Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I was contacted by a board member, who had a friend in need of a manifold (And Carbs + linkage for that matter).

A couple of Emails, a couple of calls, and a deal was cut.

Thanks to those that helped ID it positively!

I have a dual-quad intake #440856 available for sale.<br> It is in decent condition with no cracks or damage.<br> I would like to get $500 for it,<br>not counting shipping from Vancouver, Canada.

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Ouch, that's pretty rusty and I would think it will need considerable time in the blast cabinet or sonic washer.

Has anyone looked into fitting another make of manifold to a Packard V8?

This may not be as crazy as it sounds. A few years ago you could buy a set of adapter plates to put a Ford 351 intake on an early Chrysler Hemi, and an early Cadillac manifold will fit on a Studebaker V8 with a little fitting.

Of course this would be for a hot rod only. But it might be interesting if, say, an aftermarket intake made for a Pontiac could be adapted to the Packard.

Quote: Yes, I've tried every manifold imaginable, big block Mopar, Pontiac and so on.
Quote:A quick look will show the Pontiac V8 leads with the opposite cylinder bank from the Packard V8, thus not even a possibility. Besides, the Packard V8 is longer and taller than most anything else. I've cut aftermarket aluminum manifolds into four separate legs and with a lot of expensive heliarc and machine work made an aluminum Packard intake manifold. It cost enough to make the current market price for Caribbean intakes look like a bargain, so children, don't try this at home.

No,Quote:since this urban legend has been around for nearly sixty years now, it obviously won't go away. It is easy to slot the bolt holes on an early Cadillac intake manifold so it can be bolted to a Studebaker V8. That really doesn't accomplish anything, because the intake ports just don't match up and it is darn near impossible to get a decent port alignment so the Caddy performs any better than a stock Studebaker intake.

Maybe, we should say one more time, the Caribbean intake isn't the limiting factor for most hot rod Packard V8 engines. Until a Packard V8 builder has spent the first several thousand dollars on forged pistons, better valves, springs, retainers, camshaft, lifters and pushrods, an aluminum intake would be nice to have, but there wouldn't be much performance advantage.

jack vines

It is not the aluminum material that a manifold is made of that enhances performance, it is the design of the interior of the manifold that matters, whether it is aluminum or cast iron.

There was a Rambler dealer near Stroudsberg PA who raced Packard V-8 powered Fords on dirt tracks in the late 50's/early 60's who dominated the races until the 406 Ford came out. I bought several blocks adn 12.5:1 forged piston sets from him and built a 396 4 1/4" engine with solid lifters, hot cam, aluminum rockers, big pushrods, 2x4 Packard manifold etc. The roar of the air going into the carbs was great sounding, who knows how powerful it was??

Quote:

I've actually been involved in something like this. In my case in the 1970s, my racing partner and I sliced and diced an Edelbrock Tunnel Ram for an SBC into a Tunnel Ram intake for a Pontiac V-8. Actually, we did it twice (two versions). Here's the very recent thread about it:

forums.performanceyears.com/forums/showthread.php?t=664413&highlight=H-O+Tunnel+Ram

This is a "nontrivial exercise". I also agree (as usual) with Jack Vines post.

Craig

Thanks for the quick answer to my question.

Looks like if someone wanted to build a real gone racing Packard V8 manifold something like the old Crower U Fab manifold, welded up out of steel tubes and flanges, would be worth a try.
Making your own manifold
waywardgarage.com/1526/how-to-make-a-u-fab-style-6x2-carb-intake-manifold/

Quote:

Yes, there'd be some nostalgia and classic look in an old 6x2 log manifold. The fabricated steel manifolds are more difficult to get right than first appears. BTDT

No, no one has built a 6x2 log and Stromberg 97s for serious racing in forty years. The 2x4 Holley's on a tunnel ram became the design of choice for racers.

Maybe, decide exactly what class and application the Packard V8 would be built for and I can suggest how to get the best manifold.

jack vines

I have been considering doing this with my 400, but parts are hard to find!

I have a suggestion: I teach a materials class at Ivy Tech Community College. In the class, we do sand casting as one of the activities. If someone with one of these intakes would be willing to work together on this, it would be conceivable to make a lost foam (or lost wax) pattern and then start making aluminum intakes from the original pattern. This would be a great exercise for the students and would help out those who want a dual-quad intake.

The easiest thing would be to find the molds for the patterns, but I am not sure if those would still be around. Any ideas on that?

Short of that, we could measure and make our own molds and patterns.

Thoughts on this?

Josh
neljoshua@gmail.com