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Hi Guys,
So he got the 53 Patrician! So looks like he'll need some info on getting it to fit to the 38 tranny after all. He doesn't have the original motor for the 38 thus when deciding what to put in it, he chose a more powerful straight engine to keep it a Packard and to fit in the engine compartment. It's not going to happen right away as the Dodge needs to get done first.
Thanks for your help and info thus far!

G'day all, Here are the basic Packard instructions for fitting a 288 engine to a back to 120C Packard, The 288 has the same block length as the 327 even the nine main 53 engine. It says export ( read RHD) but it would be simpler with LHD. There is some mucking around with engine mounts on the 51-54 but it is pretty straight forward, until you start to fit the overdrives to pre 39. It looks like the scans came out pretty badly so i shall probably email them to Big Kev and I hope that Big Kev is able to put them into the Tech Instruction area of Packard Info so interested persons don't have to sift through old forums. An update. If you are running Windows, you can double -click on each page and it will bring each page up legibly. Good luck and best regards Peter Toet

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Wow, that's awesome! Thanks so much!

Peter if you can send those over in an email, I will turn them into a PDF and put that in the archive for future reference.

thanks

Very interesting article.

I can't help but be amused at the "precision" Packard went to on the retrofits. We all think of them as finely built cars and rightly so--yet in this article, they mention using a block and jack to compress the dash panel a 1/2 to 5/8 inch and in the instructions for installing an Easamatic in the 51, instructions were to heat the frame and hammer a recess if interference with the booster was encountered. On the 51, they did go the extra to mention removing the gas line and using asbestos to shield it from the torch when heating the frame.

Almost sounds like instructions that a zone office came up with instead of something from Packard engineering dept.

G'day Big Kev, the email is hopefully on it's way. It's scanned at 150dpi and I can increase this if necessary. best Regards Peter Toet

Almost sounds like instructions that a zone office came up with instead of something from Packard engineering dept.

Kev, check the letterhead on the first page.

G'day all, I have fitted a 54-327 engine and R6 OD to my Richards bodied 1601 and I would recommend that you also recess the radiator into the front clip an extra half inch, to gain better belt change access. There are also another dozen or so things which need to be taken into account, such as, with regard to using a wide belt harmonic balancer,a modified washer must be used on the securing bolt for the early balancer/later crank setup. Peter Toet

So I printed these Packard documents out and my friend loved to see them! We got the '53 home on the weekend and started pulling it apart to get at the engine. It is ceased which we knew but its been sitting in the grass since 1969 so that was to be expected. He's going to get it unceased and find out for sure if it will fit in the engine compartment of the '38. Does anyone know the dimensions of the '53 and '38 engines? How much more room is he going to need? Anyways, once he gets all the parts off the '53, there will still be lots of the car left and we would hate to see it go to waste, so let me know if anyone needs anything off of it. It's not about the dollars gained from selling the rest, its knowing that someone out there somewhere needs one of those trim pieces etc. for their project.
Thanks again for the documents!
Cat