My third attempt to post this:
I have a Pacific which is Ivory with maroon top (should be Chariot Red, which I plan to change to Ch. red lower, with black top, per available oem factory color scheme, matching the nice repro interior already installed).
Questions:
1. Someone installed an aftermarket cont. kit with correct packard hubcap, and it looks pretty nice, pre-resto.
2. Should I return the car to pre-cont. kit condition or should I keep the cont. kit?
3. The car will be a driver, but in Packard judging, how would the cont. kit affect its points or otherwise affect Packard judging?

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Thanks, Ross. That was enlightening. My engine has run only an hour in the past 30 years, so one cylinder is not yet firing. But the car runs pretty smoothly to be missing on one cylinder.

My problem with the 327 head has, obviously, been the issue of what compression ratio the car is running. Since I have personally noticed the car running smoothly on 7 cylinders-though smoking like a choo-choo train, I am sure it is not running on TOO MUCH compression ratio right now. I wonder if it would run better on the Edmund knock-off head.

Bigkev, thank you for the information you have sent. I have yet to learn what year 327 Thunderbolt head is on my car, finding only the numbers "35-5" near the water outlet.

Perhaps you could answer a corollary question by email to my personal address: I have no experience or knowledge about EMI (Empire Motors, Inc.) in El Paso, but have had the pleasure of speaking to the owner, manager, who is very knowledgeable.Do you know of anyone who has purchased an aluminum "Edmunds" knockoff head who actually installed and used such a head on a 359 or other Packard engine? If so, I would love to know how the head performed.

I realize the head cannot be shaved, or should not be, but not knowing the CR on the 327 head, I am concerned about having too low compression. I plan to DRIVE the car if and when it gets restored because it has or will have every accessory needed for comfortable traveling: It has power seat, p/s, p/b, 3 speed with O.D., Add-on Vintage A/C, radio and heater.

I also ask you your opinion of the value of the car with the "wrong" 327 head vs. a repro Edmunds head which is readily identified as a repro by the wider ("better") fins on the head? That seems also to be a "wrong" head unless an indistinguishable repro head can be custom-made by EMI at a custom cost of $3,150. I can send EMI a series of pics of my unusable original aluminum head for him to use in reproducing the aluminum head, but I can't guess how accurate and indistinguishable such a knock-off would be, or how that would affect the value of my car. Any ideas on this?

Kev, another question is what to do about the valve seats: Do I use a lead substitute, or what can I do to prevent burning the valves/seats?

EDIT: My M6XXXX engine is correct for 1954 (a 359cid), but I still don't know what 327 head I have. See below:

I checked the 327 cast iron head near the thermostat and believe the numbers stamped there are "35 5". Does that look like a head or date (May, 1935?) number to anyone? I'm trying to find out which head is on it because the 327 heads were not the same compression ratio each and every year; they varied as to CR.

The car was parked for a long time in an airplane hanger and has now been cranked and has run for about an hour. It smokes enough to kill swamp mosquitoes in Louisiana, but hopefully the smoking may stop after it has been run awhile without Marvel Mystery oil poured into it. It is pretty smooth running considering one of the pistons has not found compression yet. We're trying to baby it until it wakes up.

HH56 and Ross, your replies were spot-on and of great assistance to me and my mechanic. I thank you both for taking the time and effort to share your knowledge about these awesome time machines.I wish I had learned to enjoy them sooner, but am blessed to do so at this late time. May God bless you both!

I am trying to figure out what compression ratio my car has now. This '54 Pacific came with a long-gone aluminum head,with a 8.7 CR, but now wears a "327 Thunderbolt" cast iron head. Can anyone here inform me how I can ascertain the year of this 327 head?

They had different compression ratios in different years, and maybe measuring the thickness of the cast iron head might reveal the compression ratio if I can't ascertain its year of manufacture. It might have been shaved before being placed on the 359 block with the 4 bl manifold.

Is there an easy way to ascertain that the block IS a 359 block? I confess I am a newbie with Packards, being an olde tyme Chrysler product fan who has recently found this awesome Pacific in great rebuildable condition. Thanks.

G'diaye, suh. Much obliged tuh joine as soon as the deal
Closes.

VIN M602176. What info can you tell me about this car? Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.