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Was wondering about the thermostatic clutches and whether there was enough space to mount one. Was looking on the Napa site, and while there are several dozen, all but a few look pretty long-- and that's before trying to find one to fit the bolt patterns.

clipper47, attached are photos of the flex fan and fuel pump heat shield. As you can tell, the fan has five blades, the diameter is 18 1/4" and it has a 5/8" center hole. There are four slotted holes to affix the fan to the water pump with 5/16" fine thread cap screws. There is no manufacturer information on the fan. The blades were unpainted aluminum and the structure was painted a light blue before it was repainted black.

The fuel pump heat shield is remarkably different than those previously pictured. The photos try to show the attachment points.

I was not able to get to the electric cooling fan, as this requires removing the hood and I had no help to do this. I will note that the engine is much more quietly with the fan removed. I drove the car around the neighborhood without the flex fan, and the electric fan provided sufficient cooling.

I hope this is of some help to you and others.

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Here are the photos that I failed to upload with the previous sending.

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I would also like to note that the Clipper has a 160 deg. thermostat and a 7 lbs radiator cap. It will get up to 190F on a hot Austin day, but does not loose any coolant. I will turn on the electric fan to bring the temperature down, for comfort of mind.

John, Thank you very much for taking the photos and the information. It appears that the electric fan has been attached directly onto the rad core rather than mounted to the rad cradle.The fan looks similar enough to the original that it would not be obvious that it is aftermarket. The fuel pump shield is certainly different than any I have seen but obviously gets the job done.
BTW are you going to be at the Salado Texas Packard show in March? I think that I can plan on going to the show. I am planning on driving down to Texas in my motorhome in March I want to go to the Big Bend Park and area to do some hiking and sight seeing. Are there any parts you need?

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Same Thermostat and pressure cap as mine. Only once had a bit of coolant loss and that was climbing the I-35 5 mile grade out of Duluth on a 95 degree day while doing 65 MPH.

clipper47, correct on both observations: The electric fan is fastened through the radiator core. At least on the engine side there are foam washers next to the core. The flex fan is not conspicious when painted black. I am planning on attending the Salado Meet, and have signed-up for a brief technical presentation about "When your Distributor Comes Apart at the Seams", or something like that. Let me think about parts . . . Look forward to seeing you there. We went for the first time last year, and were warmly welcomed by the group, some of whom have been attending for most or all the time the meet has taken place.

clipper47, et al --- I can use a trunk light, bumper jack and tire wrench. Thanks.

Any experience with flex fans on Packard V8's? I've noticed that the pilot hole on original 56J (Golden Hawk) 4 blade steel fans is somewhat larger than that on a lot of aftermarket fans; Flex-a-Lite fans seem typically about 0.625".

While I live in inland So. CA with lots of gridlocked traffic and very high summer temps, this isn't just for better low speed cooling. A few '56 Golden Hawks have experienced cracked and even broken fan blades.

Just discovered forum, a little late! I reluctantly sold several Packards in last couple of years as survival strategy for retirement. Kept a mint low-mileage Packard Hawk as a companion to the '56 GH.

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G'day Gil,
to PackardInfo. I invite you to include your Packards in the Owner Registry here together with pic's, any known history and how you acquired them.