1955 400 at Hershey
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Just can't stay away
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We had the pleasure of driving our 1955 400 to Hershey this past October and displaying it in the HPOF class. We drove from Akron, OH on the PA turnpike at 60 mph and the car didn't miss a lick. It turned 51,000 miles on the way there. I had installed an accessory oil pressure gauge under the dash "just to make sure" and the oil pressure was about 38 - 40 pounds the whole time at speed. This car still has its original oil pump and the oil pan has never been off as far as I can tell. The tredle vac brake unit worked great, and the car has no electric fuel pump. Who says you can't drive them the way they were originally built?
http://images3a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp7339%3A%3Enu%3D3%3A33%3E986%3E258%3EWSNRCG%3D33634368%3A2349nu0mrj http://images5a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp63393%3Enu%3D3%3A33%3E986%3E258%3EWSNRCG%3D33634399%3B7349nu0mrj http://images5a.snapfish.com/232323232%7Ffp63387%3Enu%3D3%3A33%3E986%3E258%3EWSNRCG%3D33634368%3B2349nu0mrj
Posted on: 2011/1/8 14:23
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Re: V-8 engine design flaws
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Just can't stay away
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The biggest problem with the P III Rolls engine (V-12) was that it was designed to run on a flat surface, but when installed in a car the rear was lower than the front, which hampered oil return flow back into the pan. This has been corrected by filling in one or two oil return holes in the back of the heads.
Posted on: 2010/1/27 20:58
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Re: Warren July 25, 2009
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I'll go with sporty formal sedan. By the way, that blue fastback in your picture, is that the one that was on e bay a little while back? I remember watching an auction with a car like yours & it was pulled early - I assume someone went & just bought it.
Posted on: 2009/8/29 23:56
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Re: Warren July 25, 2009
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The photo you posted was taken on 5th Avenue in NYC around East 74th or so. The photo was taken by whoever took photos for Rollston at the time. Rollston probably sent the photo to Packard & whoever received it at Packard labeled it by what they thought it was. Because of it low, sleek lines it does look sporty, but because of all the formal sedan traits it has, formal sedan is the correct term to use in describing this body. Walt Gosden of the CCCA, who is probably the foremost expert on US built custom bodies, even refers to the car as a formal sedan.
Posted on: 2009/8/29 23:26
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Re: 17th Annual Studebaker-Packard Cruise-In/Rally in Ohio
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It starts at 2pm, but people show up earlier. I'll be there around 4:30 as I have another committment I have to honor first. My friend with the grey '55 400 should be there earlier though.
Posted on: 2009/8/28 21:13
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Re: 17th Annual Studebaker-Packard Cruise-In/Rally in Ohio
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I should be there with my light green & white 1955 400. Another friend of mine with a grey & white 1955 400 also plans to attend this year. It looks like the rain will end around 7am on Saturday so the weather shouldn't be a factor. The reason they moved from Winks to Summit Racing is because of some disputes with the owners of Winks. My car was on the dash plaque last year.
Posted on: 2009/8/28 15:15
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Re: Warren July 25, 2009
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That's it. Beautiful car, isn't it?
Posted on: 2009/8/28 8:50
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Re: Warren July 25, 2009
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I'm very familiar with the car you refer to from the book. The book has it mislabeled though. First of all it's a LWB 1508, not a 1507, and second it's really a formal sedan, as it has a black leather roof, division window, and leather front seat/cloth back seat interior. This just goes to show us that you can't always believe everything printed in these books written by these so called experts. If you look at the body lines of the car in question and compare it to any other 1935/1936 Packard victoria (Standard 8, Super 8, or Twelve) you'll see the lines are identical. The hardware, hinges, ect are all the same as any standard bodied Packard of that era. Rollston used their own hardware and used a one piece bronze casting windshield frame (JN Duesenbergs all have this to). There is an authentic 1937 Rollston victoria in Northern NJ and it looks nothing like the car in question. Again, I commend the owner for saving the car from an abandoned hot rod project, just don't call it a Rollston.
Posted on: 2009/8/28 8:23
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Re: Warren July 25, 2009
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I don't want to sound like a jerk, but the red 1937 Super Eight victoria that was under the tent in Warren does NOT bear a Rollston body. I, along with several other long time knowlegable people, looked at this car very closely at Warren last month. The body is a factory 1935 - 1936 Packard victoria body. Remember 1935 & 1936 had suicide doors while in 1937 they opened from the rear. Really the only thing unique about the body is the rear quarter windows, but the chrome frames on them looked like they were off of a car from the 1950's. The frames didn't match the front chrome window frames in the doors either. Don't tell me Rollston would have built a car with the quarter window frames a different style & width than the frames in the front doors. Some could say the car was brought to Rollston a couple years after it was built to be updated. While this did occur on a few occasions, those rear quarter windows frames were obviously "factory made" and came off of another car. My guess is that when the prior owner was trying to made a hot rod out of it this was one of the modifications they did for better vision. I don't have a problem with the car itself, and I'm glad it was put back to resemble something that was made in 1936/1937, but calling it a Rollston body is inaccurate.
Posted on: 2009/8/27 11:01
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