Re: How much overbore?

Posted by 55PackardGuy On 2010/12/16 22:52:03

Thanks all,

Jack,

So how close can you get to 400 cid with standard pistons. I'm so dumb, I don't even know what a 374 bored 1/8" inch would yield in cid. But I'd like to know.

It would make sense that it's safest to go with the block that requires the least overbore to achieve the cid you want. So the 374 would be the safest choice. Or not?

Finally, I do know from secondhand experience that the heads on a 352 cid Packard V8 can be planed a full 1/8" as my father did so on a '55 400. So, there seems to be lots of material there for machining the heads if you desire more compression rather than more displacement.

Custom pistons and cranks are not really what I have in mind. It's more to find out what Packard could have done to increase the cid of the 374 in '57, without huge expense.

I'm dreaming of a 'tweaked' Packard 400 that would've been feasible as a '57 model.