Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Although correct on the duals, (singles too?) I consider them to be a lot of extra weight hung out behind the rear axle, in addition to being dirt catchers. I think the sound without them might be a little harsher, but not that bad in my non-Packard experience.

Has anyone ever tested the "sound" one might expect with a single cat in front of the exhaust pipe and nothing beind it but pipes? Or, how about the same setup with a glass pack plugged in at the resonator location.

Just some whacky thoughts.

Still, who has achieved their dream of throatiness/smoothness/flow that gives their ride the utmost respect at drive-ins without scaring away the faint-hearted?

In my humble opinion a senior Packard should be nearly silent, and that means using the resonators. I know of several 56 Packards that are "Packard 12 silent" and I think that this is what was intendedd for a car of this price class. I say this in reference to a car that from all outward appearance is a stock Packard trying to look like 1956 again. If you are going outlaw, just go all the way and go glasspacks.

John, remember riding in my '56 Patrician a couple of years ago? It had glasspacks and no resonators and was very quiet. Not V12 quiet but quiet nonetheless.

Yes, Eric, it was not that loud. One member of Motor City Packards has a gold '56 Patrician that is as quiet as a Packard 12, it is silent.

i left the hole in my frame because i plan to use the hole for the dual exhaust. i have a REALLY good muffler guy i go to for all my cars. he will not butcher it up. look up kinneys mufflers in fort worth texas....he has pics of his work...it is gorgeous!

i plan to spend quite a bit on it, stainless and i want it to sound really aggressive, but not really loud. not a grandma car that's for sure. i want everyone to know it is a badass American V8! this is probably one of the only parts of the car i don't care about originality.

if you want a great smooth, not too loud, not too quiet muffler go with Magnaflow. they are perfect. i don't like that raspy loud hick pickup truck sound and the magnaflow is perfect!

Is this the Packard Info forum or did I accidently get on the '55 Chevy, jacked up in the back, new billet wheels and tires, crate Z-something-or-other-engine forum?

Not to worry Mr. PB. U ARE in the right place.
THIS IS the lifter clattering, oil pump worn out prematurely, BTV failure, unobtainium Detroit Joint, breaking ignition switch bezel and engine oiling problem, Taiwan rod bearing, and flimsy cast aluminum piston FORUM.

Welcome to the Twilite Zone.

Right now the 56 cop car is very very quiet. too quiet. This car is not Assembly line authentic" it has been modified by Police in the past, and for me it is a driver, and i want it to rumble.

No stupid chevy engine $hit here, that was a little harsh. Both of my road cars are still motivated by noisy lifters and ultratraumatics. This is an open question thread on opinions, and mine is that the 374 would sound impressive through a freer flowing set of pipes.

My 55, however will someday be reciving the cop cars old exhaust to keep it whispery "V-12" quiet.

When I got my 56 Clipper it didn't have the resonators and while it was quiet, I decided to install them when I replaced the exhaust. The difference is amazing! Every event that I went to this past summer I received nothing but compliments on how quiet the car is. At the Motor Muster at Greenfield Village back in June, I was cruising the grounds during the evening and a woman shout out to me that she didn't know that Packard made an electric car! Even more recently, at the Fall Open House at PPG as I was about to leave, a man came up to me and was asking about the car. He asked me to start the car so that he could hear it. I then told him that it was running and had been the whole time.

This thread is meant to be open to all opinions on Packard V8 exhaust setups, including experiences and experiments. No one HAS to do anything they don't want to.

One thing for sure, there are no "original" exhaust systems out there (with maybe a very rare exception) so we're talking repair and retrofit. But perhaps there are some "period correct" repros out there for mufflers and resonators?

It would be nice to have some performance comparisons, but unless someone is doing et's, we'd have to stick with gas mileage, IF someone has comparisons between different setups.

I just think those d*mn resonators add a lot of unnecessary weight, but then I don't know how resonators are designed to do what they do. I always thought of them as just an extra expansion chamber to "mellow" the note... do they add any back pressure?

Silent as a V12? Possibly. But never as smooth. nor as smooth as an in-line 8, for that matter.

I really believe that Packard stalled as long as possible before joining the V8 crowd because the new engines would be noticeably rougher at idle or at speed than the straight 8.

I wonder if Packard spent all that money on their fancy engine balancing machine to try to get as close to the smoothness that people had come to expect from the straight 8?
(Shame on me)