Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Thanks to Riki for providing a modified Packard oil pump for examination.

Whomever did this modification started with a 1/2" steel plate, had it Blanchard ground to .4725" thickness,


In the inside of the cover plate, they drilled a stopped hole and inserted a bronze bushing. Then, they pressed the drive shaft through the driven gear .375" to run in the bushing in the cover plate.


This moves the hole in the collar down right next to the pump body.


The cover plate is retained by cap screws.


All in all, not a bad fix, but not the way I decided to do it. I use a cast iron plate, so no bronze bushing is required. Also, I bore out the pump body where the drive shaft runs, press in and ream a longer cast iron bushing to increase the bearing area.

jack vines

The thick plate and bushing looks very much like the PI mod but don't remember looking to see if there was any top bushing in mine. Probably not. I just reread their sales argument and explanation of the problem. They concentrated on the bottom pot metal plate swelling as the cause. Said nothing was wrong the the rest of the pump or the design.

It mite be good idea to drill a small relief hole in the bottom plate near center of the bushing to relieve any oil pressure that mite try to push the bushing up the bore.

Some 8 years ago i had a v2v telephone discussion with the PI man in charge of the PI mod. He indicated that they do nothing to the pump except to add the plate at the bottom and push the shaft firther thru the gear. The PI mod ASSUMES starting with a good pump. NOT a pump that needs to be rebuilt. Therefore: "they do not rebuild the pump, they redesign it".

During the 1997 to 2001 time frame the PI web site indicated that the Packard oil pump as delivered from the factory was known to wear out in as little as 25K miles.

I am fully confident that the lower bushing IS needed. About 80% confidence level that the vacuum pump is trouble spot. In my opinion the vacuum pump is cheap, chincy POS that i do not wnat in my engine.

HH56 Quote:

Of course that's debatable isn't it? I'm not accusing Jack, Howard or Keith of defending this modification as being equal to or superior to the Olds pump & adapter solution. For the record, I am just pointing our some known deficiencies of the PI solution:

1. It does not address the normal wear of the housing, gears or upper driveshaft bearing of a 55+ year old assembly.

2. It does not address the inadequate design of the oil pressure relief (too small of a sleeve/spring when compared to the Olds pump).

3. It does not address the placement of the bottom of the pump with respect to the bottom of the pan (Olds pump is at the bottom, Packard is 3IN above).

4. It does not address the probable engine need for extra oil delivery volume due to wear in all lubed areas (lifter bores, bearings, etc.). Even the Olds "standard volume" pump has higher volume than the Packard original capability.

Craig

I'm not defending or promoting PI's approach. I agree that other faults have been discovered and other and perhaps better options are available. I even ordered one of Craig's last Olds kits but since the car rarely leaves the garage anymore, just haven't put it on.

I was stating what was said as PI's reasoning for the mod. PV8 mentioned the 97 to 01 timeframe when he talked with them. The article I mention was from their projects catalog from 1980 so not much of their thinking changed in 20 years.

Back then stock factory and the PI mod was about all that was known to be available. I know Bob Aller's mod was not mentioned when I ordered my PI mod.

JV. The upper "dowel" of the pump. That is the cylindrical portion that indexes into the main bearing cap concentric with the shaft. Is the small 1/4" hole in the side of the dowel left open or was it plugged???

HH56 Quote:

Just to clarify the situation for some of the more recent members of PackardInfo.com:

1. Eric, Keith and myself jointly developed the Olds pump and adapter kit. The kit consists of an adapter plate and adapter driveshaft plus mounting hardware and gasket.

2. I used a local retired machinist & friend to custom make small batches of adapters as demand required. IIRC, over the years, I sold over 60 units with 100% satisfaction.

3. When my friend got ill and later passed, I asked Jack Vines to take over production and sales. Jack was kind enough to do so and one can currently buy the adapter kit from him. His adapter blocks and driveshafts are CNC'd, so are superior in consistency to the ones I had made. Jack also sells both the standard and high volume Olds oil pumps for a "one stop shopping" experience.

Like Howard, some Packard V-8 owners have bought kits from both myself and Jack strictly for preventive purposes. Since changing the oil pump with the engine in the car can be a PITA, that's probably wise until it's necessary.

Contact Jack Vines via PM, email or phone to order yours. I forward all inquiries to me on to Jack.

Craig

Maybe this particular pump IS a PI mod????? IS there any evidence of a bushhing in the top shaft support housing or any significant wear on the shaft or maybe an oversize shaft??? (IIRC OEM shaft diameter 0.492")

Measure the external height of the "dowel" that protrudes from the pump body. Compare that to an unaltered OEm dimension. I'm guessing about 3/32" has been removed from the top of the dowel. REmoved so that the roll pin could be installed. Otherwise it would be below the top of the dowel if shaft is pushed 3/8" or more thru the end of the gear.

Craig. There is no doubt about it. The Olds pump conversion kit is superior to anything or any attempts gone before it.