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Guy, my posting was an attempt to clarify that the Ultramatics (all variants) have a direct drive feature. I was not trying to be critical, just to set the record correct. My fingers often work faster than my brain and make mistakes in posts and replies. A good example is where I said the 1950-56 Ultramatics, with you correcting this to point out the Ultramatics first appeared with the 1949 models. Thanks for correcting this.

(o{I}o)

Excellent info and descriptions Brian. Thanks!

We never felt the direct drive clutch lock up at all. Only shift we felt was the Low to High shift when in Drive mode. We had the car all the way up to 50mph, and the engine was not screaming at all. Just never felt the direct drive lock up that others say is felt around 25mph.

I am sure Jim can give his opinion of how it felt from his perspective behind the wheel.

The question of the day is whether or not we should have heard anything slipping or groaning if the direct drive clutch was trying to engage and just couldn't because of burned up facing. We heard nothing at all. Like it wasn't even trying to engage the lockup up at all.

It is one thing for sure, based on how well the engine is, and how plugged the tranny filter was with muck, it was indeed the clogged filter that stopped this car 20 years ago.

The curious thing is that except for the lack of direct drive, the rest of the tranny appears to be working just fine.

I would like to think that you would have noticed some sort of unusual noise if the DD clutch was trying to engage, but slipping.

Yet, if it the DD clutch was engaged and slow or failing to release, the engine would likely be stalling at idle with the trans in gear. So, we can rule that out, as well.

Could be that there is still something mucked up in a fluid passage to the DD clutch piston, preventing it from engaging. Short of a tear-down, a little driving and another change of fluid may help. Be sure to completely drain the converter prior to refilling.

Brian that is exactly what Jim recommend as well. I will bow to the experts and do as instructed.

It would be really spiffy to have it suddenly start working. Only nagging question would be is where did all that muck come from then.

The Klackard is dead.....long live the Muckard!

Hi all,

I've only really driven my '51 once (the trip from the trailer into the shop doesn't count). I took the car out onto a close by rural road to check the transmission. I put the transmission selector in "H" and turned onto the road. During that drive I felt the transmission shift from what I thought was low to high which meant it went into direct drive. With Kevin saying his went from low to high put not into direct drive has me puzzled. Oh, maybe that's because being a '54 it has Gear Start? On a '51, is the shift from low to high mean from low to direct drive?
It seems the more I learn, the less I understand!

Jim on a regular ultramatic 1949 - early/mid 54, when you put it in "H" you are putting it into basically converter only. The shift you feel is the converter going into direct (aka Lock up).

The Gear Start and the Twin-Ultra's when in "D" (54 late) or "D-right" (55-56), start actually in low gear, then shift into converter only, and then 'shift' into direct.

Or at least that is my understanding.

WOW, I just realized there is over 100,000 views on my project blog.

Quote:
Congratulations Kev, again leading the way on PackardInfo!

Thank you Big Kev,

That was my understanding as well but I haven't been working with these cars for very long (the '51 hardly at all) and I've learned that a little knowledge is a very dangerous thing.
Thanks again - And congrats on making the "Best Seller List"!

A couple of small thing done this evening. First I installed the elusive trunk light clips. David Moe (Seattle Packards) had them at the swapmeet. Boy do I need to strip and repaint those hinges.

Jim found me a license plate retainer bracket from some earlier car. It was in the $1 bin as it was bent. So I stripped it, hammered it back into shape with the help of a vise and the anvil and then painted it. Good eye Jim!

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