Just my two cents... a stock 288 Thunderbolt engine made 135 hp and 230 lb/ft of torque when it was NEW. A Chevy 302, which was originally designed as a race engine so GM could go to the Trans-Am series, makes 290 hp and 290 lb/ft of torque if set up properly. I don't think it will have a problem dragging that old Packard around, even if it has rotten wheel bearings and no oil in the diff. As far as the cost to play, I'm in the middle of a similar project, and the cost to re-do a Packard L8 the right way is hovering around $7000 in 2012 monopoly money. And that's just parts and machine shop labor, not including R&R and setup afterward. You could do a whole hell of a lot with a used small block, an unwanted GM trans and a Packard chassis for 7 large. Just food for thought.

I looked into conversions and such retaining the stock engine, but I found it to be cost prohibitive. I have a similar thread here on the initial research for such a project. I've decided to use the 200 4R I got for the conversion and pair it with a 307 out of a 69 Nova, which is basically a hogged out 283 that makes 200 hp with a 2 barrel carb and no headaches. I would recommend something similar, and like you I want to avoid bastardizing the car so I can dump tens of thousands of dollars into the original drivetrain parts and eventually reinstall them. I love riding around behind that 3 foot straight 8 and burbling power boat-like Ultramatic, but I'm stealing rides on worn-out parts. The small block and matching trans conversion is a temporary, keep driving it solution. I hope you have good luck with whatever direction you decide to go. Nothing turns heads like a Packard, no matter what shape it's in.

Apologies to anyone who's been watching the thread waiting for something to happen, my machinist friend also teaches powertrains classes at the community college and he's been ramping up the semester. He's still working on the solid model of the adapter and waiting for me to pull my bellhousing. I've decided that while I wait, I'm going to build a split voltage electrical system that supplies 12v to starting/charging system, ignition, and running gear and 6v to the gauges and radio via a converter. I'm also going to install new valve guides and springs, install oil filtration and pcv systems, port the block and re-shape the combustion chambers and add a dual header while the engine is removed. I'll post trials and errors here as I get around to it. If anyone has installed a remote spin-on filter system, please weigh in. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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Well like Johnny Cash said, I've got the only one there is around. The cool factor is pretty intact ;) People love it because it's so rare. In fact most passersby ask me who makes Packards.

I live in Central California where getting on the freeway at less than 60 will get you killed ;) I am also getting about 16 or 17, but I'd much rather get 20 or 21 at over $4/gallon. Doing 2200 RPM at 65 is probably better for the engine than over 3000 too, right?

well a few reasons, it needs to be rebuilt because it still has all the original linings in it and it builds low pressure in reverse and high gear. But mostly, I live in a remote area and most car shows / fun stuff to do is at least 30 miles away. My first plan to get the increased speed and economy of an overdrive was to install a divorced unit, but everybody wants an arm, leg, kidney, and your first born for one of those.

Thank you very much for going to all this effort, Blackbeerd. My friend who will be working on this project works at Wilcap, they make reproduction Ford flathead v8 heads and transmission adapters for other combos. Our adaptor plate will be drilled for a GM starter and flex plate, so I'm not sure if we need to locate the factory starter holes. I'll forward this to my guy. Again, thanks very much! I'll add to this thread as we do the swap.

That would be incredibly awesome, thanks in advance Blackbeerd!

Hi Blackbeerd, can I trouble you to take a picture of the back of the engine and to measure the spacing of the bellhousing bolts and flywheel to crankshaft bolts? We may also need to measure how far the crank flange sticks out past the bellhousing mounting surface, but I think that's all we need to engineer our adapter.

I picked up a Buick 200 4R transmission that I plan to install in my 51 model 200. A friend of mine at Wilcap is going to make me an adapter plate. I'm hoping somebody on this forum has their 288/327/359 engine on the ground or possibly an Ultramatic that can measure the bellhousing bolt spacing.