Packard Forum Index » Modification Discussion

I'm waiting on the driveshaft and my conversion to a GM transmission will be done ('52 327).
The adapter (from Bendtsens) went in very easily. Just a slight modification to the crossmember and shifting linkage...I fabricated a mount further forward and floor mounted the shifting linkage.
Bendtsens were great to work with and produce a quality piece of machined aluminum. It comes with everything needed including a GM high tourque starter (I converted to 12 volt a long time ago). They started producing these adapters in '09 and have sold 3 to date (mine being the third and only one they sold this year).
The weight savings was 135 lbs!
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the driveshaft will be in before I put my car up for winter storage....it spit snow yesterday!

Does Bendstens make an adapter for the Packard V8????? Which GM trans are u going to use?????

Mite be a better idea to have the prop shaft custom made AFTER the trans is bolted and secured into place.

I think he's saying it's in and that's all he's waiting for. I was looking at that exact same kit. If putting seals in my ultramatic doesn't make it A-OK, i might use that kit to put a 2004r in. The overdrive would be nice and i'd like the pickup of the other gears. At $800, the kit's as pricey as a tranny though. Still, if you get a tranny around a thousand, still cheaper than having the ultramatic professionally gone through. Still would have to convert to 12v though, and my 6v system is working awesome.

I wondered if you could still use the ultramatic shift linkage, and take the little PNHLR glass window off the top of the column and make one from plexiglass in the same shape and letter it with the correct pattern once you got the linkage to hook up and in place.

Let us know how you feel about the swap when done!

The window will remove easily enough and there was a sort of decent looking repro made for the Chrysler conversion but don't remember by whom. Getting the stamped and gold indented letters look like the originals is a problem without the whole process and one I saw years ago was not there. I think it might have been done with an engraving machine like they use for nameplates but it was presentable.

Believe this particular trans adapter came up in a thread last year and the poster who had been in contact with mfg said there would not be any V8 ones.

" Still would have to convert to 12v though, and my 6v system is working awesome."

Mite be easier to mount an auxillary 12v alternator to the front of the engine and an aux 12v battery JUST for the starter. Leave the rest of the 6v system as-is.

A small Kubota alt. (about $60) or Suzuki Samuri $100 alternator mite do the the trick. Small, ez to mount.

My preference would be to go with a Delco big alternator tho.

Or rather than a separate battery and alternator, something like this--although price probably as much and longevity probably less.antiqueautobattery.com/accessories.html

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Wow thanks for the blog! I had often thought about upgrading the Trans with more shifting options. I had actually stood over a 200r4 looking down at it one day years back thinkg Packard; But I passed.

HH56 good find I wonder of the durability of it and if it can run multiple items on it?

I am also thinking of A/C now that I moved to Las Vegas and after this last summer (Brutal)I may spend some time in the junk yard,finding all the mounting and accessories I may need for a 12v on the side to run multiple options.

Looking forward to your results on the trans blizpack I hope it all works out well!!

HH56's suggestion on the 6/12v battery mite be the best option. I didn't know they had those now.

The OLD 12v batteries from about 1973 or so used to have the cell bars nearly exposed along the top of the battery. One could drive a nail in the middle bar to pic up 6 volts. Not sure how one would do that on a modern so-called maintenance free battery tho.

If the starter motor is eleminated from the the cirsuit then a large battery post and large cables is not needed.

The starter motor is what requires such a large post and cable. Everything else can be run off of something like 8 gauge wire connected to the battery at a 6v bar.

Horn is about the only other electrical item on a car that sucks big amps but that's only intermitent. 3rd item is probably heater motor.

I'm now wondering if there is some way to tap 6 (or even 8) volts from a MODERN 'sealed' 12v battery in a reasonably safe and reliable way.

Turbopackman and i had a good thread going over homebrew AC and ways to get it working with 6v, etc. Here's some finer points:

a) Might as well make it a 12v system, because it won't be original after you make your own ac anyways. Or just weld the clutch closed and run ac all the time when the car is running and remove the belt in cold weather (how it used to be done)


b) there is a battery that has 12v and 6v posts on it and could fit in our long packard tray. It was pricey ( i think like $300) and they specifically said it's to work a 12v starter or boost some extra juice into your 6v system for a second, NOT to run AC or accessories. It charged off of a stock 6v system, no rewiring.

c) if you want 12v and to look stock, summit has an alternator built into a generator looking case. Looks great and is a modern alternator. Was like $300 of i recall properly.

d) a sanden compressor needs 7.5v of power to hold the clutch closed. a 6v system might suffice, or you could adjust your system to give you a little bit more juice, or you could be one of the guys with an 8 volt battery, or try some kind of step up device to run just the clutch.


For cost, the cheapest thing to do is convert to 12v when you convert your tranny so you can use that starter. To get done with the least amount of work, throw one of those batteries in there that's 12v and 6v posted and be done in 1/4 the time.

antiqueautobattery.com/accessories.html

The problem you are going to have with welding the clutch is there still has got to be anther way to regulate evap temp. In days where clutch ran all the time it was at first by hot gas bypass using electrical or mechanical valves to short circuit the refrigerant. Some then went to suction throttling to "starve" the evaporator and then POA valves to keep internal pressure above a specific point. If you do not regulate the temperature to above freezing (most are kept approx 40-45 degrees), evaporator will freeze solid in short order. Unfortunately, some of those temp components are almost as scarce as 6v units and sometimes have their own issues.

After giving the 6-12 battery more thought, the problem of how the 12v total will charge with 6v is the issue. I believe the battery is normally configured as 2 6v cells in parallel and is charged via the normal methods. The solenoid (probably intermittent duty) places them in series when starting and then drops back to parallel. Not sure this would work for AC even if the solenoid were changed because it could never charge properly as long as AC were on.

Changing to an 8v battery, if the Sanden does indeed pull and stay in at 7.5v would think the best suggestion other than changing to full 12. 8v batteries were very common in the day and not too many would raise more than half an eyebrow. Issue there is still how to drive the evaporator fan. The only 6v fan motors I can find are heater type and they are pretty small for the typical demand of AC.