No, it is standard suspension. The car has a 56, 372 and is quite good off the line...Still would not come any where close to touching my caddie with a norhstar. Probably would make a good showing against other cars of the era.

The clutch pedal adjust did fix the problem.

Has the system ever worked since you had the car? Just for trouble shooting, in the past I have run the hot lead to the motor. If the motor doesn't work that way, it is a pretty good indication that something is bound up or maybe the motor is bad. Be careful with this method of troubleshooting, you are bypassing the limit switches.

Thanks for all the responses. The problem appears that I ignore the most obvious and dwell on worst case. I feel the problem is nothing more than adjusting the clutch pedal to the specs. I went out last night, stood on the clutch pedal and, son of a gun, no grind going into 1st or reverse. Repeated this several times. Guess in my old age I am not putting the pedal to the metal. Thanks to all, you hit the nail on the head.

I have tried shifting third to first and second to first but still have the same problem. With my next statement, my stupidity will show itself. I thought, with the clutch pedal depressed, the clutch is not engaged and so there should be no movement of any kind in the transmission. Therefore there should be no gear turning in the transmission to grind. That is if the car is at a complete stand still

The clash always occurs when shifting after a dead stop. That is the only time I am in 1st or reverse.. I never shift into 1st or reverse when I'm moving. The throw out bearing has less than 1000 miles on it. The clutch was relined and pressure plate rebuilt at the same time the pressure plate was rebuilt. I had to make one of the shift rods out of a piece of threaded rod and had no sample to use. So, I know this may cause a problem with proper selection of gears, but it seems servicable. I wish I could find a new rod but there don't seem to be any available anywhere at any price. How would the alignment of the trans to the bell housing be corrected? It seems it bolts in place and as long as it is tight it should be ok. Don't know for sure, just wondering. I'm no expert.

My 55 Clipper grinds gears in 1st and reverse. 2nd and 3rd appear ok. Sometimes, I can force it into gear other times the gears appear to be turning to fast. I don't believe the gears should be turning if you are going into gear with the clutch pedal pushed down. My thinking is that the clutch isn't fully disengaging. Yet, if I place the car in 1st or reverse and depress the clutch it does not creep ahead and appears that the trans is disengaged. No change in engine rpm. Any thoughts?

My 5 year old grand daughter was looking for me yesterday and went into the garage and got her first look at my Packards. She ran into the house to her grandmother and announced she just saw the most beautiful cars she had ever seen. She had to go out and touch them, sit in them and hear them run. She preferred my Panama to the Caribbean.
Good choice.

Lets muddy the water a little. Sometime ago I saw a factory drawing of the decal that was to go on the
55 Caribbean bat wing. It was a Vee and looked the same as the one the rear cover of the Packard Sales Brochure. Anyone see one of these? I have one on mine, but I am sure its not original.

Just from my experience, the 352 should have the Bat Wing air cleaner. The smaller engine has the cleaner you refer to as having a snout and one that is completely round. I believe another way to look at it is if the car came equipped with a Rochester carb it had a bat wing, if Carter it came with one of the other two. By bat wing I don't mean the dual carb set up but the one you mention with the two scoups. I have heard this one also referred to as a bat wing.

I just had a thought. For what I paid to have my 55 Caribbean reuphostered and a new top, I could have bought two brand new Caribbeans in 1955.