Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

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Yes, only the 327 in the 53 Patrician, unless somebody changed it, which seems doubtful to me.

The shifter rod that goes down through the column is prone to seizing in disuse (and even when being used) since no one ever remembered to add a drop of oil to it at the bottom of the column. Therefore, it may be necessary to disconnect the shift arm at the bottom of the column and move the shift rod into the neutral position. That was necessary on my 1954 Patrician when it was transported to my Oregon shop even though it had been stored indoors for nearly as long!

Also, if it was parked with the parking brake engaged (and I hope it wasn't), the shoes may be stuck to the drum so some dragging may be needed until you can get it home to sort those things out.

All that said, we are looking forward to seeing photos of your new project and hope we can assist where needed!

The 1953 Patrician not only has a 327, but it has the 9-main bearing 327 while some of the lesser (in cost) models using the 327 had the 5-main type. If your Patrician has the original engine, it would be the 9-main type and the engine number will conform if it's the proper engine for the year and model.

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What are your thoughts for the car? A full restoration? A car that you can put a couple hundred miles on a year? The end goal for your project will influence what you want to do beyond the must do items to make it safe to drive.

Given that you can do much of the work yourself it will make your project much more economical. I've spent 18 months going through my 53 Cavalier, which I believe was also parked for decades, but not sure how many. We just came back yesterday from a 400 mile round trip to the family farm and it purred like a kitten! So fun to drive! I can make you a list of what I did and what I would bet you'll want to do on the Patrician, which is essentially the same as the Cavalier.

Good to know on the shifter rod, thanks!

I believe that cars were built to be driven, so I want to fix it up so I can hop in with the family and go when we feel like it. I need to be able to go 65mph, steer safely, and stop safely and repeatedly. Reading the owners manual, I got the implication that it was not supposed to go faster than the low 50s, but reading various posts and one of the addendum files that talks about the MPG hit from going 70, I don't think that will be an issue. The power steering system looks pretty straightforward and parts seem to be available. I don't plan to make a hot rod or a racecar or anything, just something that I can drive and have a cool family history story with.

I think the straight 8 is just a really cool thing, so if at all possible, I want to get it resurrected and running. My biggest concern there is if it has a knock, the crank might be ruined. The complete Egge rebuild kit is something like $6k, plus machine work as long as the crank is salvageable. That is a big chunk of change, but it is such a cool setup.

Initially I will spend a while just going through everything and seeing what it has and what it needs.

I expect to have to rebuild the carb, replace all the soft parts (hoses, belts, etc), go through the entire brake system and likely replace all the lines, rebuild all the cylinders, etc. Repack/replace the wheel bearings, general maintenance.

It sounds like if it had the original whale oil based ATF in it, I am up for a rebuild (which I might be anyway depending on which relative I talk to). I would seriously consider one of the adapters to put a 4L60e/4L80e behind the 327 to get the more gears and overdrive. Reading about that kit in one of the older threads here, it sounds like people are really happy with the performance.
 
I generally don't like 4 wheel drum systems because my experience with them has not been great, but I have read (both here and elsewhere) that the power drums on the Packard were impressive for the time. I am leaning toward doing a disc conversion on the front to combat fade, but want to hold off on making that decision until it is minimally drivable. I will rebuild/adjust the existing setup and evaluate it then.

As a rule, I dislike dealing with carbs. Since it had a 4bbl originally (per the documentation) it should be pretty simple to put something like a Sniper on it. That would require converting to 12V, negative ground but I am not opposed to that. It makes sourcing lights and such easier (though it complicates other aspects). On the other hand, I think (but have not looked it up yet) that Packard used Stromburg carbs, which tend to be pretty good. So maybe I just rebuild that and go with it.

I will almost certainly convert to modern tubeless tires. I know that the similar vintage Chevy wheels will accept modern tubeless tires stock. I am not sure if the stock Packard ones will or not. If not, I will likely look for something original-esque that I can put modern tires on.

At this point I am holding off making any major decisions or planning the project until I can gather more info. The one thing I can say for sure is that it will not be a trailer queen or a show-only vehicle.

The “55 MPH” is more for the 30’s cars. You can drive these on the interstate if you want, it’s direct drive and a 3.54 rear end. Right in between a manual, and a manual with OD effective ratio. I would highly recommend keeping the Ultramatic. They were unique to Packard so are a large part of the mechanical provenance, so to speak. Also a replacement will cost thousands. Not including the engine, the whole car will only be a few thousand mechanically if you DIY everything.

These are not performance cars. But they WILL keep up with traffic as they were designed.

You will need to rebuild that trans I guarantee it. One the seals are junk, two it had problems to begin with. And I’m sure this car has like 100k miles which is rebuild time anyway even if you didn’t notice a problem.

This car will need a bumper to bumper mechanical inspection, that is for sure. Probably the diff bearings and U joints will need replaced too. BUT it’s all fixable and you will either get a great education, OR if you have the experience already, I doubt you’ll find things to be too hard. Except it will take you 2 weeks to understand how the Ultramatic works. It’s time well spent, though.

Conversion to the GM trans has been done by several on an inline 8 but for the most part it is easier to use one which needs a mechanical upshift and kickdown signal via throttle cable and stay away from any GM e version which needs electrical signals the Packard does not have. The few that have used an e I believe did it on a V8 model but had to get a kit from one of the speed shops to simulate what was needed. I don't know what all is involved in using the signal kits but a concern would be if the signals are maybe not optimal for that inline engine which has lower HP and different torque output characteristics than the V8s and possibly the GM engines those trans were used on.

One possible downside to a GM trans conversion is the Bendtsen GM trans kit for an inline 8 (which I believe is the only conversion kit still available for a Packard) uses and requires a modern mini hi-torque starter motor which means a conversion of the car to 12v. That will be one of the more involved projects because while there have been many who have converted their cars to 12v, it is not just a simple change a few light bulbs etc. Depending on how the car is optioned it can be very involved particularly if no 12v version of something is available. If you are going to add AC in the future it might be an advantage down the road but still there will probably be negative comments from some on the forum regarding that subject

You can put tubeless radials on the stock rims and Diamond Back even makes them that have the original bias-ply look so no problem there but converting to 12v and to disk brakes is overrated in my opinion. The brakes themselves would need to have a lot of engineering and a different pedal and arm to get a pedal that will work with a modern booster (Packard's Bendix system was 1:1) and it would also move the pedal considerably closer to the driver and probably put it higher up too.

65mph and higher is no problem and the original carburetor is more or less bullet-proof and very easy to rebuild. Changing to something else would require re-engineering the throttle system and transmission kick-down. The Ultramatic isn't the fastest from a stop but they are excellent, dependable transmissions and one of the first - if not THE first - to use a direct drive. These engines have a lot of torque compared to a period V8 so you'll probably be amazed at the power of a stock driveline.

As for the transmission replacement kits, they are not plug-and-play and require designing a new rear support, driveshaft modifications and much more.

I went out and did some prep/checking on it tonight. It shows 16k miles. Talking to some of the family, they always had 4-5 cars so there is a decent chance it isn't 116k. Unfortunately the radiator hoses and one spark plug were removed when it was parked and those holes are packed completely full of critter junk.

All 4 wheels roll, so that will make it nice and easy to drag it home.

I have a lot to think about.

Luckily it has crank windows rather that hydraulic so one less system to need expensive repair! I used to have a 1953 Patrician and still have three very nice doors from a parts car. It rode and drove very nicely so once you get this one on the road I'm sure you'll like it.