Re: 54 359 aluminum head ?

Posted by su8overdrive On 2013/8/19 16:07:52

BK's right. Too many guys who aren't really hobbyists scalping parts for ridiculous prices.

I always bow to the vast stores of experience of so many here on the world's finest automotive website, but i 'umbly
suggest you think twice about an aluminum head. Remember,
Packard only used it in a last-ditch effort to boost power
output near those of the modern ohv V-8s of their competitors.


The only reason i can see for an aluminum head other than
the front end weight saving in these nose-heavy, understeering cars, is the wow factor. But polishing the outside of an aluminum head reduces surface area, countermanding the very reason for an alloy head---greater cooling.

Tho' not a Packard, my old mechanic, a legend amongst
old car folk in the greater SF/Oakland/NorCal realm, who'd worked after serving as head of various motor pools in War II Pacific at Packard and Hudson garages, told me he could never keep an aluminum head on his '53 Hornet more than 8,000 or so miles. The Hudson 308 has bigger pistons than Packard 356/288/327/354 so despite being a six, is nearly as long.

He stuck a high compression iron head on it and it was
still running fine 100,000 miles later when he finally sold it due only to macular degeneration.

Tho' an F-head, not L-head, the military version of the Rolls-Royce nine-main, hydraulic lifter 346 inline B-80
eight-cylinder engine debuting 1950 had an iron head when
used in military applications (it was first used in the very
limited-production Phantom IV). Clearly, they were looking
for durability, dependability.

Again, i bow to the experiences of others here, some
of whom have probably gotten by swimmingly with alloy heads.
But you might consider your options.

My '47 Super has an iron 327 head, which a Packard Service Counselor circa mid- or late '47 suggested for owners of 356 cars wanting a little more oomph, so i've got 7.5:1 compression over the factory 6.85, enough for me. And tho' no service bulletin that i know of suggests this, a longtime Packard friend has an iron 288 head on his otherwise original '42 One-Sixty conv. coupe for years, figures he has around 8:1 compression and smooth sailing.