Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Quote:
Since the engines all look the same, if one does not check numbers it is easy to mistake them. We could be charitable and say the person doing it was not a Packard person and did not know the difference.

More likely it could be that something happened to the original engine in the days after Packard service had disappeared and before the internet and ready knowledge of suppliers was around. Clippers were much more plentiful than Patricians so if a Clipper version was readily available in a scrap yard and the availability of another engine was uncertain the decision could have been an easy one.

The 320 was only in 55 so I expect any of those added later would have been thru the junkyard route but Studebaker helped some 56 374 engines be incorrect. Toward the end of the run Studebaker parts had some mentions in their tech bulletins about the finding of many Packard 352 service engines stored in a warehouse. They wanted to move them and came right out and offered to sell them inexpensively to dealers who needed to replace a 352 or a 374. Told the dealers to tell the customers the smaller engine was available and the dealer could offer a terrific deal by using the 352s in place of the 374. If the customer agreed, both could save some money. Stude advised the dealers to repaint the engines in the proper bronze color to be indistinguishable from the 374.

One would hope all dealers would have told their customers about the difference but in the days where there were no real consumer laws I'd wager some did not and pocketed the difference.

Now that is some interesting history right there! I've never read that and I thought I read everything about Packard. Either way, I'll check the numbers, but if they don't match I won't be swayed....I'll just think about lightening my offer lol

I did find that it was sold in DE in January 2016, so I wonder what this fellow who is selling it was doing with it for a year. It's technically owned by a classic car "dealership" so I'm assuming they saw an underpriced car (on the expired ebay listing it was very underpriced) and a chance to make a good profit - no problem with that at all.

"I will enter it into the registry"

Trevor K.,

Looking forward to seeing it in there, once the deal is concluded!

Question: if the Patrician does actually have a Clipper engine installed, what would a reasonable offer be? I already have a figure in mind as to how much I'll drop my offer, but I want to be sure I'm not being unreasonable or too generous.

Also, did the Clipper engines have the same oil aeration issue? Or was that specific to the larger engines?

Trevor

All of the 1955/56 Packard V8 engines shared the same common design, differing primarily in displacement (bore), compression ratio, and carburetion. So yes, they shared the same strengths and weaknesses. While the oiling problem is common enough, it's by no means universal - there are plenty of these engines accumulating significant mileages with no problems, IMO a total explanation for the problem still lacks complete discovery.

Ok so I went and checked it out today, and brought along a fellow enthusiast. To lead off with, I won't be purchasing this Packard. Yes it does have a Clipper engine, but that alone wasn't enough to sway to me the "no" side of things.

The paint is in much worse shape than the pictures show. It is to the point where it's a question of whether or not it has to be repainted or not. There are several rust spots, a six in spot where the paint is completely missing, "eyebrows" look like they may have had filler, it has a sticking lifter and water intrusion to the point where I was able to squeeze water out of the carpet backing.

I'm a bit bummed but no doubt it'll make a great lite project for someone, just not for me, and not at their current price point.

That is too bad but I expect there is a Packard with your name on it somewhere out there. At least you had the opportunity to examine the car and find all that bad out before shelling out many $$. Keep the faith and the eyeballs peeled.

If nothing else, a great lesson in the importance of seeing the car in person, combined with the information you gleaned from the forum members regarding what to look for,etc.
Well done to walk away and keep looking. Plenty of cars are out there...

Which Clipper engine did it have? There were two sizes in the 55s - 320 for the deluxes and supers and 352 (same size as the Packards) for the customs. I believe the Packard 352 was rated a bit higher than the Clipper due to dual exhaust where the Clippers came with single.

(o[]o)

It was the 320 engine.