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Bien Venidos! to the Kool Kojak 1951 Packard 200 Delux Touring Sedan
PROJECT BLOG



join me and my Packard Pit Posse as we get the show on the road!
there are questions to the genereal population at the bottom of the post, I am looking for feedback, any advice is welcome. now ONTO THE SHOW!




a week ago, i heard Low Rider by War on the AM radio. 2 hours later i bought a Packard in South Central LA for peanuts. drove it to Hollywood Hills no problem.

no problem except for it was nite and no headlites or turn signals, 2 breakdowns in LA rushhour, and a sincere chat with LAPD. and Ultramatic tranny would not shift out of low gear. uh oh 17 mph tops . no problem.




car is clean. ... no accidents, clean title... motor runs great . interior is all original.
there was obviously some electrical snafus goin on , still runnin oriiginal 6 volt.

so I assembled the Packard Pit Posse





Richy is main wrench . he's Tony's nephew , even tho he's older than Tony.
Tony fixes the computers at the studio. he has muscle cars.
Toby is the whiz kid who can fix everything ever invented.

First course of action was to rip out the old 6 volt system and slap in a new 12 volt wiring kit, box, new alternator, battery. just wrapping that up as we speak, i am typing from the back seat. that was all Rich




Toby rewired the blower, and the dash, and yanked a corroded doorhandle.



I replaced the plugs, turned a few screws, and was relegated to WD40 duty.
if it squeaks, spray it. great!




and our show girl Saint Pauly V did some impressive skills showcasing



Electrical is DONE! good job Richy.
and me. and Toby.

next set of issues :
Ultramatic wont shift into high gear!

do need more fluid for the hydraulic shift to function?
i read that F Type fluid is fine for Ultramatic. y/n ?

also:
need parts :
turn signal glass housings
dashboard bulbs + bulb holders
emblems!
new whitewall tyres
new driver side window

is this eBay motors ? swap meet? or Pep Boys ?

FEEDBACK WELCOME!!!
tomorrow is MAIDEN VOYAGE to the Diner ... even without completely proper paperwork. whatever.

Nice start to your blog - pix will no doubt draw attention and comment.

Quote:
I'm not into mods and rods, but may be able to provide some insight into the Ultramatic.

First, you might want to take time to download and study the original Ultramatic Serviceman's Training booklet. It goes a bit beyond the 51-54 Service Manual section on same, discussing theory of operation. The 1951 Owner's Manual covers it more concisely. All of those are available here, to download - for FREE. Just follow the embedded links, above.

Until then, know that the Ultramatic is a two-speed transmisson, with low- and high-range (plus reverse) and a Direct-Drive converter clutch that elminates slippage of the fluid coupling at cruising speeds.

Unlike automatics of later years, the original Ultramatic does NOT upshift automatically, from low- to high-range. Between the torque characterstics of the Packard straight eight and a true, torque-multiplying converter, perhaps engineers didn't see that upshift as necessary at that time.

Instead, high-range is used for most driving conditions, providing a smooth start from a complete stop and letting the torque converter take care of the rest. Low-range was intended only for long, hard pulls or steep grades. You had to manually shift from low- to high-range with this generation of Ultramatic.

Some people mistake the engagement and disengament of the DD clutch as another gear, but it is not. The DD clutch only comes in at steady speeds above 15MPH. Sharp acceleration from a cruiseing speed will kick out the DD clutch and put you back into torque converter.

Are you sayng you have no high-range - even with the slector in the "H" position? If fluid level is sufficient, the high-range clutch may be shot, but you won't know for sure until pressure tests are performed - per the shop manual. However, if it's the DD clutch engagement that's not happening, that could be a whole 'nuther set of issues.
Then sagain, if the car hasn't been driven much in years, it could all be just a bit of varnish in the hydraulic circuits. Best to seek inspection and testing by a qualified rebuilder of Ultramatics; they are a bit unlike other automatics.

While some people have opted to install a Chrysler TorqueFlite conversion, there's nothing easy or inexpensive about going that route.

That's about all I can add; perhaps other will "chime in".

What's up KK

My first Packard was a 51 200. Bought it in Woodland Hills, had it towed back to the Woood, not the Hollywood, Inglewood! That's been a lifetime ago, I'm a respectable citizen these days. Ha!

You should be able to get dash lamp bulbs nearly anywhere. You can get the holders fromYNZ Yesterdays Parts, they are in state.ynzyesterdaysparts.com/

Far as the drivers side window, pull the old one, and take to a glass shop that cuts laminate glass for cars. Ask for the old piece back so you can make sure they cut it exactly right, otherwise you may get one that won't fit quite right.

Far as T/S glass and emblems, you could try Custom Auto Servicecustomautoservice.com/ These guys are local, and good to deal with. Of course a want ad here, or look on EBay.

You can get tires at Coker Tirecokertire.com/ They have just what you need.

Far as Pomona (you asked in another thread) I haven't been in about 7 - 8 years. Normally, there is very little Packard there. You never know, though, go and take a look.


KK, your alright! Anyone who has his own Packard pit crew, and Packard show girl got it goin on!

thanks for the ultramatic tips - I downloaded the material and I'm getting ready to read. Or flipping thru the rolodex finding somebody who can read good, for me.

When i shift the car into H, the tranny acts like its in neutral. the guy i bought the car from told me i just needed to add oil to the tranny and it would work, he claimed the fluid was low so the clutch wouldnt engage.
or , he fleeced me.

I got the info of a Ultramatic pro .... back east somewhere.... sh*t!

Super 8 -

Inglewoooooodddddd!!!
i ate some righteous chicken in Inglewood .
hopefully i'll be cruisin the streets again in style


thanks for the tips....i will be checkin out them links.


I'm rollin to Pomona for sure - theres a cat there sellin white walls at wholesale... not hopin for Packard stuff, but should be interesting.

wheres your 200?

im finding that wanna be Packards girls are amuk in these hills...... so check back in soon for addittions to the crew -....

- kool kojazzzle

Hi Kool Kojak

You'll get all the encouragement and good advice you'll need right here, the guys here have had extensive problem shooting experience on most all things Packard, including the Ultramatic.

Although you may prefer an automatic, I have to play devil's advocate and suggest you might look for a parts car equipped with manual transmission and overdrive to convert your car. If not a parts car, perhaps someone on this forum might have a stick shift set up to sell.

Good Luck and enjoy that old Packard, will be a good thing for Hollywood folks to be reminded of what once was the preferred motorcar to be seen in on the boulevard.

Steve

Sounds like the high range clutch is not doing it's job. Of course, it is engaged by fluid pressure. All you can do is check fluid level, top it off, and try high-range again. If it comes back high-range, keep an eye on it. There could be other issues - some that only a pressure test will reveal.

I lost high-range in my first Packard on a 300-mile trip, bringing it home via I-79, just after crossing the WV-PA border. Stopped and found a leak at the front of the trans, but it was running out almost as fast as I could pour it in. I managed to baby the car in low one more exit, and called my dad to bring the tow truck. Turns out it was the front pump seal leaking. There were other issues, but I wasn't ready for a full rebuild. With only a new seal, I trusted the car for several summers of limited, local driving, but I haven't driven it much in recent years.

Ultramatic Dynamics is in VA. I'm not sure if he rebuilds 'em anymore, but the site still offers new, used, repro, and improved parts. There's another fella in the area, Ross Miller, who rebuilds.

However, here's a recommendation from one member from out west:

packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb ... orum=2&post_id=41117#forumpost41117

Sit back and see if anyone else chimes in with others.

yo guys
re: ultramatic

Toby (not Tony) is pokin around and we think it may be a linkage problem

the lower linkage- idler linkage?- is loose and wobbly
and as a result the tranny might not be findin high

gunna toy around with linkage and see if that's gunna do the trick

Follow the manual and also the bulletin mentioned below to check and adjust the control valve linkage. Pretty self explanatory for that one and if something is loose absolutely needs correcting--but there is another to look at as well.

Aside from mentioning again the Ultra is not a hot rod transmission, the throttle valve linkage adjustment is probably the absolute most critical adjustment on an Ultramatic. As long as there has not been a major hardware break or plain old high mileage wear, then abuse and/or throttle misadjustment is probably responsible for most Ultra failures.

High range clutch plates depend on a proper and variable pressure to keep them engaged and locked to one another when selected. The higher the speed or torque required of the engine, the more pressure is needed. That pressure is directly controlled by the throttle valve. Anything making the pressure too low, then clutches start to slip, and wear and burning of the cork facings is almost guaranteed to happen quickly--to the point the clutch will not be able to engage because there is not enough piston travel to compress them and a rebuild becomes necessary. As long as fluid is not leaking past a worn area, then linkage is usually to blame.

The Studebaker Bulletin 340packardinfo.com/xoops/html/downloads/SC/SB-340.pdf is probably the last published on the subject. While it shows the gauge tool being used, it also gives the dimension (2 3/4) to set center of throttle rod for use as the point to ensure all is in proper order to start the adjustments.

ok thanks for the Ultramatic advice