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An individual has privately asked me if there are less expensive modern and locally available wheel cylinders that can be used in the 21-23 series Custom 8 sedans. The stock diameters are 1" front and 15/16 rear. I could not answer because I bought my cylinders as part of a Kanter kit.

I have found some numbers in the x-ref and on the Napa site that look like possibilities. They are:

Front with a slightly larger 1 1/16 bore, the UP13368 and UP13369. The interesting thing on that supposed pair is according to the Napa site one has a thread of 7/16-20 and the other is 3/16-24.

Another possibility with a stock 1" bore is the UP4803 and UP4804. Both have 7/16-20 threads but are considerably more expensive than the 1/16" larger bore pair. Kanter's offerings are less expensive than the Napa numbers.

For the rears at 15/16, a direct replacement would seem to be the UP 370192 and UP 370193. Both have 3/8-24 threads so would need a BK 6413307 adapter to drop the 1/4 tubing thread size down to the 3/8 of the cylinder. I believe these may similar to what Kanter is selling as my 47 cylinders came with adapters.

Another possibility for rears (and maybe fronts) is a 1" diameter UP9025 and UP9026. This pair would also need adapters and I would wonder if the larger rear bore might introduce issues if the stock 1" fronts are also in use.

I guess my question is does anyone have some known good numbers and if not, has anyone used any of these numbers and were they a direct fit. I vaguely remember some backing plates have a different diameter opening and bolt spacing. Cannot remember the model or year and exact circumstances but do remember one locally bought pair of cylinders needed to have the opening in the backing plates modified slightly so the cylinders would fit and bolt in.

I was always going to check on these to see if they'd fit. I think they all have the 7/16" thread.

Front 1 1/16" WC13368/WC13369
Rear 15/16" WC 4802/ WC4801

The bores are right, but I've not gotten around to taking one of the old cylinders off to compare them to.

Good Evening...When we re-did the cylinders on Miss Prudence, our 23 series Deluxe,...we purchased them from Max Merritt and everything fit just right...We often tend to use Max and the other Packard suppliers...so they will continue to be in business, as the Packard World really can't do without them. Ernie in Arizona

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I agree and have also bought most of my parts from Max or Kanter just to avoid this hassle of trying to figure out what works. I am not sure why this individual is asking about local purchase items but I expect there are a lot of people who just want to go pick up an item at their local store and not wait a week or three for something to arrive. Cost could also be a factor. With the one exception for the pair of cylinders I noted in my post, all the other cylinders are priced from $10-25 each while Max and Kanter are both in the $40-45 range plus the freight.

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The 13368/69 pair I think are possibilities as that was one of the numbers on the x-ref. Doubt the extra 1/16" over the stock 1" would make a huge difference in the stopping and maybe even make things a tad better. As I noted, the curious thing is according to the Napa site one has a 7/16 thread and the other is 3/8 and the x-ref did not mention needing an adaptor with the smaller thread cylinder.

Also curious is the 4801/02 pair have the same thing happening again except one is 7/16 and the other is 1/2. Kinda makes me wonder if they just consolidated all the old offerings and threw two similar bore size cylinders together as a pair or if there is a specific reason for a difference in thread sizes or maybe the Napa site is wrong.

For the 23rd Series, Packard changed the wheel cylinder sizes on Custom 8's to 1-1/8" front and 1" rear

I did this for my 22nd Series Custom 8 and it works well

For the fronts, I bought the later 1-1/8" wheel cylinders used from 1951 to 1956 with the 3/8-24 thread, drilled them out and re-tapped for the 7/16-20 thread since the castings are the same size

Upgrading to 23rd standards is probably not a bad idea anyway and rethreading is a good solution for the experienced mechanic with the proper tools.

For the average driveway DIY mechanic who just does bolt ins, I wonder if there would be enough room a standard 3/8 to 7/16 adapter as used on the rear cylinders could also be used on the front cylinders and still have adequate hose clearance at full turn? I believe the adapters would add approx 1/2 to 5/8 inches at the connection.

It would start to be getting into the realm of mods and probably be more expensive than just buying the $40-45 vendor supplied cylinder but maybe a good plan would be to upgrade and install new hoses too as another safety measure. If there is not enough adapter clearance for turns perhaps a later 3/8 hose could also be substituted and an adapter used at the top end of the hose.

This is a safety system, so care required in modifying.

The guy at White Post or other reliner shop may know what fits? Maybe can bore out the originals?

I'd be skeptical about just increasing the bore, as that takes more fluid, so brake response will change. Master and cylinders need to match. So I'd be looking at the master too, if upgrading. If going that far, I'd convert to dual system for reliability.