Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Out of curiosity what is the overall quality of the 55 model year? Meaning are there any particular issues to be aware of?

This model year is of interest as it is the year I as born and is appealing visually. I hope to be able to buy one when I retire.

Am sure you'll get a lot of opinions but I think it is accepted that 55's had some teething problems. All the following were first year efforts with the learning curves associated:

A new plant with Packard building their own bodies after many years of farming it out. Some fit and finish issues & places prone to rust.

A V8 engine that was rather rushed and didn't get long term testing. Oil pump issues have been found.

Ultramatic transmission with new features, barely tested on a few 54 models beforehand and then mated with the new higher horsepower engine. Some components do not like the extra strain.

New and quite different suspension system. Of all the new features, this probably had the least problems though.

Overall, most of the problems were taken care of fairly quickly but I think the Twin Ultramatic was the weakest link that year and still causes issues today if mistreated. The engine oil pump issue has had several "fixes" over the years but now seems to be resolved with development of a modern replacement kit by some of the posters here with the kit now available through another.

Quote:

If you find a 55 that has had its T-U upgraded to 1956 components, you should not have a problem. That's the situation with my 55 Pat and its T-U has been solid for the 11 years that I have owned it.

Craig

Thank you for the reponse.

And there is one 56 TU feature that you probably want to retro adapt back to 1955 - replace the wave washer in the torque converter!! Its been the cause of much torque converter damage.

Owen..........can you provide some anecdotal info on the wave washer situation and how it destroyed twin ultramatics? Is there specific source material out here somewhere? I have some pics of a very ugly torque converter just removed from my '55 400. Many thanks.

Ross Miller is probably a better person to comment on the wave washer failure, but there is plenty of first hand evidence of it's failure and subsequent damage, I've personally encountered it twice. The original wave washer, used in 56 to replace the arrangement used in 55, gave premature wear and once the raised edges of the washer wore thru, the small pieces (hardened steel) fell into the converter and tore the vane edges severely. If you read the service counselors you'll see they later replaced the original wave washer with a phosphatized or otherwise treated washer to give longer life - which it did but still not enough. Any good rebuilder that knows these transmissions will replace the wave washer with the parts from a 55. Kanter sells a wave washer eliminator kit (55 parts), see pix.

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A quick and dirty calculation on the back of a napkin tells me that if you nail your V8 at a light and the engine rises to the torque converter stall speed, about 2500 IIRC, the fluid velocity in the torque convertor should be well over 100 mph. The smallest piece of shrapnel will start tearing hunks out of the vanes making more shrapnel and the cascade of disaster has begun. One of the first TUs I did was from an Executive. The whole transmission was full of something like tiny aluminum pebbles the size of a ball point pen ball. They used to be to torque convertor vanes.

If you check the 55-56 Service Index, here, you'll find this change for the 56th Series Twin Ultramatic documented in a couple of Studebaker Service Bulletins - under the topic of "Converter: Torque (Reactor End Play)", which the wave washer affects.

SSB No. 331, p. 6 advises of the return to the prior (55th Series) design and checking method, and supersession of the converter assembly. While my original entry for that subject in the index did not identify the wave washer specifically, but I'll rectify that (especially in view of BigKev's expanded site search function).

Yet, even if you missed that bulletin, the wave washer was/is noted in the entry for SSB No. 339, p. 4, which advises of the cancellation of wave washer kit, reiterates the 55th Series parts to use, and even points to the previous bulletin.

When friend Ron Siegal rebuilt my 400 trans back in 92 he told me he was eliminating the wave washer and showed me the problem it caused with the turbines. I ordered a new set and he installed that set in the converter. I have since purchased two sets of turbines to have just in case.