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Aside from, IMO the more refined styling in 56, the cars are so very similar. The 55 Ultramatic was prone to some teething issues being placed behind the much more powerful V8 but the 56 updates made for a much more reliable and pleasant operation. The better operation and reliability inside the unit was kind of offset by the 56 pushbutton electric shift which can be problematic in cars so equipped. If the car you are interested in has the electric shift make sure you understand the operation or else refer to someone who does before just tearing into it.

The 56 torsion level was considerably changed with an almost completely revised electric layout to eliminate corrosion issues caused by water getting into parts that were located under the car in 55. Mechanically, there were changes with the compensator to accommodate the 56 limit switches along with changes in design and orientation of the connecting links again due to water and some noise issues. Because of the changes there are quite a few of the compensator and link parts that will not interchange between the two years. If the car you get still has original rubber bushings they will probably be in poor condition but replacements are available as are newly manufactured urethane bushings which are a farther improvement.

Thanks for the replies.
PGH. It's gotta be a 56 senior---the more accentuated front end. Two door 400 is most desireable. Patrician, is a maybe. Caribbean would be cool, but unlikely.
Anything Turquoise or red would be a no. Favorite is green, I do like Mojave Tan as well or a dark blue.

BigKev. Yes, big bucks on all that stuff. Luckily, I do the mechanicals and some of the paint and body.

Kevin...this green one hits the spot. Other than a couple hurdles of price/condition and shipping. Shipping is nobody's problem except mine. Since I don't buy to sell, eventually the shipping cost would be water under the bridge. There are quite a few pictures and if the paint is original, I'd suspect there is nothing hiding. Then again, we aren't looking at door bottoms and other lower seams where rust could be brewing. Does it smell like mice have been living in the headliner for 20 years? A 56 400 in greens is ideal, so it's a gamble.

Hi HH. No worries on the transmission aspect, I've been in the transmission industry for 27 years. The only time I saw an Ultramatic was in the late 90's. Which wasn't a rebuild, only something minor. A '56 Mojave Tan Patrician. T'was my first experience with a Packard and I've been wanting one ever since. Now, I might just do it. Gosh, the thought of rebuilding an Ultramatic just sent a rush of exhilaration through me. Don't curse me, but I have thought about the benefits of a later overdrive swap. While many might think a GM 700R4 would be the go to, I think the Ford AOD would be just as good. Also better suited due to it having 6 positions on the shifter which would match the 6 buttons.

Mark

If you're going to try a transmission swap, you'd best be sure that whatever you end up buying has a standard shift lever as many 1956 senior Packards were electric push button. Swapping one and keeping the push button intact is doable but not the least easy even for a seasoned mechanic!

I don't recall anyone mentioning the installation of a Ford trans and no idea if anyone makes an adapter for one. Bendtsen has some Ford engine to various trans but don't know if they have anything for Packard engines to Ford. A poster on the forum wanted a GM trans but at that time there were no more adapters or installs from the place in Southern California which had been doing some GM conversions. His 55 was sent to Bendtsen where they engineered and fabricated the adapter available today and then installed their GM conversion on the V8 engine. After the first install, for later kits they made some changes and eliminated some pieces and AFAIK, their GM kit is the only adapter available today. Several have been installed to generally good reviews.

Pushbuttons are another wrinkle. Even though the Ford trans has 6 positions, no idea if the spacing would work with the Packard actuator. If they would then it would be a simple matter of changing wires around and fabricating some kind of support or linkage connection from the actuator to the trans. At the least though I would expect the actuator to need a new insulating block with the correct spacing to hold the fingers in the proper Ford positions.

Bendtsen says they have an answer to the pushbutton dilemma on a GM trans but to the best of my knowledge no one has used or even seen their solution so no idea whether they use the Packard actuator or have come up with a different actuator and kept the Packard buttons or got rid of those too. A Rolls Royce actuator from the late 80s era when RR made a variant of the 700R4 appears to be a fairly easy job to make electrically compatible and would bolt on the trans where RR placed it if there is enough clearance between the frame and trans but those are somewhat scarce and being RR, expensive.

Yes, Rolls Royce in their infinite wisdom used a column shift driving an electric actuator. Imagine the Packard Ultramatic column shift hooked up to a corresponding set of contacts, to connect to the pushbutton motor, that's essentially what RR used. Fun fact, even into the 90's there was no physical interlock since the unit didn't work with the car off. So you could always just move the stick back and forth if you wanted.

I would definitely keep the Ultramatic, especially in a 56, as properly repaired and adjusted you will have very few concerns. Ross or I can chime in if you are worried about anything. 😀

I probably would just keep the Ultramatic in place. Although 2 speed autos aren't very impressive with acceleration. The Mercomatic in my 58 Monterey is a 2 speed. Has 3, but with no low sprag, you have to manually select 1st. Often times will manually select 1st then hit drive for the 1-2. Then is automatically shifts the 2-3. If selecting Drive, it will start in 2nd and shift to 3rd. Not much leverage in the standing start. Then, top speed is limited due to lower axle ratios. 4 speeds would make the best of both worlds.

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That would be an interesting project. Both with repositioning the gear locations in the pushbutton actuator and with the throttle shaft located inside the shift shaft.

I am not yet sure how the Ultramatic linkage is set up. But, I believe with some fabrication it could be done. While perusing around the site I saw someone had a car where a previous owner installed a Dual Coupling Hydramatic and used the push button actuator to shift it.
First step is finding a 56 400.

HH,
I didn't see your above reply earlier. It was in a Patrician for sale, owned by the seller's father.

Here is the link: Patrician with Hydramatic

Whether I think about modernizing the transmission or not, the best first step is to obtain a Packard.



56 400 in DA colors

So you don't have to look it up:
D = Norwegian Forest
A = Shannon Green

Hmm....if I'm getting so fixated on particular color combination, perhaps I should just buy the car and deal with any shortcomings.

Mark