Re: V8 manufacturing shut down

Posted by HH56 On 2022/12/17 16:00:22

Didn't the Canadian built cars switch to GM (Chevy) engines when the South Bend Studebaker plant and I believe foundry shut down?

As to the original question I seem to remember reading every thing Packard built at the Utica facility for car use -engines, Ultras, etc - ceased production when Packard shut down. If those items were still built in quantity, since engineering to mount the Packard engine and trans in a Stude chassis had already been done for the 56 Golden Hawk it would seem they could have used the Packard engine in the 57s. Instead they went to the Stude engine and trans then had the expense and effort to supercharge to get the HP and performance to match the Packard engine.

Packard apparently did build out quite a few 352 engines prior to closing. Whether that was intentional or just had many left over from lower than intended car production is unknown. Stude found a lot of those engines stored in a warehouse in the late 50s-early 60s timeframe but apparently very few if any 374s. Stude offered the 352s to dealers dirt cheap to move them out and suggested they also be used to replace the larger engines. I believe I also read where several of those engines were also sold to a company who converted them for use as marine engines.