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

Some states seem to prefer to use motor numbers on older cars, go with whatever your state MV agency wants to use would be my advice. New Jersey and what I think is a majority of states use the vehicle number but exceptions abound. For NJ I only needed to make a paper rubbing of the VN plate to get my title.

I used the Vehicle Number from the data plate to register both my Packards here in KCMO. The local (north of the river) License Office didn't seem to have any problems with that. The bill of sale/title in both cases referenced the Vehicle Number and although both cars were from out of state, neither car was from Kansas. The use of the Vehicle Number as the VIN wasn't a problem.

My '54 was last registered in Calif in 1986, and based upon the registration slip they used the engine number also. Not sure they if they did this because that was the states preference, or because the actual VN number plate was missing.

I am still hoping at some point someone enterprising well offer reproduction plates for the '54+ cars.

My Dad and I are trying to figure this car out together and that is why it sometimes looks like there are two sets of eyes reporting on the car.

I had originally listed the engine number as M600573, because that is what I thought my Dad told me that he had seen on the engine. I could not find the same number. (Although that is the engine number on the title and is why I believed that Dad had originally found the number) The numbers and wording that I can find are as follows:

Top of head: Packard Thunderbolt

Above P in Packard: 455139

Above rd in Packard: 3274

A: C with an L through the upright portion of the C

On the top of the head on the front: 102653

Stamped on the firewall upper left: C68678 (anti-theft # I think)

Driver's side by firewall top of block: Hard to read stamped not very deep. 14)(or M?)30620(or 8)7

Can anyone help me with this engine number problem? Thank you!

The engine number should be stamped here:

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The M6***** number would be for the original 359 cubic inch 9 main bearing engine. These engines had an aluminum cylinder head and a larger bore of 3-9/16 inches. Other 1948-54 engines used a 3-1/2 inch bore. The aluminum heads were prone to corrosion and the blocks tended to crack between the valve seats and the cylinder.

The 455139 number on the cylinder head is a casting part number that differs from the listed part number due to final machining but does indicate a cast iron head for 1953 and 1954 Clippers with 327 cubic inch engine.

The 3274 number indicates that the head is for a 327. Not sure what the 4 means. Is the 4 larger than the other 3 numbers?

The c with an L through it is the engineering symbol for centerline and probably relates to the clock dial symbol that should be next to it.

The number on the front is the casting date, Oct 26, 1953.

The number on the firewall left as looking from the front of the car is indeed the theft proof number.

The number on the block in the M3***** series is the engine number and indicates a 327 cubic inch motor from a 1954 Clipper.

Model identification and engine number data can be found on the first few pages of the 1948-54 parts book which is on the this website. Specifications for 1954 are listed in Service Counselor Volume 28 No 4 which is also on this site.

Thank you both for the information. I found a pdf that BigKev posted about engine numbers and that was informative. I think that it contains some of the information that BDeB had mentioned. I am having trouble getting to the 1948-1954 parts book and to specific volumes of the the Service Counselor that were mentioned, however. Could you let me know to look for them on the site please? Thank you.

The Parts list is located under:

Packard Literature and Manuals
....Parts List
........1948-1954 Packard Parts List

Here are some direct links:

Parts List:
https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/article/view.article.php?140

Service Manual:
https://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/article/view.article.php?4

If the engine number is hard to read. The rub it with a piece a chalk, and then wipe it off. The chalk will remain in the stamp marks making it easy to read.

Thank you very much. It appears that this site has even more information posted than I thought. However, I still can't seem to navigate to Service Counselor Volume 28 No. 4. I have found some information from Service Counselor Volume 28, but not No. 4. How do I get to this specific information?

Also, if I have a 1954 engine from a Clipper instead of the 359 that the Caribbean is supposed to have, what is my best avenue to find a replacement engine that would be of the same type that the car was manufactured with?

Thank you.