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I am a new owner of a 1948 Super Eight Victoria Convertible and may want to install one of these contraptions. I hope to discover a build sheet for the car to see if it came with one. The car already has lots of options and was an early build 10/47 with unique trim confirguration. I bought and read Robert J Neal's Book "Packard 1948-1950". I Also found a 1st edition 5/1948 Packard Service Training Booklet for the unit.Very intersting read- lots of enginering and components and adjustments. Am I asking for trouble?

IMO, they are a decent option and a good conversation starter at car shows. Over the years many have been disabled or had parts removed and thrown away to provide better access to something else when they no longer worked or needed an adjustment and no one was around to do the work. Having an intact and working option is starting to become a rarity.

When adjusted properly they do seem to work as advertised. They do take a bit of understanding on how they work and what adjustment does what and when but there are situations where it may not be as responsive as you might like and would be better turned off. For the most part the adjustments are made to only suit one driver. Once dialed in for the first driver a second driver who has a different driving style may not be happy with the operation

The nice thing about Packards system is you can turn it off and the car works exactly as if the option was never installed.

It would be difficult to install on a car without, especially if the block and head are not drilled and tapped for the diaphragm and control unit. When not ordered, the castings were typically left blank, especially on the head. If you do install it, you need to change the transmission too as the proper one has the needed governor for the system but I believe you can get a new harness for it from YnZ’s. In any event, if you do install one, please document the work in a blog for others to follow!

29- 640 Club Sedan, for including your '48 Super Eight Victoria Convertible Coupe in the Registry

We have a saying around Speedwell Garage that the ultimate luxury is simplicity and reliability.

I'm shooting myself in the foot agreeing wholeheartedly with Ross because I've got an Electromatic to sell you for a song, lest there's some minor change between 1947 and '48. Mine was rebuilt, worked as it should, but i tired of the robotic aspect, and that at long lights, waiting for a train, etc., your clutch pedal remains depressed, doing your throwout bearing no favor.
To replace your throwout bearing, as you're a newbie let us tell you, requires pulling the transmission.

But Packard didn't care. They were, as Dutch Darrin remarked in early 1940, "So afraid of GM they couldn't see straight." Olds, and then Cad had HydraMatic, which was of course a big thing. "No clutch pedal to depress, no gear lever to shift," crowed Olds in '40. GM wanted more free field testing before they offered it in their topline, Cadillac in '41.

So Packard countered with the Rube Goldberg Electromatic. Hudson already had an equally complex "Drive-Master" for '42 atop their existing "Vacuum Clutch Control."

Packard was so cowed by HydraMatic, they suggested in their ads that with overdrive and Electromatic, you could "leave your transmission in second gear all day for city driving."
That's murder on your pressure plate. But as above, they were frantic to compete with GMobiles.

It's easier to work in the engine bay without Electromatic.

Some old car folk think having every factory and dealer option makes their car somehow better, worth more, et al. But if you see Packards first as road cars, prefer understatement, and like to drive, be in control, Ross nailed it.

If a '47 unit will work for you, and you like player pianos, intricate novelties, PM me.

You can always shut off the Electromatic if you don't want to use it. Either that or choose a route without trains or long stops! It is indeed an extra complication but I love gadgets so I like it.

As a teenager I purchased an Electromatic clutch system at a wrecking yard and added to dad's 23rd series Packard. His car had overdrive and as a teenager I had no problem installing and making it work with no instructions other than remembering how I removed it from the car in the junk yard.

Did it improve driving? No, it was just a cute toy that satisfied my curiosity. If you like gadgets it would be fun to have today as a curiosity, a bit of history, fun to show off.

Thanks for the history and persective! I like to return these old cars back to factory original and add simple accessories I find appealing or interesting. I had never seen such a contraption- intrigues me. I do want to keep the car driver friendly as I already drive it to work and around town 3-4 times a month, california has beatiful weather year round. I plan to keep this car a driver to enjoy but dont want to make it a pain to oporate with this devise.

Don thanks for the insight on mounting locations and possible issues there. Pictures in manuals are somewhat clear, lots of body specific cables, brakets and rods... oh my! I need to crawl around under the drive trian again and see if its possible.

I'll gather parts and see how far I get.

'48 parts maybe easier than finding '29 parts.



Greg