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I grew up with a Packard as my family's car. When I was born in 1955 my parents had a two tone 1953 Packard Clipper Touring Sedan with an Orchard Green bottom and Galahad Green Metallic top. It came with the 288 c.i. straight 8 and an Ultramatic transmission. My parents bought the car new and traded it in 1962 on an Oldsmobile Super 88 four-door sedan. Shortly before the Packard was traded in, I persuaded my Father to let me keep the plastic Packard crest which had broken off the front grille, which I still have to this day.

Speed forward to the early 1970's. Like most teenage boys I was interested in cars, in my case, particularly old cars. And being familiar with Packards from childhood it was only natural that I was interested in Packards. I happened to meet Charlie Hebb, who then owned a 1952 Packard. Charlie Hebb was President of Peachstate Packards, the Georgia chapter of Packard Automobile Classics a/k/a the Packard Club. Charlie invited me to attend the next Peachstate Packard club meet. I took him up on his offer, saw a good number of nice Packards owned by the membership, and I was hooked from that point on. I did not own a car period at that time. Charlie is now Historian for Peachstate Packards. The word that I wanted a Packard like the one my parents had somehow got around to another Peachstate Packard member, Homer Forrer, now deceased, and it so happened that he had a 1953 Packard Clipper Deluxe touring sedan in a barn where he kept a number of his Packards. Homer had some really nice Packards. Every time you bring home a six pack of any beverage from the grocery store you ought to thank Homer Forrer, as it was he who invented the first six pack packaging for Mead Packaging, called the Bottlemaster. The 1953 Packard Clipper Deluxe Touring Sedan Homer had had a dark blue bottom and a white top, a 327 c.i. straight 8 engine and an Ultramatic transmission. Homer gave me a really good deal on the car because he wanted me to have it, and in November 1973, at age 18, I owned my first car, a 1953 Packard Clipper Deluxe Touring Sedan. I got a good deal on it to be sure, but it still needed a lot of work. At that point I had just started college and had no money, so to speak of, so I couldn't do much about restoring the car, but I did the best I could, doing much of the work on it myself. I was a struggling young college student, then a struggling young law student, then a struggling young lawyer trying to establish his own law practice. In 1989, the Packard stopped running. Believing it was the fuel pump, with limited funds, I bought and installed a fuel pump repair kit. It still didn't run. I was definitely frustrated. I didn't have proper storage, nor did I have the funds I needed to properly restore it. I was approached by someone who wanted to buy the Packard, as is, not running. He had the funds and wanted to restore it. I wanted it to be restored. So I sold it to him. Word came back to me shortly afterward that he got it running. All it needed was a new fuel pump! Shortly before I bought my second Packard I called the guy I sold it to to see if he still had it. He fixed it up, kept it for about 14 years, and sold it to a guy living in Buford, Georgia, whose name he had forgotten.

I joined Packard Automobile Classics, Inc., also known as the Packard Club in 1972 or 1973, not long before I bought my first Packard and have remained a member since that date. I considered joining Packards International at that time as well, but primarily because the Packard Club had a local Georgia Chapter, Peachstate Packards, I chose to join the Packard Club. With the purchase of my latest Packard I have recently joined Packards International as well, and I find they have unique things to offer a Packard owner that are not duplicated by the Packard Club. I would recommend that anyone owning a Packard join at least one national club, both if you can afford it.

I bought my second and current 1953 Packard Deluxe Clipper Touring Sedan (originally Orchard Green bottom and Galahad Green Metallic top like my parents' car) on eBay Motors on February 3, 2008 from a landlady in Brunswick, Georgia who got the car from a tenant who had lost his job and gave the landlady the car as payment for rent. The Packard's license tag was a 1999 Georgia tag so that was apparently the last time the car was legally on the road. The tenant gave the landlady such keys as he had that he thought were to the car but the landlady later tried them and none of them appeared to work. The tenant told the landlady there were some car parts in the trunk, but since there was no key to the trunk, the landlady was not able to confirm that. At some point someone had realized there was no key to the doors as someone had gotten into the car and removed the driver's doorhandle from the door, perhaps to take it to a locksmith to get a key. When the landlady got the car it was not running and she had never seen it running. She took it to her mechanic who was able to get it running by "hotwiring" the car and running the engine by running a hose from a gas can to the carburetor. The mechanic put in a 12 volt battery to get it to run, which battery was sold with the car. The landlady, to her credit, advertised the car's condition as truthfully as she could, and even gave me the phone number of her mechanic, who was able to confirm that he got the engine running.

So here is what I bought. A 1953 Packard Deluxe Clipper Touring Sedan without any brakes, with an engine that would run only if you ran a hose from the gas can to the carburetor and "hotwired" the car. There appeared to be no keys that would start the car. There was no key to the trunk or doors. One rocker panel was nearly rusted out. One dogleg was rusted through. One rear fender skirt was in the car because part of the rear fender to which it attached was rusted through. The passenger side rear fender had hit something hard, bending it, breaking the glass taillight, and bending the chrome metal part of the taillight. Part of the passenger side front fender was rusted through. Both the driver and the front passenger floor pans were rusted through. Much of the chrome plating was in such awful shape that the previous owner had painted it silver to try to make it look halfway decent. There was also surface rust on various areas of the car where the paint had worn through. The driver's exterior door handle was taken off of the door but came with the car. The original interior appeared to be there but was in bad shape. The only parts appearing to be entirely missing (other than keys) were the Packard crest on the front grille, the stainless steel harpoon trim piece on the driver's front fender, the glove compartment lock, the wheel trim rings, and one dog dish hubcap. Also, the parking light lenses had been broken out and the radio antenna had been broken off.

The pictures represent the car basically as bought, with a bit of cleanup, with new radiator hoses, with the brake job, carburetor rebuild, and the tune up. Not shown but coming with the car are a driver's exterior door handle, three dog dish hubcaps in bad shape needing chrome, and a passenger side windshield wiper.
kens53clip
Ken Dunning

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My first purchase after buying the car was a 1951-1954 Packard Service Manual from Johnson's Auto Literature in Framingham, Massachusetts (508-872-9173) through eBay. It has been indispensable. The same manual is available here for download at PackardInfo and can also be purchased from the Packard Club (800-478-0012) and maybe from Packards International (714-541-8431).
Also, I have recently downloaded the 1948-1954 Packard Parts Book available here on PackardInfo (Thanks, BigKev and PackardInfo!). Also can be purchased from the Packard Club (800-478-0012) and maybe Packards International (714-541-8431. It should be useful.

Here's what has been done to the car:
2/08-4/08 Wiring to coil and starter repaired, after which one of the keys would start the car. Carburetor cleaned out. Work was done by first mechanic.

2/08-8/08 Fuel tank removed, cleaned, and resealed, and reinstalled with rebuilt fuel tank sending unit. Fuel tank removed by first mechanic. I reinstalled the fuel tank. I used a mechanic's creeper with boards on top of it to hold up the fuel tank while I worked on reinstallation. Learned the merits of using PB Blaster in loosening rusted nuts and bolts on gas tank straps. Had previously used WD-40, which is also a good product. In reattaching fuel line to fuel tank I used NAPA Permatex High Performance Automotive Grade Thread Sealant. It worked better for me than plumber's tape. Now engine would run off gas from the fuel tank. Regretfully I had to reinstall the fuel tank twice, as the first sealing of the fuel tank was not enough to keep a gas leak from occurring. Apparently only the inside of the fuel tank had been sealed, and in my case that was not enough. The local radiator shop, Sims Radiator Service, Inc., stood by their work and resealed both the inside and the outside of the fuel tank at no additional charge. So if any of you have your gas tanks sealed, sometimes an outside sealing may be required in addition to an inside sealing to prevent a leak.
Parts:
Rebuilt fuel tank sending unit and gas tank strap insulator bought from Max Merritt Auto Parts in Franklin, Indiana. (800-472-2573)(hereafter "Max Merritt")
Fuel tank cleaned and resealed by local radiator shop, Sims Radiator Service, Inc. in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Brass fitting used for drain plug (for fuel tank) and thread sealant bought from NAPA Auto Parts. (All NAPA parts bought at Lawrenceville, Georgia NAPA Auto Parts store.)

6/08 Changed oil. First oil change used 30W non detergent. Second oil change, after engine had run awhile pretty regularly used 30W HD. 30W HD is what I used in my first Packard. I did the oil change as I do in all of my cars.
Parts:
Oil Filter--NAPA part number FIL 1080 (replacing AC part number PF-316).

8/08 Upper radiator hose was leaking. Decided to replace both lower and upper radiator hoses and change antifreeze. This is work that I did.
Parts:
Upper Radiator Hose: Used NAPA part number NBH FM44 flexible hose.
Lower Radiator Hose: Used portion of NAPA part number NBH 7369 (cut to fit).

First mechanic I hired was taking way too long, and had cut 5 bolts on every axle to do brakes. I know there was rust, corrosion, and perhaps metal fatigue and that some of the bolts may have needed to be cut, but felt his cutting of 5 bolts on every axle was a bit too much. I paid him for what he had done, pulled the car from him and sought another mechanic. To do the brakes now I was afraid bolts would have to be re-welded on so I went to Stephens Garage and Muffler of Loganville, Georgia who were recommended as having excellent welding skills. I had previously done a brake job on my first Packard and considered doing it myself but did not have welding skills that might now be needed.

8/08-Four wheel brake job. Wheel cylinders rebuilt. New brake shoes and springs installed. New brake hoses installed. Portion of steel brake lines replaced. Had hoped Easamatic Bendix TreadleVac unit could be rebuilt but mechanic advised to get a replacement unit, so that is what we did. DOT 3 (glycol) brake fluid was installed and brakes were bled. Brake drums were turned and were reattached to the axle. Wheel bearings were repacked. Front wheel seals were installed. Work was done by Stephens Garage and Muffler of Loganville, Georgia. Now the Packard had brakes.
Parts:
Deluxe Brake Overhaul Kit from Kanter Auto Products of Boonton, N.J. (800-526-1096)(hereafter "Kanter").
Rebuilt Bendix TreadleVac Unit and front wheel seals from Max Merritt.

8/08-Tuneup. New spark plugs, new spark plug wires, new condenser, new distributor cap, new rotor, new breaker points. Carburetor rebuilt and adjusted. Electrical system checked over and new wiring harness recommended by mechanic because wire insulation was in bad shape in places. I decided to try to wait on the new wiring harness and try to do what I could with electrical tape. Work was done by Stephens Garage and Muffler of Loganville, Georgia. (I had previously rebuilt the carburetor on my first Packard but was so impressed with their work so far that I decided to let them do it and the tuneup.) Now the Packard would run decent.
Parts:
Spark plugs (Champion RJ12C) obtained locally.
Plug wires, rotor, distributor cap, breaker points, condenser and carburetor rebuild kit from Terrill Machine, Inc. in DeLeon Texas (254-893-2610)

My original plan was to use a mechanic to get the car back running again and try to maintain it and repair it myself thereafter, using mechanics where work was beyond me.
When I bought the Packard it had a 12 volt battery installed with a negative ground and from the beginning was running off of that 12 volt battery. As a previous owner of a similar Packard, I knew that it originally came with a 6 volt positive ground battery. It was difficult to determine what if anything had been done to convert the car to a 12 volt system. The starter had no identification plate identifying it as to make, model, or voltage. The generator had no identification plate identifying it as to make, model, or voltage. The voltage regulator was not clearly identified as to whether it was 6 or 12 volt. It did not appear that either the starter, generator, or voltage regulator had been changed recently. The Packard also had 6 volt bulbs throughout the car, most of which had burned out, either earlier or because of the 12 volt battery. I told Stephens Garage and Muffler that I was not adverse to continuing with the 12 volt battery if they felt it was best with the current equipment and circumstances. For whatever reason, Stephens Garage and Muffler left the 12 volt battery negative ground system alone.
I did some exploration on my own on 12 versus 6 volt. I got "The Official 12 Volt Conversion Guide" by Randy Rundle from Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts (785-632-3450) and it indicated that to do a proper 12 volt conversion on a car of this type and keep a voltage regulator and generator system you should change the ground from positive to negative and put in (1) a 12 volt battery, (2) 12 volt bulbs, (3) a 12 volt thermal flasher, (4) a 12 volt coil with built in ballast resistor, (4) a 12 volt voltage regulator, (5) a 12 volt generator, (6) voltage reducers for dash gauges, (7) voltage reducer for heater motor, and (7) convert radio to 12 volt unit (most radios not being polarity sensitive). Also understand you need to put in a 12 volt cigar lighter. Mr. Rundle of Fifth Avenue Antique Auto Parts has information and parts to assist you in any 12 volt conversion if you should desire to undertake it for whatever reason.
I also consulted with a local auto electrical shop, Lawrenceville Auto Electric, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and the gentleman there told me that a 12 volt battery could simply be put into a 6 volt Packard and the car would continue to run fine at least in the short term, with only the burning of breaker points. (Of course, the six volt bulbs would burn out and sooner or later damage could be done to the 6 volt equipment.) The gentleman at Lawrenceville Auto Electric said that it if it had been properly converted, the generator should have been converted to a 12 volt and that he could test it and determine if it was a 12 volt or a 6 volt.
The Packard was now running good but was burning breaker points regularly so that after a few starts, you had to clean the points with a fine metal file to get it started. Did some research in the Packard Service Manual and it appeared that the problem was too high a voltage and the voltage regulator appeared to be the problem. Before I was able to resolve the problem the electrical system stopped working (the starter would turn over but the car would not start) and I figured the misbehaving voltage regulator had finally played out.

3/09-4/09-Upon taking out the voltage regulator, it appeared the voltage regulator in the car was a 6 volt. It thus appeared to me that the only thing in the Packard that was clearly a 12 volt was the battery. I therefore decided to buy a new 6 volt battery and a new 6 volt voltage regulator and installed them in the Packard. Since the voltage regulator would take either positive ground or negative ground, I decided to keep the negative ground, having previously suffered a reversed polarity problem and a ruined voltage regulator because of an ignorant service person. The only feature on my particular car that I figured might affected by the polarity change is the radio but as it was not working and my understanding was that most but not all postwar 6 volt radios are not affected by polarity change, I went ahead and stayed with the negative ground. However, I would recommend each person investigate his own car's equipment before making any polarity change. As directed by the instructions coming with the voltage regulator I polarized the voltage regulator by briefly (no longer than 2 seconds) touching a wire to both the armature terminal and the battery terminal. Regretfully, my problem was not just the voltage regulator, so I decided to replace the coil, having read that performance in this type of coil naturally declined over time, even if not in use. Unfortunately, the new coil did not solve the problem either. Then I decided to replace the breaker points, which had burned several times. In the meantime I discovered that the rotor I had installed had broken. The bakelite holding the metal strip in place had broken so I got a new rotor. When I put in the new breaker points, I used a feeler gauge and set them at the Service Manual recommended .016" only to find that that setting did not work in this car, so I manually set the breaker point gap a little greater (I probably should have used a 6 volt dwell meter) to find that that worked. I suppose that the distributor cam's wear made the old breaker point setting unworkable in my car, requiring a bit greater gap. So after replacing the voltage regulator, the coil, the rotor, and the breaker points, and putting in a 6 volt battery the Packard was once again drivable, only this time on 6 volts instead of 12. Also replaced Thermal Flasher for turn signal, put in 6 volt headlights and put in 6 volt bulbs in the parking light turn signals.
Parts:
6 Volt Commercial Battery--NAPA part number BAT 7244
6 Volt Voltage Regulator--NAPA part number ECH VR1071 (Echlin)
(Original Voltage Regulator was Delco-Remy part number 1118726)
6 Volt Coil--NAPA part number ECH IC7 (Echlin)
(Replacing Standard Plus part number UC-14. Original Coil was Delco-Remy part number 1115376)
Breaker Points--NAPA part number ECH CS777A (Echlin)
Rotor--Delco-Remy NOS from Max Merritt.
6 Volt Thermal Flasher--NAPA part number NF 535 (replacing Tungsol Flasher P229D)
6 Volt Headlights--NAPA part number LMP 6006 (two)
6 Volt Stop Light Bulbs-NAPA part number LMP 1154 (two for Parking Light Turn Signals)

6/09 Radiator began to leak. Took radiator out and took it to local radiator shop, Sims Radiator Service of Lawrenceville, Georgia (hereafter Sims). Sims fixed leak and tried to straighten bent fins to improve cooling, but every time they tried to straighten the fins it tore a leak in tubing in the core. Sims recommended that I install a specially built flat fin core. After some checking on the availability of new radiators I went ahead and had Sims put in the specially built flat fin core in and recondition the old radiator. Reinstalled reconditioned radiator. Used two metal jack stands with a board on top to help hold up radiator while I screwed in the three bolts on each side of the radiator. After all six bolts had been tightened I reattached the upper and lower hoses to radiator.

6/09-7/09 After radiator reinstalled tried to start car. Starter would not turn over and the only sound upon turning the key was a single click. Did some looking at the electrical troubleshooting section in the 1951-1954 Packard Service Manual and it suggested the problem was the starter or the transmission neutral safety switch. Then I consulted the friendly folks at Packard Info. Armed with the helpful advice of my friends at Packard Info, I undertook testing and repair. The 6/12 volt circuit tester light appeared to indicate a problem with the starter so I took the starter and the solenoid out to take them to the local auto electric rebuild shop. Before and as I took out the starter and solenoid I drew a little diagram of all the parts and where they fit together. I also number the wires on the diagram and put a masking tape flag indicating the number on the wires themselves. I have found that making such diagrams as this is of great help when I have to put the parts back together as I may forget how they came apart. I try to do this anytime I think I may forget how to reassemble the parts. I took the starter and the solenoid to Lawrenceville Auto Electric and they were kind enough to test them without charge, the result of which was that both starter and solenoid were working fine. I then reinstalled the starter and solenoid, putting a small cardboard box on top of the transmission cooling lines in the engine compartment to help hold up the starter while I bolted in the starter. After the starter was bolted in, I then reattached the electrical wires according to the diagram I had done when taking it out. I put a bit of electrical tape on a spot or two where I thought the wiring might be grounding out. Thinking that more tests would be necessary, my Father (who owned and bought two ones new) assisted me by starting the car while I sought to test the circuits on other areas of the electrical system. To my surprise the car started, making further testing unnecessary. Apparently a connection was not tight or one of the electrical wires was shorting out. Thanks to all at Packard Info who helped!
kens53clip
Ken Dunning

Ken

Thanks for starting your project blog. I enjoyed your narrative and your family's Packard history. You write well. It will be fun to watch your project evolve.

I wish I had started a blog when I found my 1941 Clipper in Sept 07. It was an older restoration that did not seem like a project, BUT after nearly 2 years of repairs and ungrades, IT IS A PROJECT.
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/registry/View.php?ID=120

Any of us that plan to DRIVE these old cars have a Project. I have posted bits and pieces on this website that I will consolidate into a project blog in the near future.

Anyway, ENJOY your Packard, apparently, at this point in your life repairs are more affordable than during your student days. (I can sure identify with that, only mine was a 51 Chevy).

DanL

Hi Ken,
Just a few words from an enthusiast across the pond.
I'm glad to see that one of Americas finest marques is being brought back to it's former glory and how much I enjoyed you narrative. I hope it comes in serial form just like Mal does in Oz from Wades workshop.
Keep up the good work
Terry

Ken,

Great detailed and informative posts to start the Project Blog on your '53. Keep 'em coming, together with plenty of pic's. I believe pic's, besides illustrating a post, provide insights into the work undertaken which sometimes are missed in the narrative. I'm really looking forward, as work progresses, to seeing your Clipper return to it's former glory.

Dan'L, Terry, @ Mal,
Thanks for the kind words. Hope to post something interesting or informative or perhaps amusing every now and then and hopefully help someone restore their own car.
kens53clip
Ken Dunning

This last weekend I had two Packard maintenance tasks, one was an oil change, the second was to add fluid to the Ultramatic transmission.

Starting first with the oil change. Packard recommended an oil change every 2,000 miles under normal conditions, more frequently if conditions are dusty, weather is cold, or hard driving is present. No time interval for oil change is given.

Since I do not think I will be doing that much driving I think it would be better to change oil by a time interval rather than by mileage. Since the manufacturer of my contemporary daily driver recommends oil be changed between every three months and every year depending on the severity of use, I have decided to take the middle ground and try to change motor oil in the Packard every 6 months. The reason oil should be changed according to a time interval when there is not much mileage is because the additives to the engine oil providing engine protection wear out over a period of time and obviously you want to maintain that protection for your engine. I use 30W HD motor oil. Understand that there may be a problem using detergent oils in engines that have been using non-detergent oils as the detergent oils have loosened oil deposits that might cause engine damage but have not personally had a problem with that with either of my Packards. But if you think you might have the problem, you can either use non-detergent oil or disassemble the engine and clean out any oil deposits there before using detergent oil.

An oil filter assembly was an extra cost available option for the 1953 Packard Clipper and Packard Clipper Deluxe. Fortunately my car has an oil filter assembly. I have used the NAPA oil filter FIL 1080. Believe Fram and Purolator also have an oil filter that will fit. If I did not have an oil filter assembly I would try to get one. If I did not have an oil filter assembly and was unable to get one I probably would change oil more often. Packard recommends the oil filter be changed every 8,000 miles so I read that as changing the filter every fourth oil change.

I will assume the reader knows the basics of an oil change.

I will only cover one thing that I do during the oil change that some may not. When you drain the old oil out of your engine, it does not drain the oil out of the oil filter assembly. Because I want to remove as much old oil as reasonably possible, I also drain the oil out of the oil filter assembly. The way I drain the oil out of the oil filter assembly is use a turkey baster to suck the old oil out. I would not recommend that you use the same turkey baster you use to baste your turkey. Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray would not approve. Your turkey should not taste like used motor oil. Rather, go to the store and get a cheap plastic turkey baster and use it exclusively for oil changes. To get out all the oil out of the oil filter assembly you will need to remove (temporarily) the oil filter, messy but necessary. Many oil filters have a metal tab at the top by which you can lift out the oil filter to minimize messiness to your hand at least. You can put the oil filter temporarily in the container with the oil you have already removed until your oil removal task is done.

Next is adding fluid to the Ultramatic transmission. There are two places you can add fluid to the Ultramatic transmission. First, you can add it at the place where the transmission fluid dipstick is. Unlike current cars, where the dipstick is available under the hood, to check the fluid level in the Ultramatic transmission (assuming you do not have a mechanical lift) you need to crawl under the car. The transmission dipstick is on the driver's side of the transmission. Since the fluid would have to go up before it goes down into the dipstick tube, you will probably have to get a small pump. I have seen small pumps suitable for the purpose for sale in the auto parts stores for between 10 and 20 dollars. Believe this to be true for 1951-1954 Packards based on the reference on page 28 of the Ultramatic section of the 1951-1954 Packard Service Manual. Based on my experience I would expect that this would be the easiest place to put in a lot of transmission fluid, for example, a transmission fluid change.

The second place you can add fluid to the Ultramatic transmission is inside the passenger compartment in the front seat area. At the bottom of transmission hump next to the front seat, pull up the rubber mat or carpeting (whichever you have) and you should see an oval black metal plate with a raised oval area in the black metal plate. Remove the black metal plate by removing the screws that hold it down and you should see a round metal covering for the filler hole. Remove the round metal covering and you should see steel wool placed in the filler hole. Remove the steel wool from the filler hole and you should see a wire mesh through which you can pour transmission fluid. This filler hole has been present in both Packard Clipper Deluxes I have owned and is believed to be present in most if not all Packards 1951-1954 equipped with an Ultramatic transmission based on the reference on page 28 of the Ultramatic section in the 1951-1954 Packard Service Manual. In my experience pouring into this filler hole must go very slowly and if your adding of fluid is not at the proper slowness you may lose some of your fluid through overflow. On this particular occasion a fair amount of my transmission fluid poured into the filler hole did not make it into the transmission but overflowed onto the side of the transmission and onto the garage floor. So for that reason I would think large amounts of fluid would be more easily added through the dipstick tube.

Understand that Type F is most like the Type A originally recommended for the Ultramatic transmission that has not been overhauled with modern materials so that is what I used and will use. BH recently posted a message under Packard & Website FAQs entitled "Ultramatic-What Fluid To Use" so I would refer you there for a more complete discussion of the matter.

These are my experiences and my suggestions. Others may have different experiences and different suggestions, and if so, I encourage them to post theirs.
kens53clip
Ken Dunning

Quote:

Ken, that is true except for the late 1954 cars that left the factory with the GearStart Ultramatic. They have a conventional transmission dipstick that extends to under the hood. Similar to the 55/56 Twin Ultramatic.

Basically all the standard Ultramatic (pre GearStart/Twins) are under car dipsticks/fillers.

BigKev,
Thanks for the correction with regard to late 1954 gear start Ultramatic cars. My 1951-1954 Service Manual says nothing about them.
kens53clip
Ken Dunning

Ken, there were lots of Service Consolers (SCs), Service Technical Bulletins (STBs) and other pieces that were sent out after the Service Manuals were printed. You should take a look at the "Packard Service Index" feature here on the website as Brian has done a great job of pulling all the pieces together so you can find the most updated factory information that should be used as the companion to your Service Manual.

Most of the time the Service Manuals only told half of of the story, and were subject to numerous changes, corrections, and running updates that were covered in the SCs, STBs. Also there is a complete set of dedicated Ultramatic Service Manuals here on the website that covers all of the Ultramatics in detail.