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Quote:

Believe the AOS refers to the manufacturer of the frame A.O.Smith

I wondered that too, if it were AO Smith. Seems to make sense.

Mark

Yes, A. O. Smith was a supplier of frames to Packard from as early as the late 1920s (and perhaps earlier) thru 1956. They later sold off that business and are currently a major maker of hot water heaters and other similar appliances. A while back a friend was able to contact them and obtain their engineering prints for a particular 6th series frame but more recently I have been advised that they no longer have these archives.

Here is part 3 in the 1940 160 club coupe progress:



enjoy!!!

I happened to be in the video editing mood so I put together some of the video I had of the 356. This one is with disassembly. Enjoy!

Very cool!!! Thank you.

IIRC, the crank is 105#. Your weight for the block seems light to me. Not doubting you, but I would have guessed it weighed more.


Good luck on parts.


I found this a while back and offer it as food for thought. I'll be following this. I have a barn full of Packard 8s in need of TLC.

jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/packard- ... erf-mods-lets-talk-about-it.388993/

For engine parts try egge machine in CA also try Kanter auto parts in boonton NJ

Engine work is in progress. My machinist loves using studs instead of bolts. So, he studded all 9 mains. Overkill? probably. But, it's better than it needs to be and I won't have to do it again. The align honing process is done. He text me a short video showing that with some mains the hone was barely touching, and some took a good bite. Every quality rebuild needs to be align honed.
I've considered Egge pistons as they are sufficient for 99% of the Packard out there. The Egge are probably better than the originals. Although, with the high performance Ford engines I've built, it's nice to make internal upgrades for a stock appearance. Things like long rod/short piston with modern rings, roller cam, stroker crank etc. None of which are visible without disassembly.
However, after watching this video, it gave me a little inspiration to go in the direction for some custom pieces.



Very good video and it looks like they are a top-quality shop. As he mentioned in the video, they are using Arias pistons. I was able to find the phone number to their shop and inquired about the pistons shown as they aren't something listed in the Arias catalog. Very nice guy to chat with. He mentioned they are custom and who to talk to at Arias. I called Arias and for me to order, I needed to apply to be an Arias dealer. Luckily, I have a shop as there were a few questions about that on the application.
While the Egge piston is good for 99% of the use an antique Packard will see, I will be driving this to and from and in The Great Race which is a 2300+ mile road rally. I feel better with the forged piston. Also, I prefer to use a piston with modern rings. The modern rings are thinner with less tension. It has been said piston rings account for 80% of the friction in the entire vehicle. Original rings can be 5/64 thick. The 1mm rings are about half the size with reduced drag and no compromise to longevity. Another benefit to a custom piston is doing the minimum oversize. If the cylinders clean up at .005 hone, then why go to .030? So, we'd spec the custom piston for .005 over.
My machinist is going to start working on the cylinders tomorrow and we'll soon find out what finish bore size we'll be going with.

Forged pistons do offer some advantages. Overall strength is greater, and they have substantially better heat conductivity, which can allow higher compression without detonation and reduces heat distortion under sustained high loads. I'd expect that ring land wear would be reduced. Studs with fine thread at the cap ends would likely allow more precise torque settings and probably retain torque settings better. If forged piston expansion is lower, they could be fit a little tighter. Very short-skirted pistons in a long stroke engine would need to be well-thought out. Modern rings would certainly give better performance and longevity.

The pistons for this Packard are planning to be full skirt and full length. The stroked Ford stuff makes a shorter piston is necessary. The only mods on pistons for the 356 are forged, custom diameter and modern rings.