Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I'm a bit surprised that no one picked up on or had any comments on my earlier note asking where and by whom the 1956 and perhaps late 1955 engine blocks for S-P's Packard line were cast. I posed the question here after hearing the Jim Balfour lecture at the PAC National in Gettysburg where he noted that the forge and casting plant on Harper Avenue had been sold during 1955 which is confirmed in the 1955 Packard annual report to the stockholders. I thought this was "new" news, but perhaps it was already well-known and understood? I've tried to determine if the forge/casting plant was sold as an ongoing operation to which S-P might have contracted for the castings, or sold for real estate development, but haven't been able thus far to uncover any relevant information. I suppose the casting operations could have been done by Studebaker?

This didn't spur anyone's curiousity? Anyone have any information on it? Or perhaps a way to determine the details of the transaction, such as who the purchaser was and for what purpose?

O_D, news to me. Can you share the PAC National presentation with us? Sure would like to know more about this. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

(o{I}o)

I have no first-hand knowledge of who bought the property. However, here are some thoughts:

1. Industrial property transfers often take years to complete after the deal is made.
2. S-P knew Packard was dead in '55. Most blocks and heads I've seen have 1955 casting dates. 1956 dated parts are quite rare. They probably cast what they thought they'd need and shut 'er down mid-1956.
3. No way Packard engine casting was moved to another facility. No reason to do it, since they had still had stacks of leftover engines when car production ceased. Newman and Altman sold complete Packard V8s for several years, up into the 1960s.

jack vines

Gents ...politics aside.......I'd love one day to get to a PAC National meet here in the Western US. What are the practical reasons so many meets 'seem' to be held east of the Mississippi?

No way that "S-P knew Packard was dead in '55." Read James A. Ward's "The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company" (1995). On January 15, 1956 Packard made a request to the insurance companies for money to finance the all-new 1957 models. On January 27, James Nance was informed that the request had been turned down. THIS is what killed Packard.

And, if "S-P knew Packard was dead in '55", why did S-P plan the all-new 1957s all the way thru 1955 and 1956? Read The Packard Cormorant magazine #125 and #136.

As to PAC holding the national meets in the east, if any Western Regions would like to host a national meet, please contact the PAC Board. You need about 15-20 people working hard for two years in advance to pull one of these events off.

What are the practical reasons so many meets 'seem' to be held east of the Mississippi?

Kevin - just seconding what ECAnthony said, the first step in having one in any area is having a local PAC region create a viable plan and submit it to PAC's board. I see a region in Mesa, AZ - why not try to get them behind such a project?

Can you share the PAC National presentation with us? Sure would like to know more about this. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

JW, perhaps Mr. Balfour's presentation will be reprinted at some time in the future, or perhaps he'd be willing to share some of the text of it, I'll ask him. But I did ask him subsequent to his presentation if he had any further information about the sale of the Harper Avenue forging and casting plant and he indicated that he did not. That's why I was hoping someone here would dig into it.

O-D, Packard was trading work with AMC (Hudson) during the V-8 years, it has been written that Hudson produced the stamped portions of the V-8 engines, the valve covers and oil pans, probably the valley pans too, could it be that Hudson also cast the blocks and heads? This also begs the question of the Ultramatic housings and 1955 rear end housings.
The land where Packard's foundry sat became in short order the I-94 expressway, according tomichiganhighways.org/indepth/early_I-94.html

the expressway was completed to Mount Elliot street (just west of where the foundry sat) in 1957, and was completed to Conner ave. (now passing through, or under where the foundry sat)by the fall of 1958. Projects like this don't happen overnight, the expressway had been under construction since 1953 (as a modern submerged expressway, it had been under construction as a direct road linking war factories from east to west since 1942) it is not unreasonable to think that the federal trasportation folk may have tapped Packard on the shoulder re: eminent domain and the foundry land as early as '53 or '54. The massive Dodge Main plant sat just to the north of the Packard plant, and they would have had more clout and were undoubetedly left alone in the routing of the E-way.
Gemmer gear was on Mt.Elliot, parts of that plant remain today.

Thanks Mr. PB, useful information about the expressway. I'd read years back but forgotten about Hudson doing stampings for S-P.

It would have to factor in, given the timetable for Packard's shutdown of the foundry and the construction of the Expressway.