Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Hey guys I have compiled a list of questions I have as a newbie with my 55 clipper constellation custom.
Question 1. My car did not come with the key what do you guys recommend for me to do for an ignition key,

Question 2. My car also did not come with the radiator. What do you think the cheapest solution for me is?

Question 3. How is the twin ultramatic transmission, do you like it?

Question for. What known an available transmission adapters are there for the V8 352?

Question 5. What oil weight, recommended spark plugs and wires, and Cooling do you use? Do you go to places like O'Reilly's for parts and RockAuto?

Question 6. I would like to get rid of the Packard wheel hubs so I could fit any Wheels I would want has anybody ever done this. And has anybody ever done any disc conversions?

Question 7. How hard is it to find the manual transmissions 4 the Packard V8?

Question 8. Is the VIN located on the door, 8 numbers in total?

Question 9. Where can I find the parts to the torsion bar suspension setup?

Thank you for looking at my questions you don't have to answer all of them yourself, I know I'm asking a lot sorry everybody have a good day thank you guys so much.

Your car already has a 4 1/2" bolt circle so you have a huge selection of wheels already available.

I'll give two cents worth on a few of the questions.

There is no easy answer to the ign key.. Doors and ign used the same round head key and trunk and glovebox the octagonal key. Without original paperwork showing the key numbers, to get a proper key made you would need to go to an old time locksmith that could pick one of the locks to remove the cylinder and then make a key. In the short term you could pick up a universal ign switch and mount that in the dash. Just be careful removing the original switch as the switch is supported by small hooks in the pot metal bezel which break easily. Bezels are starting to be hard to come by and expensive.

Ross answered the wheel question but one thing to watch out for is the center hole diameter. Packard used a fairly large hole compared to other cars.

On the transmission adapter, Bendtsentransmissionadapters.com/PackardV8.htm has the best and probably least expensive solution -- but still not exactly cheap and you still need to make your own shift linkage, rear crossmember and, IIRC the throttle cable hookup. You can look at the components in the prototype install done by Bendtsen here or check out some of the earlier pages in Stewart's 55 Packard 400 blog. By the time Stewart did his the decision had been made to drop the crossmember out of the kit.

To the best of my knowledge there are no direct fit aftermarket radiators. There is a Ford truck radiator that will work with some bracket revisions and I think a hose realignment. To get a proper fitting drop in item you will need to find used with decent tanks and then probably have it recored. Not cheap there either.

On finding a manual trans, those are becoming scarce because many have wanted to go that way. Except for the low end Clippers, production was predominately built with the Ultras. The bell housing is probably the hardest part and you might even need to find a parts car. Ross might have a complete setup but in addition to the trans and bellhousing you would need all the clutch and shift linkage. There are a lot of small pieces and you almost need a reference car to see how they fit together.

The vehicle number is 8 or 9 digits. The first 4 digits denotes the series (year) and model, second batch is the sequence number indicating about where the car was built in the total production of that model. I believe the sequence starting number was 1001 in 55 but someone will correct me if I guessed wrong. If the engine is the original the same number will be stamped on the flat part of the block at the front just behind the water pump and between the oil fill pipe and oil filter. Stamping could be faint and covered in grease.

Kanter Autokanter.com/packard/ or Max Merrittmaxmerrittauto.com would be the source for TL parts. The TL is generally very reliable but after sitting a long time the contacts in the switches could be oxidized and cause some problems. On a 55 with everything electrical under the car, water and corrosion or road debris hitting and bending the limit switch and solenoid bracket were the main reliability issues. Rubber bushings and shocks are very important components and will be the most likely items needing replacement.

Kanter and a couple of others sell front disc brake kits and a few have been installed. There are some who have made their own conversions but doing it yourself there would be a difference in parts to watch out for because of spindle size. Clipper had generally smaller components than those on a Packard.

There are only 250 different key numbers so if you mingle with some of the older Packard folks in your area who have had quite a few Packards over the years, chances are they will have quite a few keys and a fair chance you can get a hit.

Pack sw,, might have the trans and bell housing, overdrive not sure,

the key I made my own, the key is a B 1, I bought a bag full off ebay,

then just started to file ,,,and I got it, once you get it out, you can file your own key,

the trick to get cyl, out, is you need to get pins up off cyl. then you can turn it and pull out cyl.

Ross thank you that helps me out a lot.

HH56 Thanks you given me more than $0.02 more like $1.02 to me hahaha. Thanks for telling me about being careful with the bezel because I probably would have broke it. Thanks again for telling me about the larger rim Center hole, now I understand why it was so hard to fit another rim I had brought for it. The transmission adapters too expensive for me but it's good to see a picture of what I need to do,. Do you remember the name of the Ford truck and year for the radiator?
What material were the radiators of that time made of. I figured that manual transmissions for Packards would be really hard to find. Very happy to find out that there is Parts online readily available for the torsion level suspension, and thank you for telling me what to look for while inspecting it. I have noticed that Ford parts could fit like a top loader transmission aswell.

Owen thank you that's a very good to know.

Riki thank you do you have any tips on getting the ignition cylinder out safely?

So what are you guys using for your fluids & plugs, how do you like that twin ultramatic and after one fully understands it how reliable is it and are the parts still available?
And how's unleaded gas treating you?
Thanks everyone.

See this old thread.

Properly rebuilt, Twin Ultramatic can be quite reliable but it has a low tolerance for abuse, jack-rabbit starts, etc. And yes, service parts for the Twin Ultramatic are readily available.

As to unleaded gas (and gas with ethanol), I know many folks report all kinds of problems, I can only say that have had no issues with it over many years and miles, though my cars rarely see use in temps over 95? F. and generally much less.

On the ignition switch, it is held by a spring and two different diameter pins cast into the switch neck which insert into hook like slots on the bezel.

To remove, place one hand on the bezel and push it against the dash to keep it in position. With the other hand reach under the dash and push the ign switch about 1/8" against the spring and towards the bezel while rotating it clockwise (looking at switch from the bezel side) at the same time. The spring is fairly stiff so make sure the switch pushes in as far as possible before doing the rotation.

Here is a view of what the assembled switch assy looks like. If there is a battery in the car, make sure it is disconnected to prevent shorts. Once released, the switch will drop down a small amount . The light is removed from the switch by gently squeezing the sides of the hood together to release it's tabs from the slots on the switch bracket.

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You can fit a pre-1955 Packard-built transmission to the 1955-56 V-8s. It is a much more involved job, but it has been done and it is a strong transmission. There are a lot of these transmissions out there with and without overdrive.

I believe the manual transmission Packard used in its V-8s were the same Borg Warner unit used by the big Fords and Mercurys from that time period, but the input shafts may be different.

Some have installed 4-speed, floor shift transmissions, but I do not have any specific information on which ones.

Howard is correct, finding the bell housing and clutch linkage and pedals is going to be difficult. The best source for these parts is to get a complete and intact manual transmission equipped Clipper and swap out the parts.

JWL