Packard Forum Index » Modification Discussion

How is the install going?

Is there a reason you didnt go with the 4L80E? Would the 4L60E be able to handle the torque and weight of a packard?

You could use a 4l80e but others with v8 packards successfully used the 4L60e so I thought it was good enough.

John

Using the 4160/4180 transmission how do you deal with the electronic speedometer to the original mechanical speedometer??

Dakota Digital and a few other make a speedo driver. Or you can use a new speedo and just put custom graphics on it so it looks like the original or you can rebuild the original with electronic guts. Or early 4L60e that are hard to find can have a mechanical spedomoeter drive. 700R4's have mechanical speedo drives.

Also available are speedometers driven by GPS signal, accurate to one MPH, only $85.

jack vines

Hi John,
I may be doing the same project on my 1952 200 sedan. mine has a standard tranny with R11 OD. I understand the kit and rear mount and 4L60e you used. may I ask what controller you're building or using for your shift controller? also have you modified the drive shaft yet? did you have to modify yoke, length etc. I already have a new radiator which includes coolant line ports. would like to hear about the column shift mod? how is your project doing?
Thanks,
Mike

Mike
I am moving so the project is at a standstill. I haven't done anything driveshaft wise. I am using a 99-04 jeep grand cherokee rear axle and driveshaft. It has disc brakes and fits stock packard wheels. I build a Megashift megasquirt trans controller. There are other controllers that are pre build. For the column shifter I got a universal column linkage kit but haven't installed yet. Hopefully later in the spring I can get the project going again.
John

I'll also be keeping a close eye on this, I just picked up a '56 Patrician and have been looking at 4L80E adapter kits, the microsquirt controller, and possibly an aftermarket pushbutton selector lever actuator. Ideally I'd configure the wiring to work with the factory pushbutton panel.

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As far as I know this has not been done yet and is a sticking point and barrier for many 56 owners who have wanted a conversion. The aftermarket actuators I am familiar with use solid state circuitry and microprocessors to control things so would not be very compatible with the old school switch and relay logic of the original buttons for anyone wanting to maintain the stock look. One poster said he had heard Bendtsen had or was working on something to be available for the PB trans conversion but I have never seen any more info as to what or even if that is fact.

To use the Packard actuator would need a new contact finger assy with fingers spaced for the GM sector layout and then figure out a mounting and linkage to the GM lever position. A poster mentioned a mid 90s or so Rolls Royce actuator will bolt right onto the GM case and since it was made for a GM trans layout is already configured with the correct spacing on its positions. That was something he was going to try but no idea if he did. Schematically it should be possible as the RR actuator uses something similar to "fingers" and operation is similar to the Packard actuator. Instead of buttons, the RR gearshift lever actuates microswitches to feed the signals to the RR equivalent of fingers to control built in relays inside the actuator so that operation is also essentially the same. The question would be if the RR actuator would fit the space available in the Packard frame.

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RDenzie, to PackardInfo and for including your '56 Patrician Touring Sedan in the Packard Vehicle Registry. Your "1990 Miata - V8 swap under construction" sounds interesting!