Packard Forum Index » Studebaker Built Packards (1957 - 58)

Hello all 57-58 fans. I just spotted an outdoor stored blue Packard wagon. I believe it's a '57, having single headlights with big chrome trim rings around them.

I wanted to take a peek under the hood, and am wondering what I'd be likely to find for an engine. I'm assuming V8, but a Studebaker?, with supercharger?, Packard? Did they have standard equipment engines only or were there options available?

I'd just kind of like to know what I'd see. I'd like to see a 352 Packard.

All 57 and 58 Packards came with 275HP supercharged Studebaker 289 V8s. Packard engines went out of production when the Packard plant was closed.

Most have had their superchargers removed. If you find one complete it's a score. The engines and superchargers are not hard to rebuild. All parts are available and there are several experts who will rebuild the supercharger for you.

55PackardGuy -

This way, please:

57L-P8 Clipper Country Sedan

PackardInfo's Model Information feature provides basic specs for models of all Series/years. However, for some models, there may be additional details in the General Information text that follows.

Although the General Information text appears to have been cut-off for some models, I previously reported the problem to BigKev and have since restored the texts for 55-56 and 57-58 models from my own files. I believe Kev did the write-ups for 51-54 - not sure about others.

Meanwhile, know that the Model Information database was restructured, this year, to accommodate the addition of links to some of the more essential literature, which has been archived here, for each model - as PackardInfo's magnificent collection continues to grow.

Thanks for the info. I was just out there today and looked more closely. Very interesting what they cadged off the '55-'56 Packards and Cippers. Block letters say PACKARD across the hood, while a clipper medallion sits in the center of the grill, and, get this, the Cormorant from the '55 seniors for a hood ornament. I believe the lettering on the hood is also from '55 seniors. What kinda car was this? Completely abandons any effort to present the Clipper as a separate car line. The Clipper script only appears on the back of the rear fenders and below the trunk on the right-hand side. Packard senior hubcaps all around. Inside, an instrument cluster holds full senior instrumentation, all squeezed together in a itty bitty space. Oh well, whatever was in the parts bin, I guess.

I asked about the engines because, as I remember it, some STUDEBAKERS of these year, or at least in '57, used the Packard 352, no supercharging required. When I looked under the hood, it was obviously NOT a Packard engine, but looked stout enough. No supercharger in sight. Now, I'm not sure but I don't think superchargers were used on ALL Studebaker 8 cylinder engines put in the "Packards" in those years... It didn't look like this engine had been cannibalized, either.

ONE OTHER THING. Looking at this car I was thinking, well, here Nance would have had his truly different Clipper line. Why the heck didn't they make these in South bend and sell them through "Clipper" dealers, while they continued to make full sized Packards in Detroit, to be sold at "Packard" dealers or combined "Packard/Clipper" dealerships. Chrysler/Plymouth seemed to pull this off quite handily.

I know just about anyone could point out "WHY NOT," I'm just thinking "wouldn't it have been a clever marketing ploy" and also have reserved the Packard name plate for real, premium Packard automobiles.

Didn't they have it all? The Studebaker was the Chevrolet, the Clipper was the Pontiac, the Hudson and/or Nash could have been the Oldsmobile or Buick, and the Packard was the Cadillac. Call it National Motors or something. HA! Nashonal--even better.

Well, I be dogged. I just went and looked up Brian's link, and I was right about the hood ornament and PACKARD lettering being from '55, but I do not agree that those were Clipper gauges... they were Packard all the way, with no "Idiot Lights" in sight. Of course, some of these cars might have had Clipper gauges, if they happened to be handy that day.

The instruments in 57 Clippers like those in the picture of my 57 are the same part number as the 56 Clipper also note that 57 Clippers have no trip meter as the senior cars have The oil and gen are red idiot lights the same as 56 Clippers Senior had gauges

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Packardguy, George Mason of Nash had the same idea in 1949. He wanted to merge the 4 leading independents into a fourth major auto company.

The plan got as far as merging Studebaker and Packard, Nash and Hudson then these 2 were supposed to merge. But Mason died before the plan was completed and his successor Romney backed out.

The new company was to be called American Motors.

Hi 55PackardGuy

On the engines, the only Packard V-8 used in a Studebaker model was the 352 ci in the 1956 Golden Hawk.

With the Utica engine plant in the hands of Curtiss-Wright for 1957 and all operation in Detriot shutdown for lack of finances, the Studebaker 289 ci was fitted with a supercharger to up the horsepower to match that of the '56 352, mostly for sales purposes.

Understand, the '57 Packard Clipper was intended as an interim model, very much a retrenchment and stopgap effort. The primary consideration was to keep a Packard model on the market, give dealers something to sell in the event that a completely new Packard and Clipper could be brought to market.

Studebaker-Packard Corporation, what was left of it, was as broke as any bum on a South Bend street. In reality, Packard existed in name only, no separate design or engineering effort was in place at South Bend. Heck, it barely existed for Studebaker, which was walking death all of '58 until the Lark appeared.

The merging of the remaining four strongest Independents into a corporation was pursued by George Mason of Nash-Kelvinator in 1946-48 when all the companies were experiencing explosive sales and were profitable. In spite of prescient Mason laying out all the well considered reasons, all of which pointed to doing otherwise would lead to massive difficulties and ultimate demise, none of the other principals and/or boards would participate. Each turned down the idea.

Records indicate when the idea resurfaced in the '53-'54 period, the Packard board approved a merger with the Nash/Hudson combine but when Nance found out he wouldn't be in charge of it all, balked and talked the board out of it. Nance and Romney were oil and water, it would have been contentious at the top if it had come about.

I've always wonder if board members of the respective companies, when dealing with the morass of troubles in the post 1950 years, suddenly recalled Mason's proposal, put their face in their hands and cried "Why? Oh Why? Didn't we listen to George?!?!?!?

Steve

Your history is just as I've read it. Too bad Nance got cold feet. Often two contentious people at the top can make good things happen.

As for the gauges on the '57 I saw, I'm stickin' to my guns. They are the exact same silver-gray with silver center buttons and trim rings as the '55 Seniors, and there are NEEDLES in every one of 'em. Officially, maybe they all had Clipper gauges, but this one didn't. Could have been a re-fit, but it didn't look it. Nothing else was modified.

If I can remember to bring the camera along next time I go out to the boat, I'll definitely take some shots of the car. Then I'll find out for sure if my eyes deceived me... but I really doubt it.

The two '57 Clippers here local that are for sale have the Clipper style gauges:







For $800, someone should buy these cars. I would, but I don't have the cash and don't need more projects right now anyway. More pics here:http://picasaweb.google.com/turbopackman327/Studebakers#5507700976886863858

And no, neither of them have their superchargers.

Quote:

I wish I'd kept accurate count over the fifty years I've been looking at for-sale Studebaker-Packards which were factory-equipped with superchargers. I'd say of the used-unrestored cars I've looked at, nine of ten did not have the supercharger in place. Most times the blower is long gone. The other few times, it is in the trunk or on the shelf in the garage and goes with the car - "can be rebuilt."

Today at shows many restored cars arrive with the supercharger drive belt off and have it installed when no one is looking. Can't blame the owners for worrying about the longevity of the unit. Others have learned it costs a couple of MPG to pull the supercharger, about the same as an operating AC unit.

jack vines