How durable is the 5 main engine compared to the 9? I know the Hudson hornet engine made good power with only 4 mains and there have been V8 fords making huge power for over 50 years on only 3, has anyone on here heard of any inherent weaknesses with the 5 main design?

Does any one know a source for the old woven cloth wrapped pug wires?

I built engines for about 6 years prior to joining the navy and every now and then we would have a customer who wanted to reuse old lifters and some of them would be "stuck" we would put them in a vice and bleed them all the way down and in they stuck anywhere we would soak them in solvent (kerosene works well) and then bang them on the work bench till the plunger came up, it didn't always work but it would be worth a try.

Thanks for the encouragement as much of a love i have for Packards i have an equal love for Hudson 6's and these two communities usually frown on extensive modifications, but i'm glad to find support. Ill have to upload some pictures of my 52 in the fairly sad state its in (it's been in storage for the past 4 years while i did some work for Uncle Sam) and I'll post pics and topics on my project as I go along.

Thanks for the info. I just fount this forum yesterday and i have found a wealth of info here so the way i look at it if i help one person in two years its all good

I am of the "new generation" i'm 27 now and i bought my 52 hardtop when i was 20. i strongly feel that younger generations need to be exposed to classic cars of any type be they 100% stock or modified. i got into Packard's from hearing stories from my grandfather about them as well as Cords LaSells and many other great touring cars from the depression era. I strongly feel that it doesn't matter if a builder goes 100% stock or spends a million dollars making a show only trailer car but that the cars will be around for years to come. With all the federal regulations and cash for clunkers programs any classic car we save from the crusher is saving a piece of American history. Trust me there will always be a youn guy wanting to buy your car.

Some of you out there may hate me for this but i have a 52 hard top with a 5 main 327 with a 2bbl carb and I am planning on building it up to modern power levels. I have a 288 to donate its longer rods after polishing the beams, and i plan on getting custom pistons with a modern ring set, porting and polishing the ports a custom steel header and possibly Hillborn injection converted to EFI. I want to run a T-5 5 speed on an adapter, aluminum drive shaft and a 9 inch ford rear with a 3.75 gear and a posi, and i plan to handle the spark with a custom Jpe Hunt mag. My questions are how do light weight valve train components effect flat head motors, such as titanium valves retainers ect. Also does any one have a source for new cam blanks? I am not a big fan of regrinds and i would be willing to spring for a custom billet piece if i could find a source. I have been kicking around the idea of turbo charging as well at a moderate boost level (7-8 psi though i would love to see 14) but i don't know if the stock crank and rods can handle it.If i am not mistaken this engine produces around 150 hp and i would love to see mine make close to 375 with out a custom block or crank anything else i can work with. am i dreaming or can i make this a reality?

I have several friends who modify and race Flathead ford V8's and a lot of the tech will carry over. Empire motors out of Elpaso TX sells repro Edmunds heads manifolds and split cast iron exhaust manifolds but there pricey and i have heard there is a long waiting list. most cam companys can regrinding the cam for you i got quoted $125 from Lunati. Porting and polishing will give you a good jump as well as a lighter rotating assembly. a Pertronix module and a switch to 12 volt ignition would help or you can get a magneto from Joe Hunt. a modern over drive trans either and auto or a standard will keep rpm's down. and if you wanted to get even more power forced induction is always an option. Remember an engine of any make is just an air pump and the faster you get air into and out of it the more power you will make even with a Packard 8. There are very few "after market" parts for these engines and you really have to get back to your hot rodding roots to make them perform

I have seen people use dodge 6 cly lifters (mechanical) in Hudson 6's and there available reproduction as are the Hudson lifters which are also mechanical. I dont know if they will work on a Packard or not but it may be worth looking into. The thing you may need to look out for though is the durability of the parts (modern) mechanical cams are a lot harder than a comparable hydrolic cam I don't know if this was the case in the early days but it may be of some concern.

There is a company (cant remember the name) that sells trans adapters for Packard inline 8's to mate them to a GM auto i emailed them a while back (I'll see if I saved the email) and asked if there adapters would work with a manual they said it would and they could custom drill a flywheel for the application. i would like to see one with a T-5 5 speed personally as there a fairly inexpensive trans.