I just put a reman Delco on my 46, it has a whine at certain speeds too. Sounds like a vacuum leak.