My car is definately not a 100 point show queen. More like maybe a 85 point show once in a while and mainly a driver. but to me, a floor shifter is a major modification from original and if you are a purist like me is not acceptable.
I have made up my mind that I will convert to a floor shifter if I can find the parts, and restore the column shift if I want to enter some of the shows where people who know better are judges. Anyone have any knowlege as to what model the tranny is? I believe it is a Borg Warner a10.

I quess I will have to make a decision as to
if I want a show car or a driver. A show car is good a couple of times a year, but a driver is good anytime.
Does anyone know where I can get a conversion kit for column shift to floor shift?
This car has won a 1st place in its class at the Packard Club National Meets as well as several second places. It took 1st in class at the Palo Alto Concours de Elegance. It has a 56, 374 in it. It has a great third gear.

I have been driving 1955 and 1956 Packards since 1960. Never had Vapor Lock. In fact, I can't remeber having vapor lock on any car.

I know that the floor shift is the way to go but I want to show the car once in a while. It is really a nice car.

I converted my 55 clipper from ultramatic to od. I am missing the shaft lever extension lever Pt#3.3334 and have used a threaded rod which I bent to what I thought would be the correct angle. The transmission locks up frequently in first or reverse and I must fight the thing to get it to shift. I've tried adjusting the lever shaft and have had a slight improvement but not much. I guess I need a sample of the shaft so I can have a couple made. I've had several 55s with standard transmissions and they have all been converted to floor shifters somewhere along the way probably because the column shift is so flaky. The inner shaft on the steering column has a dimple in it where the shift handle fits to lift the shaft when shifting. It is worn but had a make shift repair and seems to work. This whole thing looks so fragile, that I hate to force anything. Any thoughts?

Just a word of warning if you intend to show the car at a Packard Club Function. You will automatically lose 20 points if you do not have the proper size tires on your car.
It doesn't matter if the whitewall width is correct on the radial or bias ply. You still lose. I quess the national club figures "Safety be damned"

Thanks for the Borg Warner info. Very helpful. I made a hard copy and will keep it with my service manual.

I took the cover off the od relay and ran a light bulb from the non-operating contact to the inside of the car where I ground it on the dash. At 30 mph the light came on. This tells me the governor is working fine. At 40, I goosed the engine and the light momentarily went out and then came on. So the elecrical part of the kick down is working. I can hear the solenoid clicking so that must be good. I guess the thing works but I'm just not tuned into hearing the lose of rpms. I am going to assume it works and the problem is me.

Thanks for all the help.

My 55 Panama without tl rides like a truck. Of course it has very stiff springs in the rear. Handling is rough as it doesn't have power steering. I think power steering would make a huge difference. It has considerablle lean on corners. I installed radial tires on it about a year ago and it did help the handling a lot. I would recommend the radial tires as the are much safer. I feel better at 80 or 90 with the radials and the car grabs the pavement much better. No more tire howl around corners. I can't understand the stupidity of not allowing these tires on cars for judging at the National Packard Meets without getting a huge point discount. If they justify this as not original why don't they discount if the tires are not manufactured by the original suppliers. They don't knock down for Coker for instance. Radials are much safer.

Yes, I had a Clipper with tl. The ride was very soft and the cornering was great. It was very moody though. The leveler kept correcting all the time at highway speed as the wind lifted the front end. When stopping at a light, the rear would lift in the air and sit there until it leveled. Then when you started moving the rear end would go down and then have to level again. The only way around this was to find where you want it and turn off the switch.

I hooked up a jumper on the govenor side of the kick down switch. I could hear the overdrive relay and solenoid click. The car would not go into fourth. First, second and third ok but not going into od except it does free wheeling. No kick down. No change detected in engine rpm.
I guess it must be a problem in the mechanics of the solenoid. Any tricks in pulling it and re-installing?

Running that wire is a great idea. I'll try it tomorrow
Regards