Packard Forum Index » Modification Discussion

Hey Guys,

I thought this came out pretty well, so I figured I would share it here. Two of my goals when putting my car back together was to run a modern aftermarket AC system, and to run a throttle body fuel injection system (FI tech), so this (plus the AC) meant I needed to do a 12v conversion as well.

I will be posting some more info in the future, but for now, here is the *mostly* finished setup.

The main components are modified March small block Chevy short water pump crank and waterpump pulleys, a custom machined crank adapter, and some custom brackets and a small 0.1" spacer to line the WP pulley up with the crank.

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Jeffrey for responding to this, but even from this part of the world had a hard time focusing on the photo.

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Very ingenious with the serpentine belt and accessory mounting. Will it be hard to attach the front motor mount or will that be easy to slide in behind the plate holding the idler pulleys and compressor? Where will the oil filter mount now that the alternator has mostly taken its place and are you keeping the stock canister setup?

Sorry about the photo, it shows upright on my computer, but sideways in the post..If I click on the image it shows it upright as well, so

Everything is above the engine mount, so access shouldn't be an issue.

The Brackets have bolts welded on to it moving the canister filter ~1" backwards.

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Filter fits nicely. Are you going to have the space to mount the 356 ventilation tube and still get the canister cover off or had your vent tube disappeared over the years? Packard introduced the vent tube to force air thru the oil fill cap and down into the crankcase to help control the rusting and sticking valves 356 engines were prone to suffering. With the alternator and filter low like you have them it may not be needed anymore since nothing appears to block air flow.

The mount I was thinking of is the horseshoe with legs that extend down either side to the front crossmember. I don't see it mounted in the photo -- just see the top support where it bolts but if that car used the same style as the Clipper, one of the legs will have to go near the idlers and it looks kind of close unless there is plenty of space behind the bracketry. The 356 only stabilizer mounts are the ones you show in the photo.

Howard, is this what you are referring to in the first paragraph (see photo)?

Also, I am not sure about the second paragraph. I am still unaware of the function of some of the components I still have. I'll probably start a "help me identify what these things are" type post in the prewar forum as I get the engine in and start putting the car back together.

It is exciting consolidating parts on the engine and being able to figure out where they go. Having piles of parts and pieces at the beginning of the project that was disassembled by someone else on a relatively unique car with little documentation was/is daunting.

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Also of note, the top alternator mount (slider) is actually the original generator upper mount, so I thought it was neat I was able to re-use that.

Some photos of the 356 front motor mount I am curious about. These are from a Clipper application. Again, I don't know if the conventional bodies used exactly the same shape but if you have something along these lines you might see if it will slide past the idlers and bracket.

Yes, that is the air tube I was referring to. It looks a bit low and close to the canister in that photo though. Here is what it normally looks like in position.

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It looks like the Oil Filler Cap was replaced with the E/C Air Filter Cap.
Wes

Howard,

Ugh, Yeah, that was one of the pieces I thought was a horn mount. Oops - looks like my grand plan for the accessory brackets has a critical flaw, pretty sure that is not going to fit Guess I'll have to see if there is a workaround before I start over.