Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

The "Ultra-Torque" kit was a PI (region?) project from a number of years ago, They still offer it. It's basically a ring cut from 1/4" aluminum plate to adapt between the Packard V-8 block and the bellhousing on the 727 Torqueflite and a collar that runs between the crank on the V-8 and the input if the 727. It only works with a certain vintage of Torqueflite, I want to say 1970-1974 (but could be totally wrong). I asked Fred Mauck about it one year at the PI booth in Hershey, he stated that they (PI, Californians, Maucks, et al) couldn't get all of the Ultramatic parts to fix their transmissions and that this mod was keeping their cars on the raod. We all know people who have rebuilt their T-Us and drive them, so it most likely boils down to personal preference or skill set. A 727 Torqueflite is a great transmission, bullet proof by 1970. They probably are more adept at making a retro-fit than hunting down parts for/paying for those parts and rebuilding an original T-U. At the time they first cooked up the "Ultra-torque" there were probably fewer parts available for the T-U then are available today, odd as that may seem.

Sierra Grove Packards are the folks that sell the Torque-Flight conversion adapters to replace the Ultramatics. They have them for the 51-54 and also 55-56.

Dan Yocum is the gentleman I have bought a lot of my replacement parts from. He lives in Sylmar, CA, and at one time had 80+ 51-56 Packards on his property. The city made him get rid of most of the cars. (I think the city towed them off and crushed them, but dont hold me to that) But he still has a bunch of parts off those cars stashed away on his property. The transmission I saw was out of the car, and the car was long gone. But he told me that it came out of a Caribbean, and that is why he kept it. Thats all I know about it.

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I think it was advertised in their various publications (much like Kanter and Max Merrit advertise). But upon looking in PI's "offical" list of club projects, it is not listed in there.

Being that Sierra Groves Packard is located in Southern Calif, and the National PI Meet is here also, as are several PI chapters, I imagine there would be more local Packard guys that have done the swap, then lets say folks on the east coast. I have always seen the Sierra Grove guys with a booth at the various local So. Calif Packard swapmeets. But they are not in, or part of the general PI Booth from what I have seen.

I would imagine that any club (PI, PAC, what have you) would say that getting your Ultramatic properly serviced is their recommended advice.

The only Caribbean I have ever seen with a manual shift was owned by the late Steve Williams. The conversion was done by the San Francisco Packard dealership. It looked strange, as they kept the wide power brake pedal and added the standard clutch pedal from a Clipper. The conversion was done because the long-time Packard customer kept blowing up the TU racing Cadillacs.

thnx, jack vines

Jack Vines referred to a conversion that looked funny because the large suspended power brake pedal was next to a conventional through-the-floor clutch pedal. A friend of mine has a 53 Cavalier that came from the factory with a standard transmission and it has the same mismatched pedals. Apparently Packard didn't get enough orders for standard transmissions for them to redesign the clutch pedal to conform to the power brake pedal.