Re: SP merger

Posted by Steve203 On 2015/3/19 23:11:45

<i> the only hardware that had any chance of being carried over would have been the 48-54's floorpan and frame side rails from the firewall back to the rear wheels.</i>

That might not work. Putting TL in the Packard frame was easy because the frame members were so tall. Just a matter of putting a hole where it's needed to clear the bars, and welding in a brace to hold the leveler and the trailing arms. No so much room to work with on the Hudson.

There are some nice pix here of a model of a Hornet being built, that gives some good views of the frame.http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/?showtopic=47477

<i>... the longer for Packard and the shorter for Hudson (in my work-up, 3 inches shorter which you can see if you toggle between the two images). Hudson would have had no problem with this level of complexity, the Wasp having been 5 inches shorter than the Hornet.</i>

The 308 used in the Hornet was about the same length as the 262 used in the Wasp, and, as you say, the Wasp was shorter ahead of the firewall than the Hornet. There are a Hudson and a Wasp at the Hostetler museum with the hoods up, so I got a good look at how they got the engine in the Wasp: the firewall is dished about 5" to clear the engine. I'd say making the Hornet shorter than the Packard, and still using the Hudson 6 is a no go.

<i>When one adds up the conributions both companies could have made - torsion level,</i>

Recall that the inventor of Torsion Level, William Allison, was a Hudson engineer. Hudson didn't have the money to develop the concept, so they lent Mr Allison and his patents to Packard.

<i>...perhaps design flaws such as with the V8 might have been caught during testing </i>

The oil aeration problem with the V8, and the weak Twin Ultramatic would have been revealed by anyone who did adequate testing. When Packard was proposing the 352 to the government as a truck engine, the government required a standard 500hr run on a test stand. The engine failed, due to oil aeration (iirc, that episode is in "Master Motor Builders") Another case of Packard trying to cut corners, and shooting themselves in the foot.