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Hello,

I recently saw a 53 Packard Mayfair for auction and this had me wondering.

Is a 53 or 54 a better choice mechanically than a 55 or 56?

Is the straight 8 with automatic transmission better than the V8 with automatic transmission?

The 53 Mayfair I saw was very appealing. Its appearance to me at least seemed more appealing when I think of the body and beltline.

How involved is a change from 6 volt to 12 volt and can air conditioning and disc brakes be retrofitted to any of these years.

Thanks,

Richard

IMO, Mechanically the 53 and early 54 had the bugs worked out and are quite reliable cars. Styling wise, I like the 54s a bit better because of the trim refinements and also the effort made to the shorter wheelbase junior hardtop and convertibles to make them appear and be equipped like the 54 full seniors. The 54 Pacific which replaced the Mayfair is a particular favorite of mine.

Mechanically for 54, the aluminum head on the bored and stroked 53 327 which was used as the basis for the 54 359 was a weak link. Many are still functional but many have also been replaced with the earlier cast iron heads. The late 54 Gearstart Ultramatic was a first version so there was a bit more refinement needed. Behind the lower horsepower inline 8 it did not have as many problems as the 55s but for that reason and the scarcity of 54 Gearstart parts, if you are thinking of a 54 I would get one with the regular Ultramatic.

55 and 56 are quite appealing style wise, but they did have some teething problems with the new models. The TL had the components all under the car in 55 so there were some water issues if the waterproofing failed. 55 Twin Ultra was essentially the 54 Gearstart with those early and not quite worked out issues installed behind a high horsepower engine also with not quite worked out issues. The transmissions and engines did cause the reputation to suffer.

Some like the 55 styling better than the 56 facelift but if I had the choice it would be the 56. To my mind, the facelifted body refined and finished what was a good start. A significant portion of the early mechanical issues were worked out for 56 and they were considered much more reliable. If the car was dealer serviced, the 55s had a lot of the 56 changes retrofitted and were made much more reliable than when new. If you are thinking of a 55, with the vision of hindsight and things learned over the years, there is no need for them to be avoided now. It is a matter of preference.

Converting a 53 or 54 to 12v is not an insurmountable issue and several have done it. Doing it properly and changing out needed components does require some $$. There are no 6v AC units made so in reality, other than getting a 55 or 56 to start with that would be the least expensive way of adding modern AC to a 53 or 54. AFAIK, none of the aftermarket AC places make kits specifically for Packards so it will be a matter of fabricating your own brackets etc to adapt a universal system. Ross has come up with an easy to make compressor bracket for the inline 8 so that is one hurdle down. Belts are the other issue and there are several different approaches there.

If you want disc brakes, Kanter and others have kits.

Hello Howard,

Thanks for replying.

I continue to learn.

Your comments on the aluminum head and the Ultramatic transmission are very helpful.

The 53 Mayfair I saw was up for auction and went for a price within my range when the time comes.

The car looked good inside and out and under the hood. It was an older restoration but the car was clean inside and under neath.

It was the ivory/beige with a maroon top.


There is a picture of one like it in the photo gallery.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Richard