Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I recently got to drive a 56 Clipper Custom 2 dr. hardtop with completely rebuilt 352. I've driven many straight 8 Packards and even one 12 cylinder but this Packard V-8 was hands down the best for me. Great power, rides great and looks even better, it would cruise all day at 70 mph with plenty of power to pass when needed. I still like the 400 2 dr. hardtops looks better but this Clipper Custom was way cool. It had been converted to the Crhysler tranny and I can't imagine the Ultramatic could be better. I'm a stickler for original but since no one can see the tranny and it's so reliable I'm OK with it.
Can the Ultramatics be rebuilt to be as reliable as the Chrysler tranny that many are converted to?
One more thing, I love the nice rumble from the big ole Packard V-8. Not too loud but lets you know it's there and won't take any crap.

I don't know of any automatic can that can claim to be much more reliable and tougher than a Chrysler Torqueflite. But driven without abuse a properly rebuilt a Twin Ultramatic can give long service without problems.

I think the biggest problem with Ultra rebuilds is very few people will even agree to look at them and even fewer can do a proper job if they did take on the project. O_D said it all with "properly rebuilt".

I second the Torqueflite being a superb box but the ones that can make the conversions into Packards are approaching 40 years old or more. Those are bound to be getting scarce. I also wonder about the rest of the kit. IIRC someone just recently mentioned the builder of the conversion kits are no longer making them.

It may be the GM trans with Bendtsen adapter kit is the unit of choice or availability now. The maybe half dozen people doing good Ultra rebuilds are bound to retire some day and that won't leave much to go with.

Owen_Dyneto Quote:

I agree. The T-U in my 55 Pat was O'hauled by Trowbridge Automotive (Portland, OR) in the late 1990s, before I bought it. I know this from receipts in the glove box. I presume it was upgraded to 1956 parts by them at that time since they had been servicing Packards for years. The T-U has given flawless service to this day and I drive it a lot.

I can't say as much for the original oil pump though, which was overhauled at the same time with the engine. The Olds pump conversion has been in the V-8 for years and gives flawless performance.

Craig

P.S. Knock on wood!

j leno took the 727 out of harolds 55 carib, and put the ultra matic in. think it had to do with vibration.

soon we will know how alum bronze bushings and needle bearings work, in the ultra,, since i now have engine almost ready to fire,up,,, next will be to get ultra together and test

Just had a 55 in with a VERY expensively rebuilt TU that would not shift. Parts in backwards, so no governor pressure. Throttle rod bent so trans was at kickdown even at idle. Valve body tightened down like it was a cylinder head so the shift valves were jammed in their bores. Sigh. If that is the kind of service they get, no wonder they have a reputation.

Shifts beautifully now.

No, they will not give the sparkling performance of a Torqueflite, but I find them really fun to drive as the shift points are so responsive to throttle pressure. I also really hate to hear the first gear whirr of a Torqueflight in a Packard. That was quite OK in my dad's Valiant or my mom's Fury but....

The biggest problem with the Ultramatic is what the old timers called "good ones and bad ones". The good ones ran for years and went to the junk yard. A lot of the bad ones never got used so a car might be low mileage because it caused a lot of trouble.

The two big problems with the Ultramatic is no soft parts and the lack of proper timing for the Drive-High shift due to a lack of an accumulator. If the turbine shaft were modified to accept soft parts many of the problems would go away. The second problem has been largely sorted out via different shift valve springs. A lesser problem is the two stage torque converter which compromises mid-range efficiency for breakway thus creating the "slushamatic" sensation.

The Packard V-8 has better mid-range torque thanks to the intake design so running the trans in high is acceptable for normal driving. The car does outperform the 56 Imperial from 0-60 so it is not a slouch, although I'm sure with TorqueFlite it will out perform the 56 300B.

Packard just didn't have the money to fix this stuff. However, they blew it back in the 30's when, rather than develop a manual planetary shift that allowed for silent shifting, they simply paid Cadillac royalties for using synchronizers. The planetary gearbox could then have been used as a platform for an automatic.

I know somebody whose father worked for Packard and they say it was a good place to work but they didn't have much money.

The 55 Patrician that started it all for me was great to drive.

The best way I can describe it, when the transmission went into lockup, the car just seemed to drop down, and the car would GO!

What makes the Ultramatic difficult to service, or rebuild?

What soft parts are not around?

I have met many Packard Club members that have rebuilt their own Ultrmatic transmission. They were from various backgrounds, so they were not all mechanics.

Since so many people have negative attitudes about the transmission, I would think there must be many parts available, just due to supply and not much demand.

The technology is from the 50's, the information on building them is known, the parts seem available from the Packard vendors.

So what makes them difficult?

What makes the Ultramatic difficult to service, or rebuild?

IMO, it is not that they are difficult -- it is they they are so different from others and not understood and in particular, how critical the clearances are. Add to that the fact Packard may have fixed some of the items but unless the rebuilder follows a forum where fixes are publicized, he would put the unit back together and probably miss several things that needed attention. V8 bugs like the destructive wave washer or loosening pot metal lever would never be known or corrected.

In the Ultras, you can throw the readily available all new bushings and soft parts into the unit but if the rebuilder doesn't understand the fluid flow and a shaft looks good but is worn and needs changing or a revised component won't work properly with something that didn't get changed, all those new components makes little difference at the end. The trans still doesn't work properly or the rebuild doesn't last long so it is just another one of those "lousy Ultramatics".

I was extremely fortunate in finding a rebuilder who studied the Ultramtic and knew how to rebuild them. His Dad, Irving Siegal owned three 55-56 Packards and Ron did a frame-off restoration on the 55 Patrician. He didn't replace the wave washer on my first rebuild, either because he knew about it, or saw what it did to the turbine blades. I did have to buy a complete turbine replacement because of the damage done.
I have driven my 400 over 40,000 miles and it is as strong as ever (famous last words). Friend Chris gave a master rebuild kit to his rebuilder and told him to use everything in the kit. The fellow gave him back several of the new bushings saying the originals "looked good". Chris never went back to that guy. Ron rebuilt my Caribbean trans also, but I haven't had it on the road yet. I am confident it will perform as well as the 400.