When the torque converter was invented in the 1940s it seemed like the engineer's ideal of a gas powered car that drove as smoothly and easily as a steam or electric, was in sight.

The torque converter would not only slip like a fluid coupling, it would actually multiply torque like a gear ratio. Most had a maximum torque multiplication of 2.6:1 at stall which was like having an extra gear ratio.

By taking advantage of this they believed the ultimate smoothness could be achieved, taking off from a stop and accelerating up to cruising speed with NO gear shifting either manual or automatic.

All the early torque converter transmissions were built this way. Not only Packard Ultramatic but Buick Dynaflow, Chevrolet Powerglide and Chrysler Powerflite. They all started off in high gear for normal driving, but they all had a low gear that could be manually selected for emergencies or extra takeoff power.

As the horsepower race hotted up, the demand was for more power and acceleration. This led Packard to redesign their transmission to start off in low gear and shift to high. For obvious reasons, they called it the Gear Start transmission.

I don't think it was meant to lube the water pump bearings, they were lubricated with a grease gun. It was meant to prevent wear on the seals. Also to prevent rust.

Every gas station used to have little cans of water pump lubricant on the shelf. Haven't seen them in years since everyone went to antifreeze coolant. Bar's Leaks is the closest thing. You could pour the oil into your rad and leave the solids in the jar.

An old trick for a leaky seal is to wind string or a strip of rag tight around the shaft. Sometimes it helps.

Put in just enough to cover the plates, charge, and check level and specific gravity. You can then add water or acid as necessarr.

For reference, according to contemporary road tests your car would have had a top speed of 90 - 95 MPH. Tom McCahill did some top speed tests on Packard's world famous proving ground and said 'don't think they are deadheads on the road because they definitely are not' even though they did not quite have the performance of the new V8s their competitors were sporting.

It should be ok to replace the lost electrolyte. The advice not to add acid to a battery, assumes it has just lost water which is a normal side effect of use and charging.

I don't see any need for a longer hood, the straight eight meant it was plenty long enough. And the extended tail might have made sense but could they have sold enough to make a profit?

To me the big mistakes on the new for 51 body was the plain drab instrument panel. It looked like something for a pickup truck not a luxury car. The juniors should have been fancier and the seniors completely different, and even more fancy. This is not a trivial criticism. The dashboard is something the owner sees every time he gets in the car. It should make him feel good.

The other thing was the way they kept the same grille for 4 years. Who did this in the early fifties? Nobody, not if they wanted to sell cars. I know Packard was proud of their traditional look. That was the trouble, the public wasn't buying traditional looks.

Could be a coil or condenser poohing out when it gets hot. The black plug bothers me, that indicates a rich mixture if it is sooty or excess oil burning if it is greasy.

I should add, it only takes about half a pint to fill the oil bath. 1 quart of 50 weight oil will last for years and years.

To service an oil bath air cleaner-

Remove the filter unit from the top. Check the oil reservoir. If it is more than half full of dirt it needs to be serviced. If not top up the oil to the line indicated and put the top back on. Use 50 motor oil.

If it needs to be serviced swish the filter in a pan of cleaning solvent, kerosene or Varsol. Let it drip dry. Do not blow compressed air through it, that can make channels in the filter medium.

Syphon out the old oil and wipe out with cotton waste or rags. When clean, refill with 50 weight oil.

Pour a little oil over the filter medium and reinstall the filter.

In normal service, on good paved roads, this only needs to be done every 10,000 miles or so. However you should check it when you do an oil change and grease job or tuneup.

In dry dusty conditions, driving on dirt roads, service will be needed more frequently. In the most extreme conditions it might be necessary weekly or even daily. But I doubt anyone would drive their Packard hard over dirt roads, desert or construction detours these days.