Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

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Hey vicpick, welcome to the forum. Generally, I think the Clipper Custom and Constellation had the dual scoop air cleaner. Not sure, though. They were the closest Clippers got to the Senior Packards, and I suppose they got this little feature as a bit of underhood dressup. Both of the '55 Clipper Customs we had were equipped with the dual scoop type. I believe this unit carried an AC logo on it. Air cleaners are mostly a commodity item that I believe are shopped around.

Can anyone tell me if the single snorkel unit had a paper element, or was it also oil bath? BTW, Craig has a pretty neat how-to on this Packard Panther site for retro-fitting a paper element to the dual scoop version.

Funny, funny anecdote about the "Chevy" air cleaner. I bet those things are as scarce as SBC engines.

My '55 Clipper Super sedan with the 320 V-8 and Carter carburetor has the snorkel style air cleaner. It is an oil bath type.

(o{I}o)

Also, my Clipper has the later type cylinder heads, the ones with the long reach (Champion N type) spark plugs.

Here is an ad for a reproduction of the style air cleaner that all of my V8 Packards had. Including the Clipper Custom with 352.
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/50s-Olds-Cadilla ... rts_Accessories&hash=item3a639b128f

I believe that's a Senior only air filter. I tried to describe the Clipper 4-bbl (Carter) air filter yesterday in words, but have just found this photo of one in a period road test published in The Autocar. I believe these were manufactured by Houdaille. The inverted wiper motor and other differences are because the car was RHD.

The complete article can be found elsewhere on this site.

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Yup, that looks right.

However, the '55 Clipper Custom used the same Rochester air cleaner as the '55 Seniors (same style as shown in that eBay listing), but only because all of those cars were spec'd for the same Rochester single-4GC carb. (The Clipper Deluxe and Super got Carter carbs that year.)

1956 is a completely different story, as the only models with single-4GC installed as standard equipment were the Patrician and Four Hundred. (All Clippers and the Exec got Carter carbs that year.)

Actually, there's some difference betwen the dual-inlet Rochester air cleaners between '55 and '56, but I don't wanna get too far off-topic.

Meanwhile, see this post for clarification on the use of the term "bat wing" as it applies to air cleaners of the period:

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... orum=8&post_id=71999#forumpost71999

I've just had my '56 Executive's carburetor re-built and was surprised to find that it has a Rochester carburetor. It has the original 352 CID V8 engine w/o AC. I know because I bought a re-build kit for the Carter carb and had to buy and over-night ship one for my Rochester carb. It may have been replaced sometime in the past, though. Are the hook-ups the same on the two carb types?

It also had the oil-bath air cleaner as shown in post #14 (had because it was converted to the paper cartridge type).

So my 1955 Clipper Custom Touring Sedan with a 352 V8 and Rochester 4bl carb should have the air cleaner with the scoops on the sides, the same as the Senior cars?

bhappy -

The '56 Exec and Clipper Customs should have a Carter WCFB-2384S 4-bbl. carb.

However, Clipper Custom, Executive, Patrician, and Four Hundred - '55 and '56 - used the same intake (see parts book, Gr. 5.0829) and the same Carter fuel filter (see Gr. 9.110) and supply tube (see Gr. 9.205) from the fuel pump, (see Gr. 4.0312) - whether Carter or Rochester. The only difference in carb linkage appears to involve choice of transmission (see Gr. 9.135 and 9.1353).

While, the choke heat tubes (see Gr. 9.109) and distributor vacuum supply tubes (see Gr. 4.0312) vary by application, they can be bent to fit.

So, it wouldn't be hard to swap Rochester for Carter 4-bbl. carbs. Whether the Rochester carb on your car is properly calibrated for the displacement is another matter.

Davepa -

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Short answer - yes.

Again, there are subtle differences between '55 and '56 versions of that dual-inlet air cleaner. Easiest tell is the type of "seal" between the large opening on the underside of the top cover that mates to the O.D. of the lower air cleaner body. The air cleaner on my '55 Patrician (long since sold) used a weatherstrip-like material; my '56s have a whisker type.

Thanks for the thurough explanation and references. I had thought that my car was original throughout. I guess that the carburetor was swapped out at some point.

During the re-build of the carburetor, the various check-balls had been incorrectly installed and forced into the accelerator booster pump pathway. All is repaired and is working properly now.