Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

As we're moving house I'm going through a lot of old stuff and came across this article in January 1955 Popular Mechanics. Most of you will probably be familiar with it but it's the first time I've read it and found it quite interesting, particularly where comment is made about a lifter failing.

Apart from this, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. John

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Interesting - thanks for posting. That's the first I've heard of the run being restarted with a replacement engine. It's too bad so little actual factual information has been recovered about this test, including the identification of the car - the car used in some of the publicity photos was not the same car that ran the test. I assume the car hasn't survived? As a prototype it's vehicle number would have been between 5582-101 and 5582-999.

That is a nice find and I will save it for my files - Thanks. As with Owen, this is the first I've heard about a re-start with a fresh engine.

If you want to read more and see vintage photos from the 1955 model Endurance test, then you can go to this thread:https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8846&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&type=&mode=0&start=20

It started out as a discussion of the 1955 Packard Caravan to dealers and morphed into the Endurance Run.

Given the issues with the oil pump that I see discussed here and other places, I wonder how they got it to run that far. I think it was in Neal's "Master Motor Builders" that I read of a DoD required 500hr test stand run to qualify the engine for military vehicles, which it failed when the bearings went. Another thing I noticed in the film was how feeble the windshield wipers were when the car was idling during a tire change. We had vacuum wiper AMCs in the family and they always flapped vigorously at idle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxWsTlD_N0k

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Wipers have a variable speed control so it is possible the driver didn't have them at max speed

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You think the windshield wipers are feeble? Try the pit stop - PPG crews did it in 46 seconds.

Meanwhile, a 1950 Indy car took 67 seconds and an F1 crew does it in 3 seconds. See here:

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=47217

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I went back and took another look. The wipers didn't look quite so bad when the car came in for the tire change around the 4:20 mark.

Found a video of a 56 Chevy with vac wipers running. Looks about the same as the Packard, except looks like the Chevy didn't have an auxiliary vac pump as the wipers stop completely whenever the driver gets on the gas at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqkEmldvtss

Video of 64 Rambler vac wipers at idle. I spent several years behind these wipers and their performance was pretty solid. Don't know if they had a vac pump. The salesman at the dealership said they had a "lock" on the system so they would never completely stop, which they never did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9i2zb6twTo

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F1 crews don't check oil, and refueling has been banned, again. Then add having a single nut holding the wheel on, instead of 5.

The Indy crews have to refuel as well. No power drivers for the wheel nuts back then either. Check out the guy wailing on the front right with a hammer, and no lift, so they do one wheel at a time.

The '64 Rambler had vacuum wipers? I used to have a black 770 2dr hdtp and the wipers were excellent for the entire 4 years I owned it (1966-70). They worked so well I always assumed they were electric.

The wipers on my '55 Packard work very well after I installed a new vacuum motor from Max Merritt. Even if I stand on the GO pedal, the wipers never completely stop and this is on a car WITHOUT the vacuum pump. This summer, I found and installed a small vacuum tank with check valve inot the wiper line - attaching the tank to the front of the heater box so I could use those screws to and not have to drill any holes. After the tank was installed, the wipers could be mistaken for an electric. No slow downs what so ever.

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I don't know exactly what year Rambler started offering electric wipers as an option, but electrics were not standard until 72.

Ours was a Classic 660 sedan with a 6 and three on the tree.

If electrics had been available in 64, my mom probably would have bought them. I remember how she freaked that the wipers were vacuum as, iirc, our 56 Studebaker had electrics. That was what prompted the salesman to assure her they would not stop entirely. They did act like vacuums as they would slow when pulling a long hill, and speed up standing at a traffic light, but never stopped.

My Aunt's 70 Ambassador had vacuum wipers too. Top of the line model, air conditioning was standard, but vacuum wipers. By then, electrics were optional, but as her 65 Plymouth and 61 Chevy both had electrics, it never occurred to her that a new car in 1970 would not have electrics. Once she got past the initial shock, I don't recall her ever griping about their performance though.

Good idea about the vacuum tank. One wonders why Packard didn't go that route. Seems it would have been cheaper than putting the vac pump on the oil pump, and without the vac pump piggybacked, maybe they would have designed an oil pump that worked better. My 67 Thunderbird had headlight doors and a breakaway steering column that were both vacuum powered, and about three vacuum tanks the size of coffee cans under the hood to power all this when the engine was off.