Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Not a factory illustration nor the best of photographs but take a look at the filter installation on this 23rd series Custom 8 victoria taken at Warren last year. This engine is a 356 so the filter would have been standard equipment and appears to be the correct unit, mounted correctly.

The same filter, PA 395488, was specified for all 1948 thru 1954 except the six cylinder taxis and some ambulances and hearses. Hope this is helpful.

As an aside, there is considerable uncertainty about the correctness of a 356 engine in green as late as the 23rd series. Both major Packard clubs say it should be gray, there is scattered anecdotal evidence that some might have been green. Also the air draft tube between the fan and the oil filler cap would only be correct on the 356 thru 1947 I believe. But still it was a stunning car, exterior was Golden Green metallic, code F, a 22nd series color. I believe the air filter decal is incorrectly placed, and the oil filter lines should not be painted, but again the filter is correct. Thus are the hazards of making authenticity decisions from restored cars.

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I definitely am concluding that my filter was added at a later time. Swapping it for the earlier version would be my preference...but finding one of those for sale could be difficult if not impossible!

I don't think it's impossible, the filter was an option on the lowerer end models (those w/o hydraulic lifters I believe) so there's been a demand by those owners to find them and install them. But the factory offered kits for dealers to install filters and I do see these from time to time at reasonable prices. Keep an eye out and I suspect you'll find one reasonably soon.

I applaud your desire to "do it right".

Shouldn't the oil filler tube be painted black instead of engine color? I thought I was reading someone's restoration blog (BigKev maybe?) and they were told it should be black.

My '47's 356 has a Fram filter. There is one decal on the cover and two decals on the band. It has the oil breather vent tube and is mounted similar to Owen's photo.

(o{I}o)

Fram, Fram, Fram! Thanks JW, the other vendor was Fram, not AC. And yes, a 1947 356 should have the draft tube. There's an interesting service letter in 1940 or 1941 where they originally had a lower oil filler tube on the 356 engine and found the oil filter was blocking the air flow to the oil filler cap air inlet, so they extended the oil filler tube and put in the horizontal tube. That service letter is somewhere on this site if you rattle around a bit.

If you look at my blog, the oil filter filler tube is engine color (gray), but the filler cap is black.

kev - presume you meant "filler" tube, not "filter tube"?

Yes of course....just fat fingers on my part. Good catch!

The picture Owen_Dyneto posted shows the filler neck as black. I wonder which is correct? On my car the neck looks black and I believe it is original.