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

All of the suggestions in the last 3 or 4 posts have already been made on the previous 3 or 4 pages

New cap with new hole and bushing to accept either a Locar or a maybe a rebent aftermarket GM setup.

Compression or welded fitting on the pan to accept a new tube or the GM setup.

Rubber sleeve over the existing fill opening to marry two different size tubes.

Gearstart pan and tube. Probably the most viable except that supply may be limited. You also ruin a complete unit for the next guy taking the pan unless it it truly a junker.

I think the only suggestion not easily accomplished is the TU setup. There is no room for the dipstick on the right side because of the manifold.

Until someone with cars actually measures or looks at the space and tries something, all just guesses. There are different part numbers involved for 50-51 units and 52-54 units so there is also a consideration as to what changed. One fix may not fit all..

As long as options are being listed if plug faces the front, another might be a brass fitting such an elbow and union threaded into the drain plug opening with dipstick & tube on the other side. That setup could be removed or disconnected if needed for the original purpose. Again, the advantage would be no permanent mods.

HH56 -

The last 3-4 pages are peppered with ideas. It's a bit hard to follow where things were going, except that 55-56 pan probably won't work and its dipstick is on the wrong side. Then, there was some doubt as to use of the 54 CS pan, and I had expressed concern about lack of supply of related parts.

IIRC, GM type seal mentioned in one of those earlier posts is fitted to a hole through the casting of the THM case, which I bet is substantially thicker than the Ultra's cap. So, I'm not sure if that would work with the cap, and I doubt if many would want to drill a hole in their cast-iron Ultramatic.

Yet, that's what got me started with my last notion. What keeps the dipstick tube in the GM application from coming back out of that seal is the tube bracket that bolts to the engine. So, I figured that would work, as well with a rigid tube solidly mounted to a new, replacement cap for the Ultra. Then, remove one bolt and the tube and cap assembly come out.

However, I have no hands-on experience with these cars, and can't be sure of every detail that we might be up against - just brainstorming.

I'll leave it up to the hands-on owners of vehicles with the original Ultramatic to follow through, now.

Brian, I don't have anything except TUs to play with either. I'd be sorely temped to try making something on the lathe if I did.

What I was thinking on the cap if it is twist off or locking is get another one if available. Drill a hole and install a bushing 2 or 3 inches long so it would stick down in the fill tube with the internal ID for whichever tube. Thread some of the outer dimension of the bushing so a nut on either side would sandwich the cap. Twist on the new cap assy and insert the tube. If the GM tube setup can be bent, then from the top would probably look almost like it could be original. Lokar would standout but probably easier to do.

If cap not available or they do not twist off or lock in some way, then the same principal only use a flat piece of steel--like a washer the diameter of fill tube lip with a hole for the bushing or make a complete assy out of brass or aluminum on a lathe. Do the same bushing bit with a gasket between the plate and fill and then lay the assy on fill tube. Hold both together with a clamp arrangement.

The idea would be make it totally reversible. That would not be the case with anything needing to modify the pan.

I have to pull the motor out of my 50 this winter, while it's out i'll drain the pan and install one of these as low in the pan as i can get it:

summitracing.com/parts/LOK-1211247/

I think mounting on the drivers side and run up to the firewall should be no problem. Handle should be black and blend in decently. A small funnel can be used to fill it. In the worst case, if it doesn't work out, i can replace the pan with another pan or just plug the hole i drilled to install it. Should be quick and painless. Then just fill up to full on the regular dipstick and mark the new one with a punch if it's metal, or notch it if it's plastic.

I have to pull the motor out of my 50 this winter, while it's out i'll drain the pan and install one of these as low in the pan as i can get it:


Be interesting to see how the Lokar works out but lots of money. Napa has GM tube assys for $15-25. In addition to the Lokars, Summit has this Ford tube that might even work with the existing fill tube ideas a couple of posts above. They also have another Ford tube that looks very much like the gearstart tube Kev posted --- if the pan side fitting can be found.

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HH56 -

For some reason, I thought the OE cap might be a simple friction fit (with an o-ring seal) to the fill tube, I was wrong. SC Vol. 23, No. 9 advises:

Quote:
Looking more closely at the illustration just below that text, the top of the fill tube reminds me of the neck for a radiator cap. That style doesn't seem to lend itself for turning a replacement cap on lathe.

Not sure how the OE fill tube is fitted to the Ultra case - not sure if anyone would wanna go quite that far with an adaptation, anyway.

As for using a threaded bushing (i.e., a bulkhead fitting) in a cap, if you wanna use a GM dipstick tube and seal, then that bushing/fitting should only be as long as the THM case is thick, and its I.D. needs to be same as that of the hole in the THM case. (That is, you're gonna have to also examine a GM THM tranny.) IIRC, when the (swedged) bottom end of the dipstick tube is pushed through that bushing-type seal, the side wall of the seal is pushed outward, to establish a seal against the case as well as the tube. BTW, that seal is commonly found on the shelf of most any GM dealer if you want one for inspection.

I don't think rebending the dipstick tube is gonna be a problem; there may be some good old tricks we can try for that.

Yes, the goal should be to have a near-stock appearance, yet be completely reversible to original. Now, if only we could find an GM dipstick with the old-timey handle.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone have an easily reached transmission laying around that can provide some dimensions. Would like to know the inner diameter of fill tube, the outer diameter of the top flange, height of tube from case top and length of stick from cap bottom to where the full mark is. There is also a part number change after 51 units so I would ask if anyone knows what is different.

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Just keep in mind that the '54 GS pan will not clear the 54 NON-GS and prior internals. The '54 GS pan is shallower, I believe Carl Madsen tried this and confirmed it was a no-go a couple of years ago.

Good point. I think the depth problem was mentioned on another page and I skipped over it when summarizing the options people had presented.

If I can get some dimensions on fill tube, will try to make an adapter and see whether anything from the top is possible. The clearance to body may also be an issue. I can't remember but also think that the fill tube is a press in so may be removable. Perhaps another option for an adapter if tube is too small or high.. I just hate to see a trans pan drilled if there are less permanent ways to do it.