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Well, I finally got the transmission project done on the 52 Mayfair with the 374 V8 and it only took two years! My tranny guy was able to get a TH700 so I bought the conversion kit from Bendtsen in Ham Lake, MN. I got the car back about a month ago and I have to say I am very pleased with it. That overdrive gear makes all the difference. I can feel it kick in at about 50 mph and the car keeps up with traffic, and doesn't work very hard doing it.
I have put several hundred miles on it and it works great. Time will tell...

Hi ,
Well the Sierra ultramatic to 727 to 518 swap has been a hairy mess
I envy the 700 guys
The 6-12 v module to provide the 1 amp 12 v neg ground off the 6v pos system
to run the 45 ands 55 # pressure switches that lock the torc converter and cut in the overdrive didn't work at all it just got hot
So I bit the bullet and went 12 v neg ground

The x brace chopping to allow the extra trannie length was a lot o chopping
The shaft needs the Chrysler end at the front and the packard end at the back
The scrap guy didn't get the linkage with the trans I found to rebuild, so I went with an American shifter floor shift which looked good but requires an advanced degree in theoretical wave mechanics to assemble and no one in sales has a clue

There's an extremely helpful bunch in Alabama PATC who sell the adaptor kit from 727 to 518 a

The Sierra grove guys are out of biz now

You have to chop a hole in the floor and make a trap door to make a tranny filler and make the center hump taller
I tried it and maiden voyage ; NO SHIFT !,,

So I vote for the other swap the bengston one with the 700 r

The car waited so long to get this all sewn up that the radiator clogged up
so when cleaned it all goes back together I get to try to diagnose the shift deficit on my quest for the effortless freeway cruiser

In my view a lot of wasted time, effort and money. With the 3.54 rear axle that came with Ultramatic you should be able to cruise to your heart's content at 65-75 mph, and you probably shouldn't be going faster or you'll be outdriving the rest of the car's systems. And behind the straight 8 the Ultramatic should have a very long and trouble-free life if properly rebuilt.

Owen_Dyneto Quote:

I agree.

My Panther (nee Clipper Super) has a 3.07:1 rear gear and with the B-W T-10 4-speed I am using, highway cruising should be effortless. However, the T-10 I have is a "close ratio" which has 2.32:1 First gear. That'll make dead stop starts kind of stressful, but once rolling it should be great.

As you may recall, KevinAZ's 55 400 has one of the few 4L60E conversions. The gear ratios are like the 700R4, but it is electronic control. I rode in it at the PackardInfo meet in Laughlin a few years ago and that tranny is perfect for it.

Craig

I know little about transmissions but plan on using the 700r4 myself.
Maybe someone can answer a question for me. The 700r4 has a TV cable that runs to the throttle. Do I have to rig something up to my carburetor? Bendtsen's didn't provide any instructions with the adapter kit, only a parts list.

I think it depends on where you live. Here in Michigan the roads are shxt so driving an old Packard is out of the question. Besides that, Michigan drivers are among rudest so if it was possible to drive the car, a trans conversion is required to reduce being shot at for going too slow.

My commute is at 5am and I avoid most of these problems although I did have a gun pulled on me for driving too slow on a dangerously dilapidated road. Hopefully the Rouge bridge will collapse soon and the Federal Government will come in, take the money they need, fix the roads, and take over the state. Two people at work totalled their cars in potholes and another was assaulted when two of Michigan's rudest followed him into a store because he was driving under the speed limit on a broken down Michigan road. And don't even consider going to Flint.

I'm sorry to see the failure of the all hydraulic 727 conversion. However, I think the Borg Warner 3 speed would be a better choice if it could be done. You really need that first gear breakaway on today's roads.