Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

That's good to know! I kinda wonder why they told me they no longer did when I tried to order a set.

Wonder if they only quit making certain ones. Am sure even with their low volume needs it might not be cost effective to make a certain size.

It's my understanding that pistons are cast/forged oversize and machined to a certain oversize. Therefore the castings would all be the same, just the machine work would be different. A lot cheaper to do it that way, that's for sure.

That's my understanding too. Which would make a REpop Oversize piston heavier than a REpop std piston.

BUT, IIRC the OEM Packard piston has a steel strut. Which should make an OEM STD Packard piston heavier than just a CAST (with no steel strut) oversize piston???? No??

I don't really know.

Logic would dictate so, but I've never bought any of Egge's pistons to test and I never will.

The two OEM steel struts are relatively thin. If the Egge pistons were identical in thickness everywhere, the little bit of steel would weigh more than the same amount of aluminum. Since the repro Egges are 29 grams heavier, they are putting in quite a bit more aluminum. Since all their pistons are made from one permanent mold, as size increases - STD, .030" up to .060", less aluminum is machined away and weight increases.

jack vines

Jack, what's the thickness of the head of the Egge piston as compared to the Packard piston?

Hello! This is Fred Kanter from Kanter Auto Products. I was excited to find such an informative website with Packard information. We are always glad to see the hobby thriving and the Packard community connecting to share stories and knowledge.

I have some information that I want to add to this thread to clear up some confusion:

1. Kanter still does indeed offer three levels of V-8 engine rebuild kits, and has for many years: Basic, Master and Deluxe. Please see our Kanter catalog, Packard-specific catalogs, or our website for details: www.kanter.com/packard. You can also order individual parts if you do not wish to order a kit.

2. You are correct that our piston pin bushings are solid and not split like the originals. Solid bushings are the current technology and are easier to install. Split bushings are prone to collapsing when being installed. We improve parts whenever possible (the industry has improved and advanced a lot in the past 50 years!).

3. If you call the general Kanter Auto number, the salesman will not be able to tell you the brand of piston for a Packard V-8. This is our company policy, as many people (and competitors!) try to call us to discover our sources. We do use Egge as a supplier for some pistons, but also at times have NOS Packard, Allied, or other brand pistons in various sizes. All of our pistons are backed by a Lifetime Limited Warranty. Regarding the marking of parts sources...just because a Packard dealer sold a "Packard" part in a Packard box did not mean that the part was manufactured by Packard. Bohnalite made pistons for Packard (yes, at various times Packard DID make their own pistons as well), but several companies made the U-joints, front end parts, batteries, frames, wheels, radiators, tires, etc. Packard, like all other auto makers, bought parts from other companies and reboxed them, thus concealing the sources from the public. So do toy companies, computer makers, and all other businesses. Including Kanter Auto Products.

4. Kanter Auto Products and Packards International Club are not affiliated in any way; they are separate organizations. Kanter is in New Jersey, and PI is in California. Kanter does belong to PI and
we receive their newsletter, but that's all.


We have a very knowledgeable Packard Department that is here to serve you. If you call our general sales dept they will not have as much specific information as our Packards only dept, ext 336. If you have any questions - whether they are about price, availability, inoformation about a specific part, or if you want to order or you just want to chat about your Packard - give us a call and we will be happy to help in any way possible.



Thanks and happy motoring,



Fred Kanter

Kanter Auto Products

Proudly in our 51st year in business!

Greetings, Fred,

Welcome to the forum and many thanks for the reply. I've been a loyal Kanter customer for many years. In any business the size Kanter has grown into, there will be some communication problems. All I can tell you is when we placed our latest order a month or so ago, the salesperson definitely told us there were no longer V8 kits and so we had to order each piece separately. Lesson learned, always use extension #336 for future orders.

BTW, as long as we're clearing up confusion - in the catalogkanter.com/packard/pac-556.html#5 is the following listing:

5.1401 Piston pin, standard or oversize .003",.005", .010", each $8.80

However, when I tried to order oversized pins, I was told, "We don't have oversized piston pins and can't understand why they are still in the catalog."

Again, a minor point and am sure you will sort it out for us.

jack vines
Studebaker-Packard V8 Limited
Mager Engine

To answer Jack Vines points/questions:

Kanter continues to sell Basic , Master and Deluxe engine kits for V8's. We did not discontinue them. When your company Mager Engines ordered, they did so from our wholesale division, Packard Industries.

Supplyijng rebuilders and commercial accounts is different from retail consumers. We recently standardized our kits to conform with industry standards in terms of contents and speed of delivery. The industry expects items to be shipped within 24-48 hours and if there are items which have a spotty availability we discontinued kits.

As we do not have oli pump kits or pumps for both V8's and 356 engines we discontinued the kits, parts must be purchased separately. This was not done to inconvenience customers or ourselves, that would be counterproductive in all ways.

Mager Engine's order for a V8 engine did not include piston rings or valve lifters, thus a kit would not have been of interest to Mager. The unavailabliity of a kit seems to be a non-issue.

With over 70,000 different items in our product line sometimes something is overlooked. I appreciate your letting me know that V8 oversized piston pins were still listed on the internet, they have been removed.

Thank you for your patronage

Fred Kanter
Kanter Auto Products
Boonton NJ