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G'diaye, suh. Much obliged tuh joine as soon as the deal
Closes.

to Reggie(flyntgr) for including his '54 Pacific Hardtop in the Packard Owner's Registry.

In addition to the photo I added to Reggie's Registry entry there were a number of emails and PM's back and forth which Reggie is permitting me to post here. I've lightly edited them to protect both the innocent(Reggie) and the guilty(me)!

"Your corrections and additions to my registry info is much appreciated, as I did not know the true VIN until NOW. The car was titled with the engine number in Texas, so I am forced to perpetuate that VIN for state registration, but I did suspect the 5477 2509 sequence was the true vin according to Packard."

AND

"I have the door panels and all the chrome and stainless, and am rechroming most of the pot metal and polishing the stainless before reinstalling. The trunk of the car has been painted black and the firewall and front fenders are primed (1st coat), but will be blocked and primed two more times, then painted Chariot Red. The top will be painted black. The continental kit will be red with packard hubcap in middle with chrome surround.​"

AND

"I might have an early restoration pic I can send, too. They will paint some "color" on firewall Friday, I hope. Maybe things will pick up soon.
By the way, my continental kit has no name or stamp on it, but I wonder if you have any idea who manufactured this continental kit. The whitesidewall under the hubcap is simulated, not real. The hubcap is authentic Packard like the other four for the wheels."
Sorry Reggie, Continental Kits are way outside my area of inexpertise."

AND - The photos below

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Then I received another email from Reggie, together with photos, in which he said:

"This car was in a country grocery parking lot. The owner, Michael L. W...., had been working on it with his wife's help for the past 2 years. Mostly original, the Clipper runs great with a 3 spd manual and 2 bl. carb. He has a 4 bl car and Carter carb he will put on it soon. I hope he will join the village of Packardonians. What a shock to be traveling to the paint shop where my chariot red Pacific is getting a face job, and suddenly see another 1954 Chariot red 2 door where I thought there were few to none around. Just goes to show...."

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Interesting clutch pedal. Looks like the typical pedal, but turned 90 deg. so as to compliment the power brake pedal. We have seen a parts manual illustration with the pedal oriented in this position, but this is the first one I have seen in a Packard.

Is this the way Packard did the manual transmission cars with power brakes, or was the car converted from an Ultramatic and the pedal modified at that time?

JWL

That is a good question but as you said, the illustration of the horizontal pedal is in the 55-6 parts book. That one is on the brake pedal though. Maybe they were interchangeable???? The V8 clutch pedal shown is vertical and actually looks smaller unless it is just the comparison to the wide brake.

51-4 parts book shows a different clutch pedal top was specified for all models starting in 52 for use on cars with power brakes and it is the same one called for in the 55-6 book. It may be the horizontal top but like you, most all I have seen have been the manual brake vertical orientation.

Another curious thing is there is a different brake pedal top specified for 55 cars with manual suspension. Wonder what is different between the one called for when the car had TL.

All of the factory original stick with power brake cars I have seen have the clutch pedal horizontal to match the easamatic. Remember, a powerful lot of these cars have been converted to stick over the years. I have probably done ten of them. The donors are almost always non power brake cars so have vertical pedals.

It looks like his car was converted to stick. According to the dealer fact book, all Pacific models came with Ultramatic as standard equipment.

I thought Packard was the only luxury car mfg that would provide a standard trans if ordered even when Ultras were standard. It was a good job if converted. Can't tell if there is a hole or a cover plate but so many of the conversions leave the Ultra quadrant in place because they don't have a manual shroud for the column.

If you are referencing O.P.s car, it is a factory stick with electric overdrive, power steering, power brakes and power antenna. There are no signs of an automatic ever having been in this car. A wealthy family owned it when new, as they had an antique and furniture store in San Antonio, the Morans, and they rebuilt the engine and repainted the car in 1989, according to receipts I have in hand. I have a photo of some of the work they did on the car (including the continental kit) in 1989. It also has an electric seat, which I suspect is a replacement for the original power (pneumatic?) seat.Edit: The synchromesh column-mounted 3 speed stick and o.d. were optional; automatic was standard, but not included on this particular car. They donated the car to a charity around 1990, and the car sat in an airplane hanger until 2016. It took about 30 minutes to get it running after changing the plugs, oil, filter and adding a fresh battery.It smoked a lot when first started, but that phenomenon has faded away like the good old soldier it is. I am thrilled that it should be running the highways soon-AND with a working air conditioner!

The aluminum head apparently went bad because it has a cast iron Thunderbolt 327 head installed now. If the head is a 1954 stock head, then the compression ratio is almost identical to that of the aluminum head in this 359 cid engine. The car runs very well and drives, but needs a new clutch, pressure plate, etc., all of which are on hand pending the paint job. All fluids have been changed, and the overdrive probably works, but I have only driven the car a mile since I've had it because the clutch is obviously hurting painfully when shifted, and the car shakes. It could need rear end repair.

Oh, and it also has an after market a/c, cruise control (see chain on clutch pedal), stereo radio with six speakers, and a modern alternator mounted on the wrong (passenger) side of the engine. A modern a/c was also added at that time. Lots to do, so little time, and the bill keeps adding up.

There is no spare tire, but I have found a wheel off a Packard with 15" steel rims, and will ad another wsw radial in the proper size as the spare. Curiously enough, the green bumper jack came with the car and looks authentic. I will post a picture of it later.

If you have any questions, I would be pleased to answer them. Reggie