Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

For Gear Head Tuesday, we have posted photos of "Roscoe's" fuel-injected '56 Executive along with some fascinating factory notes about the fuel injection program:

<https://56packardman.com/2016/09/27/gear-head-tuesday-fuel-injected-56-packard/>

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Very interesting. Thanks for also posting the link to the original article.

Of course today, one can retrofit a throttle body fuel injection setup available from many suppliers, but I don't know of anyone who's done that on a Packard.

thanks for sharing. looks like 1961 was a year of repair shop visits for this car.

I will be doing twin TBI on the constellation....but someone may beat me to it with as slow as I'm going.

Nice article.

I've been interested in Packard's fuel injection system(s) since I saw that B&W photo, looking down on the engine bay, many years ago - in a sidebar to a driveReport article on the 1956 Patrician, in the Sep.-Oct. 1976 Issue (#36) of SIA).

Packard clearly had ambitious plans for not only catching up, but pulling ahead of the competition.

Yet, you wrote that:

Quote:
That's news to me. I recall reading that Packard had, indeed, been working on a transaxle, but it's been my understanding that the Predictor was built on a box-stock 56 Clipper chassis - with Twin Ultramatic.

Now what is the horsepower rating on that engine with fuel injection, and is it a 352 or 374?

Fuel injection should NOT increase horsepower per se. But there are several other benefits that modern cars see, however modern cars have computers and sensors that were not available in 1956.

Craig

That set up sure looks similar to the Bendix fuel injection units that were optional on 1957 Rambler Rebels and a few Chrysler Corp cars. They differed greatly from the Rochester units on contemporary Chevys and Pontiacs which greatly outsold them.

I also have read that the Predictor was originally supposed to have a transaxle and IRS, but because of time and cost came out on a standard TL 122 inch chassis.

"I recall reading that Packard had, indeed, been working on a transaxle, but it's been my understanding that the Predictor was built on a box-stock 56 Clipper chassis - with Twin Ultramatic."

Yes, the Predictor was built on the first '56 Clipper hardtop chassis to come down the line at Conner. It was pulled from the line prior to body drop and sent to Ghia for conversion into the show car. The transaxle was part of the conversion. I'll look for the documentation on that ...

"Of course today, one can retrofit a throttle body fuel injection setup available from many suppliers, but I don't know of anyone who's done that on a Packard."

What is fitted to Roscoe's car is one of the prototype units from 1956 rather than a modern adaptation.

"That set up sure looks similar to the Bendix fuel injection units that were optional on 1957 Rambler Rebels and a few Chrysler Corp cars. They differed greatly from the Rochester units on contemporary Chevys and Pontiacs which greatly outsold them."

I asked Roscoe if it is a Bendix unit. He isn't sure and offered the possibility that it might be from another vendor. He wrote that Packard was looking at vendors other than Bendix for the MFI.