The evidence is strong that Nance scuttled the Nash-Packard merger when he found he would not be in charge. One source quoted Nance as saying, "Mason will come back to the table, he hasn't anywhere else to go." Apparently the Nash-Hudson merger took him by surprise. I think that Mason realized that Studebaker was the "sick puppy" among the independents and I doubt he ever wanted them included. Studebaker had an obsolete factory, spoiled workforce and a very unfavorable contract with the UAW, not to mention a somewhat out of touch management. I have never understood why Nance went to an outside consulting firm to survey Studebaker. I cannot believe that a team of Packard engineers and cost accountants would not have recognized Studebaker's fatal weaknesses very quickly. I have always thought that Studebaker bribed the consulting firm to produce such a glowing report. Packard probably could not have survived over the long term without some form of merger, but tying themselves to an anchor like Studebaker (who built some great cars) was fatal.

OK. I guess I'm an old guy. Sounds like fun to me. Especially when applied to the disrespectful.

I have a 56 Clipper with a pushbutton ultramatic. The transmission was rebuilt and electronics gone over.
The ultramatic seems to work well after running for awhile, meaning a few mile trip.

However, when cold or after sitting for a few days, reverse will not go in reverse but moves the car forward. Another few mile trip is required before reverse will begin working as it should.

Does anyone know a knowledgable technician in the North Florida area (between Jax and Orlando) who could look at the electronics?

It seems I have addressed this issue previously so any additional information will be appreciated.

Thanks, Ron

The Ford coil to cause a shock was a old trick my uncle showed me how to do this. He installed it on his Henry J turn it on and call one of your friends over when they touch the car they complete the circuit great fun when we were younger. Now they would put you in jail or something. We must have been tougher or else had different ideas of fun.

I seem to have misplaced misposted my last attempt at asking a question. Let me try again.

I'm looking for pictures of the rocker shaft assembly of the 320 engine for a friend of mine. I'm finding it difficult to explain without good pictures.

If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks.

Check the home page of this site to see if there is PDF download for the manual and a parts cataloug. I don't know if there is or not.

Where did u get the king pins and bearings????

NOTE: Generaly, if needle brarings are used then the pin itself will need to be signifacantly harder than pins used on a bushing applicatation. I'm not a materials compatability expert, but this is one case where u mite want to verify that the pins are hard enuf if needle bearings are used.

Can't help with details as mine are still snug and never needed service other than lubrication once a year, but I suppose they aren't much different that other knuckle pin arrangements. Look for a locking device that holds the pin in place in the axle stub, either a thru-bolt or a tapered pin. With than removed and the end caps off, the pin should come out. I believe the original installation used caged needle bearings rather than simple bushings. If you have to replace the needle bearings with bushings, you should ream to ID, DON'T hone unless absolutely necessary as it will tend to close the pores in the bushing, the pores needed to hold lubricant.

Packard recommended either cup grease or heavy oil and heavy oil is far preferred because it will run by gravity from the upper reservoir to the lower bearing or bushing and grease is immobile and won't.

In all my years around 34 Packards I've never seen a king pin service kit so you may have to have new pins centerless ground by a good machine shop. If it turns out that the upper and lower bearings are indeed caged needles and you find an interchange with a modern part, I'd like very much to know the identification.

Perhaps others have done the pins in this vintage Packard and can provide exact details but it should be pretty much an intuitive job.

Just in case I might have been misunderstood,I don't hold it against the upward bound kid. I'm disappointed in the parents that seem to have no understanding or even common sense and have taken little responsibility for teaching their kids.

The boy was obviously interested in cars. I should have spoken to him about respecting other peoples possessions and then proceeded to show him about the car and tried to instill in him an appreciation for old cars and, in particular of course, Packards.

I seem to remember some old timers talking about rigging a Model T Ford magneto to their cars in order to Zap anyone getting too close. I don't remember, or know, if they were just being mischievous or intended to keep disrespectful people away.But it sounds like it might work. I have a Model T, hummmm. Maybe something portable to be moved from Packard to Packard.

I feel hopeful now! That was an uplifting story.

Hi all,

Ok, time to get back to work.

I need a fools guide to replacing the king pins and bearings.

I have the new pins and bearings. While I just replaced the shackle pins and leaf springs I did not attempt the king pins as its one thing at a time. The old pins are currently covered in hardened oil and grease, as soon as the wind drops below 100mph I will go out and de-grease them.

Pat.