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Weren't Hudson's engine blocks made out of a chromium alloy? That would make them very durable against competitors as well as take to modifications easier. I don't recall reading much metallurgical stories on Packard's, so I don't know about the effect of upgrades.

I think but I'm not sure, that the Packard blocks were also a high-chrome casting. Not near as high as Hudson but still a lot more than your normal Ferd and Chebbie engines. Incidentally, the 426 Hemi blocks were known to "glow in the dark" since they had such a high nickel content. This is also the reason why the Japanese cast iron blocks last so long, as the cylinder walls are so hard they wear a lot less.

Perhaps others can chime in here, but I've never seen a Packard block with very much cylinder wear. Most of the time, you can see a slight ridge, but it doesn't catch your fingernail. This is true in almost all the Packard blocks I've torn into, V8's included.