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Great job, Henry. You are boldly going where few have gone.

Packard used those self locking screws to prevent oil leaks in those locations as the tapped holes go through into ATF world. So take those lockwashers off, and in fact put a bit of sealer on the bolt shanks or you will have puddles. If the bolts are torqued, there is no significant danger of them loosening. Regards. Ross

thanks Ross...i wonder why the manual doesn't mention the two in the tailshaft or the location they go in. i just took pictures and got lucky.

i will take the lock washers off those self locking bolts.

what sealent to use....rtv?

thanks,

hank

put together the valve body.

had some woes in the process though.... i broke the little peg that attaches it to the gear selector rod. the little peg has a slit in it that you spread apart to hold it in place...well the metal on one side broke off. does anyone have one of those laying around? i know it is small, and i think i can just get a small beg with a circlip to hold it from like Lowes or something.

then on the the gear selector itself.....on the trans case, not the valve body....that little piece that sets the detent....well that aluminum POS gave out and stripped, so i am going to try to hellicoil it first and then if not try the old piece on the old trans, which isn't much better. BOOOOOOO crappy aluminum!!!

see pics with arrows for where i am talking about.

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About that little die cast shift lever: it is a constant problem and I have personally never taken a tranny apart where it was not loose or damaged. I was taught in machine design class to never use a set screw to secure an oscillating load--which that is.

The best solution is to drill and tap the shaft and lever clean through to the other side and secure the whole shebang with a good bolt and lockwasher. The thread size is 5/16-24. For real belt and suspenders, you can even install a nut on the far side of the lever. To minimize slop where the link to the valve body attaches, use a similar approach and drill and tap through the lever and link for a 1/4-28 bolt instead of that split pin. Spin a full-thread bolt in til the head almost touches the link, spin a nut up near to touching on the other side, then jam another nut against that one. This makes a nice tight rotating joint kind of like the outer joints on your front suspension.

I do this on all the TUs with good success. It is especially helpful on the push button cars as slop in the linkage get the shifter "confused".

Good hints for us would-be mechanics. Thanks Ross.

thanks Ross for the ideas. if i couldn't get the set screw to fix i was going to drill all the way through like you suggested, but i didn't have too. i fixed it like factory and made some improvements.

1. i used a 5/16 x 18 for a wider spread on the threads.
2. i used a grade 5 bolt and tapered the end to match the old one.
3. cut the top of the bolt off and then cut a slit in the top.
4.helicoiled the selector piece to 5/16 x 18
5. used a 5/16 x 18 vinyl inserted lock nut.
6. perfect and very tight!


I even tested my fix. i slammed the selector rod backwards to see if the stop would move and it didn't! it was very tight and strong. i tried several times and it just wont budge. perfect!

then while at home-depot today.....they had set screws with allen heads....all i would have had to do was taper the tip more. dang.....oh well it was fun making my own with my dad!

now as for the split pin....you're right! screw that thing!! i used a binding post w/ screw. it was a perfect fit. i used locktight to make sure it doesn't come loose.

things happen for a reason. i am glad that the split screw broke and the set screw did too. these fixes are WAY better than factory. Thank God. ;0)

there is absolutely ZERO slop in this thing now. PERFECT!!

I am not going to paint it yet, but i will take it with me to Salado to show off.

I LOVE IT!

Hank

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finished up the rest of the transmission.

i set the torque to 10ft-lbs for the valve body to set things, then i backed off the nut to five by feel. i don't have a torque wrench that will go lower than 10, so i had to do it that way. the other bolts were set to 10 then back barely for 9 ft lbs.

hopefully i got it all done right.

i have one O-ring left over in my rebuild kit from Max Merrit...and i replaced all the O-rings. the only place i can think of that might take it is the rear pump tube that goes into the filter screen....but the pictures don't show one actually goes there...i am not sure there is supposed to be one there. maybe this o-ring is for the torque converter.......but i don't see that listed in the parts plates. i know for a fact that i put new o-rings on all the pump tubes, etc....and the band adjusting bolts.

i thread sealed/locked the bolts on the tailshaft and the one in the bell housing like ross said. i also took off the lock washers on those two on the tailshaft.

only other thing to not is the trans cooler line hook up with the smaller hole goes to the top of the case and the bigger hole underneath that one.

Later,

Hank

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Hank,

Your pictures are great, they are being really helpful with a project I have at the moment. I'm trying to identify, and list for my club, a couple of pallets full of Packard parts. Some of these parts are NOS and are Ultramatic parts. Now with the help of your pic's, I'll be able to identify some I had suspicions about but wasn't too sure of.

Hank,

Where did you go to transmission school?

Packard Serviceman Training of course! LOL!

i had a few people ask me if i rebuild them at the salado meet this last weekend. i wasn't sure how to answer. this is my first one and i don't even know if it works right.

but people really like it. all the polishing i did. took forever though.

i really don't think i have the time to rebuild any others though......maybe if the price was right. i have a credit card i am trying to pay off.....LOL!

i don't have any pics from the Salado meet, but others took pics and i hope get those from them some day soon and i will update things then.

thanks to John for letting me drive his 37 convertible coupe.....i was in Heaven.....;0) wish i had money to buy one.....cause i realy want a 37 coupe of some sort. one day.....

p.s. John....that was my first time driving a Packard too. people must have been alittle shorter back then...LOL!

later,

Hank