Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I was playing around with this very thing last night. Good to know that others are doing this if it does not get any better. Was taking it easy on it not knowing the extent of the potential issues.

hi, Craig, I have, you burn fuel, but you move!!

Hi and welcome!
I too belong to the "feather shift" club - I hardly know I'm doing it anymore. The biggest help I have found for long sleeping T-Us is driving them.. When I first drove my '55 after all the service work I didn't think I'd make it home (mine sat for a shade under 30 years). I made sure all the linkage was adjusted properly, and the shop did the pan remove and clean then resolved to drive it until it was cured or killed. Fortunately, it has more or less cured it's self.

Someone here and I'm sorry I don't remember who, said the sometimes if these units were rebuilt, they used GM friction material. If so, I belive it means leaning to the GM type fluid - if not - Type F. While I run Type F in my '51, I'm running Type FA (a sort of blend of Type F & A)in my '55.

The main thing is just give it time as you'll have more than one issue you'll be dealing with. The first is the transmission just waking up (hopefully not as dramatically as mine) and at the same time evaluating transmission fluids.

Good luck.

My 1955 400 transmission does the exact same thing as the original posters does. Mine is a 51,000 mile original car that does not appear to have been ever abused either. I dropped the transmission pan (it was very clean) and refilled the unit with B&M trick shift fluid. No improvement.

How hard would it be to drop the transmission and just replace the direct drive clutch plates? I've been thinking about doing this.

JW,while it is out , you need to replace bushings, direct drive is only one plate,,,high range has multi-pack, plates,

if you follow the book it is not all that hard to rebuild, just there are up grades, people here can explain,

I think some of them did that from the day they were new.

Packard started recommending friction modifiers (read Dexron) for the trans probably in a effort to stop the noise.

The wierd part is how the noise is intermittent.

You may find the pressures are good.

The only zone for intermittent pressure drops is in the governor circuit - if the flyweights act up every now and then it may be affecting the direct lockup.