Apparently "late" must mean the very last ones. I have Patrician #4747 (#4775 was the last one) and it has the red cap with 2 wires. I used to have Clipper DeLuxe #6399 and it had the red cap style, too because I had to glue it back together when it cracked.

On the Travel Channel, about two years ago, Anthony Bourdain met his brother in Uruguay to research the time their grandfather spent there. The brother had flown in first and rented a car for them to use in whatever coastal city this took place in. The car was a 1955 Clipper sedan in green and white. While it looked stock, there is no way I could be sure about the drivetrain and the car was never referred to as a Packard. Anthony's only comment was "nice ride" to his brother. Uruguay seems to have liked Packards...

You are really doing a great job! I guess I'm glad I was crazy about cars at 17 but it sure is a different world from 1967. It's hard to compare my world with his but I hope Packards make an impression on him, soon.

Two cars I had (as used cars) that I'd love to have back: a 1965 Riviera Gran Sport, yellow with 2 4bbls and a white 1965 Olds Starfire coupe with the exhausts out the back quarter panels. I was in college and made money for tuition by "flipping" them. Peanuts in today's prices, though.

While in college/grad school, I had 2 '56 Clippers at the same time (1967-72, approx). A Deluxe with 3-speed and no o/d and a Super with Uglymatic. The Deluxe had a 3.54 and the Super had 3.07 final gears. The only other difference was dual exhaust on the Super and single on the Deluxe, both had the 2 bbl carb. I never tried to go all out top end but the Deluxe could sprint around traffic on a 2 lane road faster than the Super and would set me back in the seat @ 70 when I stood on it. I had both up to an indicated 90 more than once and each was happy to cruise at 70 and 80. It seemed the speedo on the Super was more optimistic than the Deluxe but there was no GPS for a comparison. I always wondered if Packard was very choosy about the speedo gears...

Thank you. Point made and taken!

Unfortunately, I've had a lifetime of experience with what idiots can do to a Packard. I'm 63 and bought my first Packard at 17. I've owned too many to write about but have a degree from The School of Hard Knocks as a result. People "embellish the truth" or don't know squat about Packards (or bought a lie from some jerk and are passing it on as truth) and somebody pays. Just remember- experience ain't cheap, if it was everybody would have it.

The lack of a number stamped on the motor boss *could* mean that it was a "service replacement" motor. I know someone with a '56 Patrician who bought a replacement motor many years ago that carried no number and he never bothered to try and stamp it. Also, some 1955's made it out of the factory without stamping due mainly to production tie-ups but were factory original motors. This motor would seem to be a '56 Clipper motor but *could* have been a "service replacement" done by a dealer if he had access to a 352 and not a 374. Or, if it proves to be a 374, maybe someone liked the green better than the bronze. In any event, it proves my belief that half of what's wrong with a Packard when you get it is due to the idiot before you.

Now, that's a guy I could trust enough to buy a used car from!

While we're this deep into the discussion of valve springs, I'd like to find out something I've wondered about for a while. According to my 1956 Motor's Repair Manual, the valve springs on all 1955 engines had 66 lbs tension and the 1956 all had 92 lbs tension. Is this correct? If so, one of my theories as to more "lifter noise/problems" on 1956 engines *could* be caused by the increased pressure, no?