Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Which series of units is this referring to? Do i need to send this to my tranny guy doing my 50 ultra? Also, by reactor clutch do they mean the direct drive clutch? I know the there is a part in the converter called the reactor.

The reactor clutch is a one-way overrunning clutch. It looks like a set of needle roller bearings but it allows the reactor to only turn one way, totally different from the direct drive clutch disc.

And when you do reassemble the reactor clutch, pay close attention to the sprags. They look so much alike front to back that it is easy to get one or all in backwards. The clutch does have to allow the shaft turning in one direction and lockup in the other as mentioned in the S.M. Cli55er had experience with one errant sprag in his rebuild so check his blog.

Yes! Love the feeling of being in over my head yet again!

I have everything taken a part on a clean covered cart in the order it goes together, so i shouldn't get something backwards.
I know there's two blind hole bushings in the converter, and i saw what i believe is the bushing for the reactor clutch near the front but i'm not to that yet.

Just reading the note posted above, apparently there are some early bushings that you can't replace because they're thin walled? I guess i'll see when i compare tolerances with the bore gauges, if a bushing is way off then i'll have to investigate.

Reading the attached note over and over again, i'm thinking that these two items (high range clutch housing and reactor clutch housing) are actually in the tranny and not inside the converter? I'm not seeing anything in the converter that would allow the reactor shaft to turn only one way, but of course i'm not putting that part together yet until i pickup the new bushings, so i might have missed it.

Things i know:
My engine/car was made seemingly in January of 1950. I have a rebuild kit including bushings from kanter.

Things i'm suspecting:
If i'm reading this right, there are some early ultramatics that the kanter kit will have bushings that won't fit because they're thinwall and the parts that hold them are different so you can't just put a thicker bushing in. I'm assuming that these parts are inside the tranny and not inside the converter. I'm further assuming that when the tranny shop guy reads this memo or get's to those parts, if i have one of those trannys with thinwall bushings that he'll notice something's not right when being put together, because the kanter bushing kit uses the later thickwall bushings.

Is there a known data cutoff for these early ultramatics with the different bushings and if encountered, are there solutions now (eg you can find the parts needed to convert it or someone sells the thinner bushings)


Lastly, can anyone confirm or refute anything i'm assuming under the "thing's i'm suspecting" area?

Attach file:

---

  (129.78 KB)

You are correct about the reactor clutch and high range clutch being inside trans on yours. TwinU's had the reactor clutch inside the converter and is what Cli55er is working on. Can't help on a changeover date but your thinking that if you take memo and parts to the trans guy, he can see what is there and work accordingly sounds good. The bushing bore size will tell right away. Here is a better pict of the early assy showing react clutch as part of oil pump and high range clutch which rides on rear of it.

Attach file:

---

  (71.39 KB)

From our experience only early 23rd series had the thin wall non replaceable bushings. To use the later 23rd series to 54th bushings all that is needed is to bore out the respective parts on a lathe, should take a machinist less than 30 minutes.

When the very occasional (once every 3-4 years) 23rd series customer encounters this we supply the bore dimensions.

Fred Kanter
Kanter Auto Products
Boonton NJ

Hopefully not an issue as i would be mid 23rd series. I should see him when the bands come in this week, and i'll pass the info on.

Got a call from the Tranny shop today. They said the reactor clutch housing and everything went together fine but that i did indeed have the thinwall bushings. I had printed him the exploded diagram and the article 56executive posted and he asked if i could get the part numbered kit discussed. I told him no and that he'd have to bore it out, and he said no problem. He also said that since we were boring out the existing housing, that the clutch piston rings wouldn't need updated or changed.

Thank you all for the info, without it i would not have been able to answer his questions at all! My car was built in January of 50 (She has her 61st birthday coming up!) so i'm assuming it happened to be in the middle of these changes to need the high range clutch housing worked on but not the reactor clutch housing.