Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I've got a '54 327" 5-main engine with 4-bbl intake lying out in the boneyard.

Looking through the parts stash, I've got new intake and exhaust valves, but nothing else.

Those of you who've built one lately, what did you spend for parts and labor?

jack vines

Just finished a 51 300 327 and I spent $1000. for gasket kit, rings, bearings and valve job. I did all the labor pulling the engine and trans and reinstalling it. I probably spent another $1500. on sundry items and doing the interior, which I did myself as well. It has been a learning experience with a lot of frustration due to the fact I have never worked on a Packard before. Jim

First Jack, I would love for you to build an I8 as I would really enjoy hearing the insights and observations someone with your experience (and machine shop) would bring. You have knowledge of and access to suppliers the rest of us don't know about.

Lets see from the top of my head: pistons 270, rings 60, mains(5) 140, rods 140, chain 40, gaskets 170. Thereabouts. Often on those engines the crank doesn't need turning. You for sure will need wrist pin bushes and exhaust valve guides.

You can mount that engine on a stand from the driver's side using holes already drilled and tapped. Give it a go. I don't believe you will have any trouble selling it after it is done,

I just rebuilt my 1953 I8 327 9 main bearings. After an easy valve job by a friend I found a stuck hydraulic lifter and some teeth ground off my camshaft. I got a camshaft free. Bought main and rod bearings. New oil pump parts and a few hydraulic lifters that you will not have to worry about. Parts cost about $900 and labor was $750. I put the oil pump, head and distributor back on. I just started it up this week, it only took 6 months.
good luck and have fun.

Quote:

I've got two boxes full of bronze guides I got by mistake in a pallet-load of Packard V8 parts. The V8s don't have replaceable valve guides. Has anyone used bronze replacement valve guides in the I8s?

Also, speaking of wrist pin bushings, many of the V8s I build don't need the bushings replaced. Do the I8s wear pin bushings more than V8s or is it just because they're older and may have more miles on them?

FWIW, Packard offered oversized wrist pins as replacements. Kanter carried a listing for them in their catalog for years, but when I ordered some for a V8, they said they didn't have the OS pins and couldn't remember ever actually having them on the shelf.

jack vines

Jack, FWIW I've done perhaps 50 valve jobs on flathead engines, mostly Packards with a few Cadillac 346s, Mopars and an occasional Pontiac in the mix. Never have used bronze valve guides. They may be OK but to me, when in doubt, go with the original material.

Back to your question on rebuilding the I8s, they are as plain and simple as can be, the exception is that if a crankshaft from a 356 needs the mains turned, it's a considerable task and expense to remove and remount the counterweights.

Hi, Owen,

Since these bronze guides came from a Packard shop, I know they're used somewhere.

The bronze also cost 3-4 times as much as cast iron, so I want to get them to someone who will use them

jack vines

Well the day finally came and the beast came alive running on all 8, but, I have lifter noise on one. I had the tappets ground for each valve after the valve job. The motor has been run for about 30 mins. total and the noise persists. Should I run it longer to find out if the lifter will pump up eventually? ANother issue is I'm not getting my cut out relay on the regulator to work. In the trouble shooting it discusses high resistance in the field may be the problem. How do I find that? I do know that the battery will go flat if I don't disconnect it after use. Therefore I surmise that I have a constant hot lead going to ground somewhere. Any help would be appreciated. YOU PEOPLE seem to be the only real info out there. New mechanics don't have a clue without a computer hookup. I always look for the old guys.

I'd let the engine try a bit longer. Some have reported that it can take hours to get lifters completely quiet. If after an hour or two it is still not approaching satisfactory then investigate farther.

As to the regulator cut out, am assuming you mean it won't close so there is no charging. If so, I would polarize the generator again. With engine off but everything connected, briefly short the BAT and ARM terminals on the regulator together with a decent size jumper wire -- maybe a second or so. There will be a small spark but that is normal. Giving the generator field/arm steel a new magnetic base of the correct polarity might cure the problem. If still no charge, then you can move on to finding any high resistance or generator problem and the voltage leak. If you mean the cut out relay is closed all the time, that would be a big voltage leak and contacts could be welded shut. The generator would be fairly warm to the touch if not outright damaged if that has happened. Before suggesting other things and ways to check need to know the status of cut out.

On the high resistance question, you can disconnect the field terminal wire to check for resistance. The connection between regulator and generator field terminals is a straight wire so any resistance between the two terminals is bad. The generator field terminal eventually connects to ground thru the windings, armature and then grounded case. You should have essentially zero ohms between generator field terminal and chassis ground. The regulator has some resistors between its field terminal and ground but a pair of contacts should be closed shorting them out. You should read a zero resistance between terminal and ground there. If there is a resistance reading between field terminal and chassis ground, one of the contacts may not be making a good contact or the regulator may not be grounding well thru the mounting screws.

Also verify the generator has the ground wire connected to the screw on case and it has a solid connection to the connection at the headlight terminal block mounting screw to the fender and body. Model wiring between years is slightly different but the regulator must have a good solid ground reference point to the generator. That segment could be the high resistance the troubleshooting guide was referencing.

Sorry for my delay Howard but I took the Packard for it's first short drive to a local mechanic that allowed me to put my car up to check my work and do some things that were impossible on my driveway. When I arrived tranny fluid was leaking badly. I ended up pulling the trans again and replaced the seal going into the trans. That kept me busy for a few days that was meant to be a quick check on his lift. All is back together and after running the engine for a few minutes I heard a loud metallic clink and she purred. The hydraulic lifter finally kicked loose. As far as the power issue I'm still in quandry but you have given me good ideas to check. I know the generator is OK and I changed the regulator with no success. If I manually close the cut off A terminal I will get power. I want to check the ground at the headlight terminal as you had suggested because this seems to be a field issue. I will give you an update.
Jim