Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Any way to confirm if this car has a correct 374 engine? Did find 6480406 CD which I think is the part # for this engine?

If the engine came with the car the engine serial or motor number stamped near oil fill will be the same as the one on door jamb. If it is a different number then the first 4 digits will tell you which model car it came from and you can be fairly sure it will be whichever size came with that model. To verify the bore size, look at the casting number over the bellhousing.

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Thanks so much for the great help and information! Will let you know what I come up with.

Regards,

Rob

As HH56 just noted, the motor # (unless it has been altered) usually near the oil filler tube will tell you if it was the exact same motor as the car left the factory with. If in doubt, the Utica plant number will identify the engine as to which series of 1956 car it was made for, and whether it was made for standard shift or Ultramatic. It will also tell you the production sequence # for that engine (i.e., whether early, late, etc.) but it will not tell you if it was the motor originally installed in that vehicle.

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IIRC, that casting number is for a 56th Series head. The same head was installed on both 352 and 374 engines that year, but NOT used on any 55th Series models. The 'CD' might indicate cast dome combustion chambers; that technology was first introduced V8s part way through the 55th Series run, but only on Clipper Deluxe and Super models (chassis 5540) with the 320 mill.

You need to locate those numbers stamped on the engine, as recommended above, which can be decoded to determine the vehicle in which this engine was originally installed (hopefully the one it's sitting in now). That's particular number is helpful because each model was built with an engine specific to its chassis; alternate engine displacments were not (normally) offered as optional equipment for 55-56. Even if it came from another car, we can tell you the displacement (and year) from that stamping.

Also there's a casting number on the engine block at the rear, over the torque convertor area. A 374 block should show '440971' in that location.

Thanks Brian and Owen and HH56. What kicked off this discussion was this ad in Ebay for a 56 Caribbean Coupe.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171204813157?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

The current owner is unsure of what he has as far as the original engine so I was thinking of bidding but there are some features on this car that do not add up. Any thoughts? Current owner seems like a stand up guy who wants to correct his listing if needed.

Regards to all.

Rob Troxel
Lake Forest, Illinois

I can't tell much about the engine, from the auction pix, but it has a style of air cleaner (painted the wrong color, as well) that would indicate a single 4-bbl. carb. The 55-56 Carib - even the Hardtop - should have dual fours with a TRUE batwing air cleaner. Back in the 1990s, the correct intake, carbs, linkage, and plumbing would cost you a couple thou (at least).

Is what he's calling 'coral' actually orange? The upholstery looks like it has orange in it. Would help to get the paint and trim codes from the VN tag on the driver's side door hinge pillar.

I ask because there was a white/orange/black Hardtop here in PA decades ago that turned up in FL a few years back, but it didn't look like it needed a full resto.

Also, all of those Carib Hardtops were built with a WHITE vinyl roof covering, but the car from PA had an incorrectly-grained GRAY vinyl material. I don't have the VN or mileage for that car, though.

Single carb?

Gold circle on trunk looks painted, not plated?

Rear bumper looks bubbly at center?

No wires?

Uhhuh....

A couple of points, once I say that the pictures of the car really make look sharp and attractive. It will be interesting to see which neighborhood the ending bids are in.

Now for the nit-picks....Somewhere the casting numbers discussed by others will reveal the true displacement of the engine. But it the last four match the body number (1034) then it's more likely that it came with the car. That's a very early production number for a Caribbean making it one of the first three dozen. But the lack of a pushbutton gear selector in favor of the lever makes me wonder....I thought that PB was standard only on the Caribbeans (although dealers could try and specify almost anything if Packard made it) If it was somehow original to this car, that might make it unique. Secondly, the single four barrel Rochester might also make it unique among the Caribbeans. I was told by the son of an old Packard mechanic that the dual four barrel cars were among the first to suffer crankshaft failures and replacements because of carbs leaking raw gas down the cylinder walls, diluting oil, etc. Sometimes, in order to keep an expensive Caribbean owner happy, a dealer might replace the failed engine or revert to a single 4 barrel. I wonder if that might explain some of the engine/ carb strrangeness? Still, the lack of PB transmission controls is a puzzle in need of a solution. And finally, engine stamped numbers can be faked, but that's not too likely unless someone is really trying to be fraudulent.

I thought that PB was standard only on the Caribbeans (although dealers could try and specify almost anything if Packard made it) If it was somehow original to this car, that might make it unique. Secondly, the single four barrel Rochester might also make it unique among the Caribbeans. I was told by the son of an old Packard mechanic that the dual four barrel cars were among the first to suffer crankshaft failures and replacements because of carbs leaking raw gas down the cylinder walls, diluting oil, etc

Whether or not a 56 Carib was delivered with a conventional Ultramatic shift lever in lieu of the pushbutton shift (very unlikely but not impossible) or with a single 4-bbl (extremely unlikely)is fortunately a question that can be answered. The build slips exist and the owner of them visits here on occasion, if he doesn't see this post and respond, I'll email him about it. Unless the build slip shows special requests (REQ), I think we can conclude it was shipped with pushbutton and dual 4-bbls.

Shouldn't argue to strenuously with someone who was there at the time, but the Rochesters used by Packard both in single and dual setups did differ from the GM counterparts but not significantly. Problems of engine failures with GM cars due to 4GC issues certainly doesn't seem to be a topic that gets any comment to speak of, in fact they are and were considered a good carburetor. And it's hard to see why the situation would be different with the 4GCs used by Packard. More likely is that some owner made the conversion, either in the hopes of better gas mileage, or because someone made him an attractive offer for the dual quad setup, such was the case with my own 56 Carib - the owner removed the dual quads and put them on a stick shift Clipper for his daughter. I've driven my 56 Carib with both carburetor configurations and as long as you can keep your foot under control on the accelerator, the difference in gas mileage is pretty small.

As to the conventional shift lever, those who have been around many 56 Packards have probably seen quite a few that were converted to conventional transmission linkage due to prior owners frustration with being stranded somewhere when the electric shift malfunctioned, probably more than once. There was quite a long period of time when good quality service on the unit was unavailable but fortunately today with Mr. Pushbutton available, we can get units that are considerably more reliable than the original units.

UPDATE: Query sent for details from the build slip/shipping order. Will advise when/if I get a response.