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I bought the guts of supposely a 32 transmission off of ebay a few years ago. It's not a 32. I'm trying to ID the parts so that it can be possibly used in another Packard. I came up with the following numbers of the rods and forks but no numbers off of the gears.

D17212 2
D17214 2
D17215 1
D17420
D172265 2A
D17261 3A

I appreciate any assistance in trying to ID these transmission parts.

No help with the forging numbers, but come Spring I can pull the cover and check my two spare transmissions. But as there were 3 different transmissions used in 1932, it still might be a 32 trans? I'm curious whether it's a 3 speed synchro unit, the 4 speed non-synchro, or the 4-speed synchro. We're told that the Light Eight and Twin Six came with the 3-speed synchro right from the start while the Eight and DeLuxe 8 continued with the prior 4-speed non-synchro for a while, and the (rare) 4 speed synchro unit was supposedly only offered for a very short time in 1932, only on Eights and DeLuxe 8s, before being abandoned.

OD,

I understand that slightly different. I read where the 4 speed with synchro (top two gears) was offered through the first half of the model year for the 901-905s, but halfway through, a quieter 3 speed with synchro was used.

I have the 4 speed synchro in my 32 which the first gear is nice for pulling tree stumps. I was told that the 4 speed is more desireable as it has more gear whine which collectors like. I have no idea if this is true or not.

I had thought about the differences between the 3 and 4 speed for 32 however I did think I asked the seller if these were for a 4 speed.

Anyway, I have a bunch of transmission parts looking for a good home.

I was told that the 4 speed is more desireable as it has more gear whine which collectors like. I have no idea if this is true or not.

Well, it's a matter of taste I suppose. I love to hear the gear whine, the so-called "million dollar song" (marketing trying to capitalize on a negative as Cadillac already had synchro?) but I for one would appreciate the synchro more than the sounds. Movie makers however just love that sound! And yes, the 1st gear ratio is very low, many more recent purchasers of these car don't even realize it's a 4-speed.

I'm quite certain that the 900s and Twin Sixes got the 3-speed synchro from the get-go, and it was the same transmission that was later fitted to the Eights and DeLuxe Eights when production caught up with demand. This is my recollection from an article in an old issue of "The Packard Cormorant" on the 32 transmissions. I do have the article somewhere, I think I have nearly every issue of TPC from about 1964. My memory being a bit fuzzy, I should dig it out and reread it. Not that it's necessarily gospel.

What Ibelieve is that the 900 and the 12s were introduced 6 months after the deluxe 8 so that makes sense.

I did when I first got the car have a few guys who wanted to swap me for their 3 speeds, but I declined.

What I can tell you based on my study of the thief-proof numbers (body serial numbers) is that the lowest numbers are assigned to 901s, and the highest to 900s and 906s. Unfortunately not a lot of 9th series data, only about 59 vehicles in total.

A little more information, lightly paraphrasing Burton Weaver's article on the subject in the Spring 1972 issue of The Cormorant:

All 7th series Packards were equipped with a 4-speed, as were all 8th series cars. There were several several introduction dates for the 9th series. The Standard Eight and the Eight DeLuxe came first in the Summer of 1931 and were the only 9th series cars to carry the 4-speed - for a limited time. Later 9th series introductions were the Twin Six and the Light Eight which were factory equipped with a 3-speed. About December 10, 1931 the factory sent a formal announcement that as of December 1 they had ceased the installation of the 4 speed transmissions. They also made a recommendation that any unsold cars with 4-speed units be converted to the 3-speed at Packard's expense. The 1932 Eights and DeLuxe Eights with 4-speed had a newly designed synchro feature.

Hope you find this info useful.

Since my car was sold in 1932, do you think I can get my 4 speed chnaged out for a 3 speed by Packard

Good info.

Absolutely, just contact the service department at you local Packard dealer and make an appointment.

Question for everyone: are the 3 transmissions noted interchangeable, or in other words, do the 4-sp non-synchro, 4-sp synchro, and 3-sp have the same bolt pattern to the block, splines on the input shaft, overall length, etc? It seems like one would be able to bolt in one for the other, if necessary (with maybe different mechanism for pedal actuation), despite the difference in internals.