Re: How many folks on this site DO NOT belong to a local Packard club?

Posted by vicpick58 On 2012/9/16 11:49:37

A previous owner had installed the hydramatic to the original vin number matching 374.

As far as alterations that I could see, the steering column had been changed to one with a shift lever instead of the buttons. The plastic piece for the shift indicator had been modified to show the correct position for the hydromatic.

As for how it bolted on to the Packard V8, I have no idea how that was done, It looked like they cut down a twin ultramatic bell housing to fit. The hydramatic had no torque converter so there was no cooler involved.

Due to the width of the hydramatic and linkage there was no room for the drivers side exhaust pipe, so it had single exhaust with the pipe running under the oil pan like a clipper.

It worked fairly well, but in my opinion the performance was not ideal for the Packard compared to a twin ultramatic that is working properly. However it would probably be more reliable in the long run.

My car had the oil pressure issue with the engine, it would be fine for short drives or long drives at highway speed but after a long drive it would lose oil pressure when I slowed down. I could not afford a rebuild at the time so I sold the car.

This was all before I had the internet, so being a member of the PI was a great source of information at the time. I also enjoyed the outings that they had once a month.