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

Is there a way to tell if the car (200 series) has a 288 or a 327 engine? This car is equipped with an Ultramatic. I see standard equipment is listed to be a 3 spd manual.

Thanks John

Check the motor number on the side of engine just below the head. Should be on a smoothed pad either above the starter or near the distributor.

If it still has the original 51 engine the 288 will be J2XXXXX and the 327 5 main will be J4XXXXX. Any other starting letter will be an engine out of a different year. There is a serial number chart in the literature section which will help decipher the motor numbers.

Okay thanks.... John

May i ask a question on these lines>?

i picked up an engine trans combo.

the numbers : N3xxxxx making it a Packard replacemnet engine correct? with solid lifters?

i got it for my 52 deluxe with came special with the K4 motor ( 327 hydraulic )

did these replacement motors really come with solids lifters>

does any body know the story on these replacements?

i would go out and get a picture. but i am sure you guys know what it looks like.

Service engines appear to be one of those gray areas. Don't believe anything official has been posted or mentioned actually denoting the N as a service engine but since Packard never used N as a year designator in normal production it leads to that conclusion.

There are some service counselor articles saying all service engines are equipped with hydraulic lifters. Dec 1951 issue covering the 51 and 52 engines is one and it goes on to state that when replacing an engine to stamp the H for the hydraulic option after the motor number. There are a couple of articles in the Sept-Oct 54 timeframe. First says all 51-4 service engines are hydraulic and configured for Ultramatic and tells the service guy what to change if installing in a manual car. The second article in 54 brings questions because it cancels the previous article saying all 51-4 service engines had hydraulics and corrected it as only referring to 54 engines. It stated the numbers given in parts manuals were to be used for service engine replacement on 51-3 cars. If that is the case, unless the factory designated those various replacement numbers to that mentioned service engine it would appear solid lifters might have been available.

I can't find the article right now but believe there was also a bulletin from the Stude era stating the warehouse had found some leftover 51-4 engines but don't recall if the article mentioned how they were equipped.

I want to ask another question. For 1951 would 288 or 327 engines have hydraulic lifters if they are in automatic transmission equipped cars? Or can is it still solid lifters in a 200 series car?

John

IIRC Hyd on the 327 in 51 and 288's were solid. I have had a few persons contact me wanted up upgrade from solid to Hyd. Unfortunately, they are not interchangeable.

I have a 288 in house with solid and a 327/Ultramatic with Hyd.

I have a 327 with solid lifters so apparently it was done on occasion and as I recall it also has one of the replacement numbers.

To my knowledge, regardless of transmission, the 327 was never offered with solid lifters. Beginning in 1951 hydraulic lifters were optional on the 288, standard on all others.

The 327 in the 22nd/23rd series [Super 8's] had solid lifters (per the Owners Manual) and I believe several other years/models following also had solid lifters on some of the 327s.