Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Quote:

Not sure about the 6 cyls, but all Stude V8's from the 232 thru the 304 had forged cranks & rods as well as gear driven cams. Also 5(?) head bolts per cyl. One article I read said the original designers back in 1949-50 anticipated that future higher HP output would be achieved thru higher compression ratios and they planned accordingly. Dick Dotson, Ted Harbit & others have teased 600+ HP out of stock blocks & bottom ends using high boost single & twin turbos with good reliability.

Studebaker had their own foundry, and made all their own forgings.

And as some of us will recall from a prior discussion, Packard sold their foundry and forge in 1954.

Studebaker had their own foundry, and made all their own forgings.
Having a foundry and doing forgings are two separate endeavors. Can you please verify the info. It's not that I doubt you, but sometimes facts are inferred from info and are not accurate. I know this from research in another field.
Also, I worked in a foundry for several years and we also did heat-treating - two separate disciplines. We did not do forgings.
Thanks in advance.

A Studebaker expert in South Bend was consulted and here is his answer:

[quote]All of Studebaker crankshafts were forgings produced by the Wyman-Gordon Company in their Chicago plant. The machine work on the cranks were done in-house by Studebaker. Those forged Packard V8 crankshafts were service parts designed and produced after the casting pattern equipment for the Packard cranks was lost or destroyed along with those for the blocks and heads. For some reason, the manual transmission bellhousing pattern seems to have survived as there are some with later casting dates.

Studebaker engineers believed in forged cranks and they chose to produce a forging instead of having another casting pattern made. The forged cranks were never installed in anything by S-P. They were strictly Service Department replacement parts supplied once the cast cranks were NLA. This further suggests the 1959 SSB indicates the beginning of forged crank production.[/quote]

jack vines

Jack, thanks so much for looking further into that. I also spoke with a serious Studebaker fan who confirmed to me that all Studebaker crankshafts for the V8s from the get-go until the end of the Stude-built engines were forged by an outside vendor and finished in-house. I'd guess the Packard cast cranks were done by Lakey Machine & Foundry in Muskegon, though I've not noticed their logo on them, that's the same firm that cast the V8 engine blocks, heads, and many other parts; their casting mark was the superimposed "L" over the center of a "C". Another well-known casting house that did such work, alot for the independents including Hudson & Nash was Campbell, Wyant & Cannon whose casting mark was "CWC".

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Never underestimate the Service Index here for finding information you are seeking:

https://www.packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/SC/SB-350.pdf

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Kevin, what is the date of that entry in the Service Index?

And it is good to have verification as to how Stude got their forgings and castings done.
Owen just told me it is 1959.

Wait a minute. We mite still have a little problem here. Or maybe my factory parts cataloug is not up to date.

From p 83 engine section Nov 1 1955:

440594 for 5540
440913 for 5560-80
476009 for ALL 56th.

NOTE the 440913 ENDS IN A "3".. NOT a "2". AND is for 5560 thru 5580 NOT 5522,42 and 47

my parts book page 83 says "revised july 1, 1956"
page 68 of the index says "440913 476009"
which indicates part number 440913 was superceded by 476009.

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