If you check the trim codes, leather or leatherette in red, blue, or green were available on several closed models of the bathtub era. Other color schemes were available on closed cars of all prices classes right through 56. I have seen two different 56 Deluxes that came through with leather. Very spiffy. I believe our friend in Iceland has a 55 Custom with leather and I also examined in a junkyard a 54 Patty with about an acre of medium grey leather on its seats.

On a distantly related note, 40 years ago today as a downy faced youth of 14 I bought my 1st Packard, a 50 Super Touring sedan. When its turn in the restoration barrel comes around again I am doing it with a red leather interior because the parts book says I can.

My research showed leather on the seats, leatherette on the door panels and seatback and parcel shelf, but seemed to point to a cloth headliner. In the Super you got either squareweave of hogshair carpet.

I like the use of leather as it saves me from the unattractive grey houndstooth check my car came with at only moderate extra cost.

And if anyone is sufficiently intrigued, I have sets of NOS leatherette door panels to fit 52 Pattys in tan and green as used with leather interiors.

You always pose the most interesting questions.

K-F and Checker were the only automotive Continental engine buyers by the time the V-8 era rolled around, and most of K-F's engines were made under license from Continental in their own engine plant with additional supply from Continental as need arose.

That engine had wide industrial usage and I have sat upon forklifts with essentially the same engine as in my 51 Kaiser Special. A smooth running, torquey, economical piece it is too.

K-F was hard at work on their own V-8 (some excellent photos of the prototype recently emerged on ebay) so Continental would not have had a volume customer for a V-8 engine.

As Kaiser sales dropped to the basement they had to give up their own V-8 plans and tried to source from Oldsmobile but negotiations failed when Olds could not promise supply due to their own demand.

So the short answer to your question is that no one in the automotive field needed a Continental V-8.

Of course, they might have worked on one, but we need a Continental historian to answer that.

The pumpkin will fit all 53-55 if you put on the right yoke.

Yes, the ratio is 3.54, but I have never seen a Dana made gear in a pre 56 Packard dif. Must be service stock.

The one thing we still don't know to ID it is the size of axle shafts it is made to accept. If small, then 54 and 55 Clipper. If big, then 53-55 seniors. 3.54 was very common on 55 big cars.

That is for a 55 Packard or Clipper judging by the style of input yoke. Can only tell if Pack or Clipper by counting the internal splines in the spider gears, and those numbers I don't remember offhand.

The ratio is easy to tell as it is stamped on the edge of the ring gear, right near where it says Packard in script. Probably right near that red mark. Love to know what it is.

I fully agree, the low and reverse piston seals must be in good shape and pliable so that a lot of pressure is not bled off. Also of critical importance is the 5/16" adjustment mentioned in that service bulletin Howard highlighted.

If those two things are OK, then then you should have H range regardless of how out of adjustment the throttle linkage is.

If there is no H at all, then chances are the high range clutch disks are completely fried or one of the two bushings that support the high range clutch drum have spun out of position cutting off fluid supply to the high clutch. Also possible that the timing valve is stuck.

Congrats on the new baby.

Sticking in park is a real 55 "thing". For now push the car a little forward or back to get the load off the parking pawl and try again. If no go, then get the car up in the air safely, high enough you can scoot under. The shift linkage is at the driver's side rear corner of the tranny and enters just above the pan. Pry the shift lever there up and forward and she will pop out unless there is more serious trouble inside.

I think you will be far happier with the lower compression. In overdrive you will be able to effortlessly maintain 125/130 all day long--but with a rate of consumption that will make you cry. These cars are amazingly un-aerodynamic.

Even with a helicoil I always finish that job by drilling clean through the casting and shaft and inserting a roll pin so that even if you removed the bolt you still have a nice tight shifting action. My first boss after engineering school was emphatic to never use a set screw for a reversing load.

I have come to see that the two types were as randomly sprinkled onto the cars as different color jimmies on an ice cream cone.

I am actually more concerned that the tapered hole in the pitman arm has been distorted/ ruined by forcing the taper of the ball stud through it the wrong way.

Yes, the valve assy should be above the pitman arm with hoses pointing to the rear. Now I am wondering what else was assembled backwards to make this mistake possible.