Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

ive ridden in my friends 54 henney many times, and of course in my own 56. I know the 54 is a commercial chassis which iirc has larger rear springs, but i believe the fronts are normal. In that car, the front seems to ride very well, but the rear is much stiffer. not quite trucklike, but much stiffer than the front end ride. There is give and take, of course. the 54 doesnt wallow as much as the 56, but the 56 has overall a bit smoother ride, and of course, T/L.

that's cause the rear of that one is a truck! have you ever seen the rear axle under a henny? it's basicly a 3/4 ton truck! At least the one under uncle's 51 is.

In one of the films a bout the t/l system there is a fully working scale model sitting on a tablr they use for a demo. as a packard guy and an avid model builder i wonder where it is today?

You might do as search either here or on AACA site for related categories. Can't remember which forum or the details but I believe there was a thread on one of the models. Either someone had it or possibly it might have been on ebay last year. Seem like it was in a collection with a lot of other high end models. Maybe someone can refresh the details.

Quote:

Ya missed it, dragon! Look back at my previous post with the UTube link. In addition to Proving Grounds footage of '56 models (and a comparison with a '54 over some of the same terrain) it has indoor shots that include the narrator and a "model," also with shots of the miniature T/L chassis and a coupla guys.

I suppose it's possible the model T/L is still around, but it was probably a one-off or one of very few.

I think HH56 MIGHT have been thinking of a thread on AACA where someone had located a full-sized chassis that was specially made up and painted to show off features of the T/L at auto shows. Last I remember, the fellow who had found it was making plans to get it to the Packard museum.

And, of course, there's Henry's '55 Constellation body-off restoration and his current "rolling chassis." Plenty of pics on the Project Blogs. Probably the cleanest T/L chassis we'll ever see.

I'm still interested in the real cost to Packard of introducing the T/L and whether they realized any profit from it. It really sold cars, but that doesn't always relate directly to the bottom line.

If the '55 models had better bodywork and fewer engine/transmission problems, I think the sales would have continued to climb, based largely on a one-of-a-kind suspension. Unfortunately, when you have a feature that really sells a product, it can spread the news about other weaknesses just that much faster.