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After what seems like a decade of rumor and disappointment, I see that reproduction flanged rod bearings for the 35-36 Eight and 37-39 Super Eight are apparently finally available in very limited quantities from The Packard Library, and also thru Chirco and Terrill. Not cheap, $1195 per set in semi.

Perhaps a bit off topic, but in 1940 you could get a set of 1936 Super Eight connecting rod bearings for $18. Adjusting for inflation, that works out to be about $270 in 2009 dollars.

Even 40 years ago with a good availability of most Packard parts NOS, these bearings were nearly unfindable and when found, expensive as all heck! Thus the many conversion jobs, some done well and others very poorly, some altering the rod so the now-available bearings can no longer be used.

Some years back there was a SUPERB multi-part article in Cars & Parts by Dale Adams (The Restoration Notebook) about a detailed step-by-step rebuild of a Packard Twelve. It's about 19 pages (I think I'm missing the last installment on assembly and painting), and a great primer for anyone contemplating any kind of engine work, or for anyone interested in the intricacies of the Packard Twelve. It goes into considerable detail on measurements and how to measure, bottom end, piston issues, harmonic balancer rebuilding, valve work, hydraulic silencer rebuilding, etc. In one part the author concludes he must make his own flanged rod bearings and sets up to form the shells and make the bearing coating. He choose the later bearing style (bronze backed steel, intro in 38 I believe) which at the time of intro also required the crank to be hard chromed because the bearing is less able to imbed grit than the former steel-backed babbitt shells. In any case reading of how he made the hydraulic dies to form the flanged shells and provide the bearing coating (he used salt-immersion brazing) makes just great reading. I'd say it's almost a MUST READ for anyone doing any kind of engine rebuild, whether Twelve or not. I'm sure it's covered by copyright but PM me if you have interest. Back issues of Cars & Parts are probably not too hard to find.

(EDIT- I will contact Cars & Parts and see if we can get permission to republish the series on this website).

Quote:

Dave,

That is a great idea, and I am surely not alone in thanking you for making this effort. If I can help, PM me.

Tom

I am sure these will go very quickly. If I had a 320 that still took this style of bearing, I would buy a spare set. Converting these rods to take available bearings requires a great deal of skill and knowledge; not a job for the novice mechanic.

This is a great service for all who own these particular engines.

Jim

Hello everybody,

I don't get on this forum very often as my Packard is a future project that I probably won't start on for a couple of years yet. (15th Series Twelve Club Sedan.) However, I was on tonight and I happened to see this thread.

Owen Dyneto, I have the complete set of those articles by Dale Adams as .jpg scans. I'd be happy to e-mail you the ones you're missing, or even all of them. Let me know if you want them... I got the scans on a CD when I bought my Packard.

Out of curiosity, are the bearings for an Eight similar to those for a Twelve? I'm nowhere near ready for them, but eventually I will need a set for my car...

Best regards

Ian

Yes, rod bearings in the 35-39 320 and 385 Eights and Super Eights are flanged as well. Some very late 1934 models may have come with these inserts as well, but Packard filled service parts orders for earlier babbitted rods with the later inset-bearing replacement rods so you could find these in earlier engines as well.

Ian wrote: ..."Out of curiosity, are the bearings for an Eight similar to those for a Twelve? I'm nowhere near ready for them, but eventually I will need a set for my car"...

The short answer is similar in design, however the 320, 385, and 12 rod bearings are absolutely not interchangable. The good news is these folks are tenitivly moving on doing the 12 bearings in the future.

Hope this answered your question,
Jim

UPDATE: No response received yet from my request to Amos Automotive Publications (Cars & Parts) for a release of copyright, but I did notice today that the entire set of articles is available for reading or download over on <www.daleadamsenterprises.com> under "Articles for Download". Of special interest to me was the manufacture from scratch of the flanged engine bearings, though the series is also a terrific primer and guide on engine rebuilding.

Highly recommended reading!!

Dave, I enjoyed very much the articles by Dale Adams on rebuilding the Packard V-12 engine. The guy is a genius. His thorough approach to the process is as good as anyone I have ever heard of. He is knowledgeable, skilled, experienced, and highly innovative. I think anyone who has work done by him is in the best of hands. Those flanged bearings are like jewelery, and probably as expensive as some of the finest. And, oh yes, he can write too.

There was one area that I wished he would have covered. That is the refinishing of the cylinder walls. I take it from his article that they were probably honed and did not need reboring. I would have been helpful if he had talked about the odd cylinder block angle and the special tooling and method to rebore the V-12's cylinders. Also, the shape of the combustion chambers as a unique design feature of the 12s. Never the less, the articles are keepers.

Thanks for pointing us to the site. Great stuff.