Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Were dual exhausts offered as an option on the 55 Clippers?
I noticed that there are vendors offering duals

According to service counselor 29-1, duals were optional on the 5560 or Clipper Custom chassis. I wouldn't be surprised if a few hadn't also found their way to the 5540 lesser models.

I'm not sure, but I seem to recall that the frame on the 5540 with conventional springs will not accomodate duals

Here are two photos of a '55 Clipper Custom Torsion Level chassis showing where a hole in the LH side of the X-member was made to fit a dual exhaust system. I wonder how Packard fitted the optional dual exhaust system, different X-member? Has anyone seen a '55 Custom Clipper with factory dual exhausts? Henry, I hope you don't mind me using your chassis as an illustration to this thread.

(o{I}o)

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I would like to put duals on my 55 Super with convensional suspension. It has the 56 big block with od. Although the performance is prety good as it is, maybe this would give a few more horses.

Though SC Vol.29, No.1 has an issue date of January, 1955, factory Trade Letters on the 55th Series show that the Dual Exhaust (DE) option for the Clipper Custom (5560) models only became effective May 12, 1955. It was never factory-installed (or even offered as an approved dealer accessory) for Deluxe or Super that year

Trade Letters on the 56th Series show that dual exhaust was expanded to the 1956 Clipper Deluxe and Super models, but ONLY if equipped with Torsion-Level suspension. Though technically optional, T-L had 100% installation on all 56th Series models EXCEPT Clipper Deluxe and Super; effective May 1, 1956, it became standard across all models.

Specifications published in SC Vol. 29, No. 13 shows smaller diameter pipes for 56th Series Clippers, which used the 352-cid V8, but the exhaust manifolds are same regardless of year or displacement.

There must be a good reason that Packard didn't offer dual exhaust on a car with conventional coil/leaf suspension - surely more than just a matter of production numbers.

Unless another member can offer actual experience in fitting a stock dual exhaust system to same car (5540), you may have to check with a local fabricator/installer.