Hi Garrett,
There's plenty of stuff here to teach you. There is general info on your car in the Packard Model Info section. Under the Packard Literature and Manuals sections there is a 1951-1954 Service Manual and more detailed manuals on Ultramatic. There is also a 1948-1954 Parts manual to help you determine what parts in your car were used in other Packards. If you describe more fully the problem or problems you are having, someone here can probably help you. For example, describe more specifically what kind of issue you are having with the transmission. Hope that helps!
Ken

Hey GearRat52!
Sounds like you can use some new spears. I have a driver's side spear I bought on eBay for my 53 but it will not fit. Think 53 spears are a one year only design. The spear came from a 51, I think. It aint perfect but I think it is better than what you got. Think it should fit your car and it has clips and bolts. If you want it, send me a private message with your mailing address and I will mail it to you.
Ken

Postscript: GearRat52 did want it and I am sending it to him.

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FWIW, those of you on Facebook can go to "Lime Rock Park: The Racing Center of the East", Lime Rock's Facebook page, and click on "Packards in the Park" and see some pictures taken by Lime Rock personnel of at least some of the cars taking part in the event at Lime Rock.
Ken

FWIW the Winter 2011 edition of PI magazine features a 1951 Derham Packard owned by Mike Harrah. It has the small rear window with leather padded roof, the Derham nameplate on the front fender, no jump seats, no divider window, 127 in. wheelbase, and three bottle openers on the rear fenders. Shows what Derham was doing around then, although different in several ways from the car (or cars) in question here.
Ken

Perhaps NADA's values for the 58 Packards are a bit high. But the 58 Packards have several things going for them, even if you are not fond of the car, namely low production numbers and the very last year of the use of the Packard nameplate. Those two are worth some premium.
Ken

Perhaps some of it may be just lack of knowledge about Packards period. It's been over 50 years since one came off the assembly line. Maybe they are afraid to show their ignorance.
Ken

Looks like a newspaper type ad to me aimed more at the Clipper buyer. There is more of the written word for the Clipper than for the Packard. It does differentiate the Packard from the Clipper which the company was trying to do at the time. It also mentions the two newest features of the car, power brakes, new for 1952, and power steering, new for 1953. Maybe should have mentioned Ultramatic but it had been offered since 1949. As far as "Big Car Value for Medium Car Cost" it was probably truer than it should have been. Many of the features you could get on the Packard you could get on the Clipper as an option. Including the 327 engine. Probably not enough differentiation between the Packard and the Clipper in hindsight. But I am somewhat biased as concerns the 53 Clipper for obvious reasons. Considering the auto advertising of the time I have seen worse.
Ken

I would respectfully request an exception if the politics involves laws dealing with our ownership and use of Packards. Such as laws requiring our 60 year old cars to meet current emission or safety standards. When the legislature is in session, keep your eyes on your property, including your Packard.
Ken

It is true that air cleaner filters are not a standard size and that if you look at measurements in catalogs, you might be able to find one that fits. However, at least with the mesh filter on my 53 Clipper, I could not find a standard filter low enough in height to fit the filter without the domed top hitting the hood. Just keep in mind, especially if you have a domed top on your mesh filter, increasing the height of your filter above the height of the mesh element on your filter may keep you from closing that hood. Of course, if you replace the stock domed top with a non-stock flat one, that will give you a bit more room.
Ken

FWIW my edition of "Packard- A History of the Motorcar and the Company" which was bought new last year says basically what I said, that many people thought that the ZIS was made from Packard dies but that after the Soviet Union dissolved it was determined upon close examination of the car that the ZIS was a close copy of the 1942 Packard in many respects, but that it was not an exact copy such as it would have been had it been made from the original Packard body dies.

FWIW, I have seen a Packard said to have been bought by Elvis for his Daddy. Maybe he bought his Mother one too!