Mal, Glad to see your browser is operational again!

At the pump are 2 female fittings. Essentially a flat hex cap or plug with a hole in the middle.

Pressure side hose has a 90 degree bend tube and what appears to be 5/16 inverted flare to screw into the hole. Return side is a 90 degree short piece of tubing that the hose just clamps onto with a hose clamp.

The pressure hose changes size at a restriction fitting about 18 inches away from the control valve and transitions into what appears to be 1/4 with another inverted flare fitting that screws into a female threaded hole in the valve. Return hose just clamps onto a short piece of tubing again.

On the Bendix system there are also two short pressure hoses between control valve and cylinder. Monroe is integral so just the pressure and return hose to pump.

Look in or downloadhttps://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/partslist5556/PartPlates.pdf the 55-6 parts manual, plates section, at plate 31C or 31D for the respective systems to get an idea of what is there.

I would have expected that the generator and strap would have been installed at Utica and not Conner Ave.

Agree with Kens53 on how the 57 tail lights turned out. When you consider the alternatives they could have chosen that were probably still in a parts bin or could be re-made easily enough to maintain the continuity of a Packard theme. The ones chosen were fairly narrow & current & probably lots of them on hand which undoubtedly influenced the decision but I can see someone adding different if there were more of those instead--55 sore thumb anyone? Just think - what if in addition to the added pod for the 58 dual headlights they had maintained the theme and done the same for a matching pair of 54 bulls nuts in the back.

I purchased a '56 Patrician recently. It is a one owner car with 80,000 miles, but had sat since 1982. It is quite complete, however the pressure power steering hose had been removed sometime during the storage. I believe it is the original hose that was included with the car, but the pump end of the hose has a female end as do both fittings on the pump.

Do I have the wrong hose...or is there a male/male fitting missing that goes between the hose and the pump?

Thanks,
-Dick-
Bellingham, WA

Thanks Owen my local part store doesn't list my car. Wanted to get what I needed before beginning.

On the point on who did the 57 Packard styling, it is my understanding that the basic design (for the 1956 Studebaker President) was Vince Gardner based on an article by Ross Miller in the PAC's Packard Cormorant in which Hal Hermann's 1957 Packard Clipper was featured. Nat Dawes in his book on Packards 1942-1962 says that Duncan McRae and William Schmidt made the alterations to the basic Studebaker President design to create the 1957 Packard Clipper and that they did so with 4 weeks lead time. So it was definitely a rush job that I think came off pretty good. I seem to recall (probably from the PAC's Packard Cormorant) that someone asked Dick Teague about the use of his 1956 Clipper taillights on the 1957 and he said something to the effect that it made him want to throw up. I doubt if he would have said that if he had been involved in the styling of the 1957. But personally, I think the taillights on the 1957 look good. To each his own, I guess. (I did not like Dick Teague's AMC Pacer.) They did have to wedge the taillights in somewhat, by raising the fender (by a fender cap) and reducing the width of the rear bumper.

Your core or welch (freeze-out plugs is really a misnomer) aren't copper, they are plated steel, of the cup type (not the disc type) and should be easily found at a good auto parts store. Sorry I don't recall the size but we picked them up last year for a 288 engine off the shelf at a local store.

BTW, if your indications of overheating are based on the temperature gauge in the car, have you checked it against a good quality thermometer?

EDIT - the 48-54 parts book lists the expansion plug as 2 inches.

error in posting.

Still chasing the my PACKARD wants to overheat issue. Have gone down the list of recommendations and I am now thinking about removing the five freeze plugs and scraping out any build up. I need to determine the which size freeze plug that is correct for the 1948 288 engine. Would like to have everything on hand before I start this repair. I must be dense because I cannot find the information in literature and manuals. Where can copper freeze plugs be purchased?
What I have checked so far.

1. Timing dead on
2. Water pump
3. Fan Belt
4. Radiator was serviced and cleaned two leaks fixed
5. Thermostat installed
6. Correct radiator cap installed
7. Water distribution tube checked and it is clear no build up
8. Head gasket all cylinder compression are in range