Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

FWIW, I've done several floor shift conversions for 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawks with the Borg-Warner T85 transmission. Not easy, but not impossible for a good shadetree.

Tip: Have the transmission on the bench to fab the mounting brackets and shifter rods.

jack vines

If you have everything as noted in your e-mail please call me Tuesday West coast time. If all is as noted i will forward a cashiers check plus shipping when it clears you can ship all.
This inquiry is for the overdrive tranmission and pars complete.
My only question is how much of the electronics and parts to install the pedals are with the parts.
John Miller
209-581-1105

If you have everything as noted in your e-mail please call me Tuesday West coast time. If all is as noted i will forward a cashiers check plus shipping when it clears you can ship all.
This inquiry is for the overdrive tranmission and pars complete.
My only question is how much of the electronics and parts to install the pedals are with the parts.
John Miller
209-581-1105

If you have everything as noted in your e-mail please call me Tuesday West coast time. If all is as noted i will forward a cashiers check plus shipping when it clears you can ship all.
This inquiry is for the overdrive tranmission and pars complete.
My only question is how much of the electronics and parts to install the pedals are with the parts.
John Miller
209-581-1105

Is posting three times equivalent to writing in ALL CAPS?
Haha, I've also made such things. Good luck on The conversion.

I've done this conversion twice..Take your time and make sure you have the Packard Service Manual for reference. Make sure the hole the shift lever fits into in the shift column is not worn beyond use. Replacing the shift indicator plate with the plain one is a bear.

No it is OOP's or a senior moment.
John Miller

John,

Ross did the manual shift conversion on my '55 Clipper. I am most pleased with the shift-it-yourself transmission, and I am sure you will be too. He is a great guy to deal with.

I drove a '56 Four Hundred that had an overdrive transmission fitted when looking for a V-8 Packard/Clipper a few years ago. It was a nice driving car. Don't know what axle ratio was fitted.

My Clipper with the 3:54:1 gear set is a good set up. I do a lot of 2nd gear driving around town and highway cruising is at a relaxed rate.

The manual trans has a speedo gear for the 3.9 axle so the speedo reading is off by about 10% on the slow side. Not a big deal.

(o[]o)

I realize this is a relatively old thread. I think the question was posted early on in regard to how many 1956 Packard 400s were delivered from the factory with the manual transmission. An owner in Pennsylvania who has one said that just 30 were built.
1. Is 30 a correct number?
2. Is the type of transmission entered on any i.d. tags?
3. Was the manual transmission offered across the whole Packard line-up? If so...
4. Is it known how many Caribbeans were built with the manual transmission?
5. What is the benefit of the manual?

I'll probably get some disagreement, but I'll take a shot at it. Mike Grimes has studied the Caribbean data extensively and might have more to offer.

1. No records have ever surfaced with that information to my knowledge. The only way to know would be to have access to and review all the build slips/shipping orders for the 400s. Thirty might be correct, but more likely is probably no more than a guess.

2. The Utica engine number indicates if the engine was built with a flywheel for a manual trans or a flex-plate for Ultramatic. If on a model where the manual transmission was standard, Twin Ultramatic would have been noted on the build slip/shipping order.

3. Not offered on Caribbeans.

4. None documented as installed by the factory in 1956 as shown by analysis of the build slips, additionally there was no Utica engine code for a Caribbean engine with a flywheel. Some dealer conversions are known. I assume the situation was the same for 1955 Caribbeans but don't know that for a fact - never seen an analysis of the 55 Caribbean build slips.

5. Come on West, what kind of a question is that? Surely you know.