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Hi All,

Sorry to bug everyone, Im new and still learning about these cars.

I have seen photos of the pedals in chrome with packard coat of arms in them, does anyone know where i could get these from?

Also I am going to need a few bits n bobs to get my old girl running. Can anyone help with some info on the following? (I've tried looking for todays substitutes but I am not having much luck)

Battery - 6volt or 12 volt
Oil - how many liters does the engine take (374 V8) and which is the better type for an old girl?
Filters - Oil/fuel, stock standard or is there specific ones required

Do you find that you have to get items custom made to fit or are parts readily available?

Thanks brain trust

Until the more knowledgeable chip in, here are my thoughts. Wouldn't be hard to be "more knowledgeable".

Battery - 6volt or 12 volt - 1956 Packard changed to 12V and they are hooked up Negative ground.

Oil - how many liters does the engine take (374 V8) and which is the better type for an old girl? - Have a look in the Literature Archive section of the
Website for this info. Plenty of manuals, all available for free download. For your info 1 US quart is approximately equal to 1 litre.

Filters - Oil/fuel, stock standard or is there specific ones required -Lots of parts, especially "consumables" are readily available.

I would suggest you search past posts on 3 topics that are particular to the 55-56 V8 Packards:

1) Torsion-Level suspension

2) Their version of Ultramatic transmission

3) valve noise/oil pump

Mike Dulinski is a source for used parts for 55-56. Someone else here will have contact info.

Packard changed to the 12-volt system in 1955 with a positive ground. In 1956, the 12-volt system was changed to negative ground.

There are a lot of NAPA and other part #'s for things like filters, belts, spark plugs, batteries, etc. in the Parts Cross-Reference section of this website:

Packardinfo.com Parts Cross Reference

There is an active club for Packard owners with many local chapters and some information as well on their old-timey website:

The Packard Club

It might be useful to see how the current battery is connected, and make sure to install the new one the same way (by default, should be 12v negative ground for the 1956).

For the general maintenance, most of the necessary information can be found in the Owner's manual:packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/56_Pack_OM.pdf and especially page 26. Since this car is new, to you, it would probably make sense to have it closely inspected to make sure that everything is sound mechanically, etc., and it is safe to operate (especially the brakes).

For the regular maintenance, you should be able to use the materials available at the local auto-parts stores.
Oil - viscosity/type according to the manual; I would use synthetic (although, some people are against it).
Oil filter - you need to find a cartridge that fits. If the local store does not have them, you should be able to order a bunch of these online.
Fuel filter - same thing. Original filter is a cartridge in a fancy glass bowl. For a quick temporary fix, however, you can use a generic in-line fuel filter of applicable size.

Tigeress, if I were you I would read up on some literature, all of these are in the Literature Archive here, where you can sort by year or category:

- Read and print off the whole owner's manual, it's not that long.
- At some point browse thru the 56 accessories catalog. This is will you when you have an accessory in mind, whether it was a period accessory (= look at parts dealers like MM, Kanter, etc.) or if it's not in there, it's something newer.
- Bookmark the 56 service manual, and download the Specifications section at the end. This is will give a good amount of info, and you may as well print it off too for when you take it to a shop. One note with the 56 manual is it's also for 55... make sure you're reading the correct section.
- Read these two primers on the transmission and the torsion level system:
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=7994
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=5493

Don't worry if you don't understand everything you see, and you don't need to read all of this in one go, it's a bit much for a first time buyer. However I would be remiss to not suggest you try to familiarize yourself a bit.

On the oil pump:
The car you were buying was purchased by Reyman on 2010/8/25 from a collector/restorer who (as usual) didn't do everything quite right and Reyman got things fixed like the pushbuttons rebuilt, TL system working, and minor transmission, carb, fuel tank repairs. I didn't see anything about the oil pump being redone so I would assume it was not. IIRC this car only has like 45k miles so it's not the end of the world if you don't fix this right away, but I would plan on getting it done at some point (there's a kit you can get to adjust the factory one, or people use an Oldsmobile oil pump). One annoyance with Packards is that if you need any "actual" repairs done, it's a challenge to find people that know what they're doing within a reasonable vicinity of where you live, so I would join your local Packard club and ask around. This car should basically be good to go though.

Battery, just take the old one out and go to a battery store. 12V and at least 500CCA. And buy a basic battery charger.

As Mal said, pretty much all consumable parts are available. For very common things like oil filters, just go on an auto parts website and put in your car info. Then it will show the oil filter(s) available.

Also, are you planning on working on this yourself (with family/friends) or taking it to a shop for any/all repairs needed? Are you comfortable working with your hands for basic things, or have someone handy that is?

Let me know if you have trouble finding these on the Literature Archive page.

This is the link to the oil pump kit for the 1955/1956 Packards:

Packard V8 Oil Pump History and Conversion Info

Hi All,

Thanks for all that wonderful info.

I will be working on the car myself as much as i can, i have joined a few clubs so hopefully, they will be able to help me out if in doubt. If not then i will be sourcing a knowledgeable mechanic to do the work i cant.

Thanks again everyone!!!