Tim,
As far as converting, I agree, and have been there- done that. In 2002, I bought another 56J with Ultra transmission, which came with a trunk full of misc Ultra parts. I got the motor started pretty easly, backed it up and pulled forward a few times, and decided no more Ultramatic for me. So I used a TH400 conversion available at the time from Jack Nordstrom in Texas. After restoration and 41,000 miles of driving pleasure, I sold the car, and the TH400 was still working beautifully. AFAIK, it still is. The kit even came with a shift quadrant to match the Th400 shift pattern.

If I were to do another Ultra conversion today, no question I'd follow in a couple of others' footsteps here and go with a 700R tranny. To drop the RPMs with the above TH400, I replaced the original 3.07 rear end with an AMC 2.53. But that would not be necessary with a 700R, due to its .7 overdrive.

When right, the Ultra is OK, but even my old friend John Brian said they generally need rebuild about every 50,000 miles. I also do not particularly care for the personality of the Ultra, in that it seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to upshift and downshift; the driver is simply along for the ride :)

Why is that ebay car sitting so high in the front? Looks like either the engine is not in the car, or the springs are too stout.

Agree on the Pack V8, more than up to the chore. Also agree with, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", esp when it comes to the Ultramatic.
In the late 1980s, under the late John Bryan's tutelage in Oceanside, CA. I rebuilt an Ultra for a 56J I owned back then.
It was a fairly simple transmission to work on, but finicky in that when everything shoulda been OK according to specs, it still did not operate correctly. I had to remove it from the car again and replace the TC clutch, then again and replace the rear pump.
Once the bugs were ironed out, it held up well. It is still in service, last time I heard from the car's current owner a few years ago. Though he is now quite elderly and drives it very little.
In addition to using every innovation John B. had came up with over the decades (i.e. steel backed, perforated bushings, steel parking lever, etc.), I used BMW motorcycle seals for the shift and passing gear shafts in the tranny body. It never leaked much.
All in all, it came out OK, but I would not want to open another can of worms like that.
Sounds like yours is close enough :)

That has the makins of a beautiful car. Doing the work yourself is a long, arduous undertaking, that will also reduce your bank account considerably. However, when done, you will know every nut and bolt on it, and if it ever even burps going down the road, you will probably be able to put your finger on the problem mentally, while pulling off the side of the road.

I have never owned a Packard, but my dad owned several. During the mid 1950s, we moved from Eastern Kentucky to near Louisville, in a Henny Hearse, pulling a U'Haul trailer. Dad still talks about that trip at family reunions when we meet.

Congrats on such a beautiful find.

I realize oil discussions can be as spirited as religion or politics, and not trying to go there in this thread. I am not a professional, so can only share experience. But I do have quite a bit of experience, having driven Studebakers well over 500,000 miles since 1985, with over 200,000 of those miles on Studes equipped with Packard 352s.

As for the above motor, I have indeed changed the oil & filter "religiously"---every 10,000 miles. Actual mileage is closer to 11,000 due to odometer error created by running taller gears than the factory made pinions for (3.31 with OD). I hate changing oil, so that was one reason for going to synthetic in the first place.

As for driving habits, I am probably the worst abuser. I drive Studebakers year round, and have done so in the California Desert and now here in Kentucky. I seldom allow the motor to warm more than around 30 seconds before driving away. That is one reason I installed EFI in two other Studebaker Hawks (Stude 289 motors); EFI allows for near instant drive away, without having to feather the gas pedal the first couple of minutes.

As for oil, it seems most, if not all modern oils do what they are supposed to do, and well. So I submit, whichever particular oil a person prefers is just that---personal preference. Unlikely to go wrong with any of them long as we follow the manufacturer's instructions and stay from "no-name", bottom shelf stuff.

I run the generic, black umbrella type valve stem seals, same as BBC if I recall correctly. I also always use the late 56 style baffles, to keep dripping oil from getting past the intake valve seals and fouling the plugs (been there-done that).

I have read synthetic oil causes excess leakage in classics too, but besides this 56J, I have ran Mobil 1 in two other 56Js, and in several Studebaker V8s (259/289) for a total of several hundred thousand miles, and have not experienced that.

Even at 90,000+ miles, this 352 still gets about 4,000 miles per quart. In earlier days it got around 5,000, so hasn't dropped much. Per my experience, that is also about the same mileage healthy 352s get with dino oil.

About five years and 15,000 miles ago with this 352, I replaced the OEM rope seal at the rear main, while simultaneously installing an Olds oil pump. The rope seal was beginning to drip a little, but not real bad. I replaced it with a modern GM seal, I mentioned a few years ago on this NG, that is still doing its job superbly. My point is, the synthetic oil is no problem for rope seals (long as not the repro ropes).

I simply cannot say enough good about Mobil 1 when used in 352s and 259/289s, and consider the above pix a testament to the superior lubrication qualities of the stuff.

Attached are pix of the 56J's motor (352), torn down recently for top end work. As you can see the ring groove at top of the cylinder is nearly nonexistent, and the .030" oversize stamp is easily readable on top of the piston. The lifter valley is nice and clean also.
I switched this motor over to Mobil 1, 15W50, only a few thousand miles after break-in on a total rebuild of the short block, about 15 years ago. IIRC, I used GM, Moly rings.

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I too, have experienced a 352's collar "walking" off, and nearly grinding away the timing marks on the timing cover. To remove the dampener, I have a two legged puller that grips the collar behind the sheave (the part that walks off), and a long bolt to push it back on. I am squeamish about hammering on the damper, either taking it off or putting it on, since that is, in effect, same as hammering on the side load part of the rear main bearing.

As for rebuilding a dampener, never have. For the one mentioned above, I fanangled the collar back in place, then drilled and installed two set screws, 180 degrees apart on the hub itself, just behind that collar, with the head about 1/16" away from the rear side of the collar. That worked out well, so have since installed the set screws in every 352 ever owned or worked on, as a preventive measure.

I am picky about a tight fit of the hub on the crank snout (especially running AC), and try to use the tightest fitting hub available. (It helps to have several spares :)

Hi Stewart,
I agree, we are neighbors. Will definitely have to get together sometime. I could drive the 56J over your way sometime.
Not interested in doing anymore 352 work for awhile though :)