Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

For the umpeenth time, I've driven my 55 Pat from Pahrump to Las Vegas NV and back. This time was to meet my ex-step-son and one of his partners at Caesar's Palace on "The Strip" for dinner. This is a pretty simple journey being about 170 miles round trip, but requires going up about 3000ft over the pass both ways. I drove my 55 Pat and it was flawless.

I've also driven my 55 Pat from LV to Reno and back (about 1,000 miles), to SoCal and back, to Laughlin, NV and back -- well you get the idea.

IMO, once you fix the notorious "oil pump problem", you have a completely reliable V-8 engine which will keep up with modern traffic without any failures.

Packard Motor Car Company (pre S-P Corp) was entirely correct in running the infamous 25,000 miles endurance run to prove the reliability of the new Packard V-8.

Us guys out in the "wild west" have to run our Packards at high speed for hours and hours because of the great distances involved. You guys back East can be more conservative. That's not a knock, just the facts.

My point?

The S-8 cars are really neat, but in order to keep up with modern traffic and all the "rice rockets" out there and the "nominal" 85MPH speed extant on today's freeways, one needs a car capable of AT LEAST 90MPH sustained, to say nothing of 120MPH top end on occasion (Ask Paul in Las Vegas).

Maybe we should divide our Packard owners into semi-trailer queens and freeway queens (70mph S-8s)??? This is up for discussion. That's the real reason for my post.

Craig

I cruise my 56 between 65-75 on the freeways all the time. I don't own or use a trailer. However I'll let someone else race along at 80-85 mph. Its not safe and not for me.

I keep up with traffic, whether locally at 35 mph or on the turnpike/freeways at 70 plus. For those owners who spend aa lot of money and want to trailer their cars, that's fine with me. It's their car and I see no reason to want to divide Packard owners. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see more togetherness, such as Salado, than any division. We're all in this together. End of discussion.

The 327 straight eight in my '53 settles in really nice at 60-65 mph on the highway with occasional excursions at 70 mph. I don't like to push it much beyond that.

No problem in local suburban traffic either. Just don't try to beat anyone off the line with the Ultramatic.

Randy's right, we're all in this together.

At 71 mph the engine is doing 3000 rpm with the standard rear end. Around here 75 seems normal in a 55 zone, although my car (like yours) probably reads noticeably higher than actual speed.

Easiest way to check is with your gps....

Anyhow, I'm not comfortable for the car at much over 70....and the mileage goes south in a hurry. Logged 120 miles on the freeway yesterday, which took a half tank....

I'd love a lower rpm rear end, but Mike Dulinski says he has never seen one.....

Most Ultramatic-equipped came with a 3.54 rear axle, but in 1956 (not sure about 1955) 3.31, 3.07 and 2.87 were also available and a few have passed thru my hands over the years. I still have a 3.31 set which I'm keeping "just incase" and had a 2.87 years ago that I lugged to flea markets and advertised the heck out of, never got a nibble so eventually it went to the junkyard. One problem with these high (numerically low) rear axles with Ultramatic is that the upshift under light throttle occurs at low speeds and the engine can really lug in local driving situations. For me, I'd rather have a few more RPM and less lugging.

Packards1 Quote:

I beg to differ based on locale (which was pointed out in my OP). Out here in the "Wild West", if you are "poking along" at 65-75 then you're going to get run over, even staying in the rightmost lane. Going that slow (65-75) is unsafe because of what the other stupid drivers do to get around you.

In the "Wild West", 80-85 is the minimum for keeping up with traffic flow. SoCal is even worse in this regard than Southern Nevada (Las Vegas, etc).

WRT rear gear ratio:

1) My 55 Pat has 3.54:1 rear gears and the engine does fine cruising at over 3000 RPM.

2) My Panther (nee Clipper) has 3.23:1 rear gears and will have as tall a tire I can fit into the wheel well. So, it will see less RPM at 80-85 (or 120 for that matter).

WRT division of Packards:

...into trailer queens and freeway queens. That comment was meant to evoke discussion and was not an advocacy position. It seems to have worked.

It's one thing to drive your Packard on pleasure cruises and to Car Shows. It is quite another to drive your Packard safely and reasonably in modern freeway and interstate traffic. I do both, hence my OP.

One more point:

I have front disc brakes and BTV replacement on my 55 Pat to protect myself from idiot "Rice Rocket" (or even SUV) drivers who jump cut in front of you and then slam on their (ABS 4W) brakes. It's a jungle out there.

Craig

Packards1 is adjusting for Michigan road conditions, and I completely respect and understand where he is coming from there.

Mite have to do some adjusting for TN road conditions over the last 18 months too. Lots of cops too. Just 8 or 10 years ago rarely see a cop. Now i can't even drive up and down a country road and toss an empty out the window with out hitting a cop car in the process.

They're great cops. They Only seem to cite those that really need to be cited. But a liesurely drive is not nearly as relaxing as it used to be either constantly having to watch for them.

And then there's John Q Public with their cell phone that seem to think themselves as somekind of gaurdian angels of the earth (usually over 40 years old) and will report ANYTHING that's not exactly picture perfect or doesn't resemble something of an Ozzie and Harriet episode revisited. It's enuf to make my ass wanna chew tobacco.

75 to 80 is about what most people are running here on Tn. Interstate, even in the close urban areas where posted limit can be as high as 65. THe cops here are pretty good. They let it slide for 5 to even 10 over the limit on just about any roads. But they'll nail u to the cross for anything that remotely resembles careless driving, and they should.

I'm ofen running 70 to 75 in slow lane and have good number of cars in the fast lane passing me. I rarely run in the fast lane anymore except to pass.

Noone has to settle for a driver quality resto. Noone has to build a trailer queen. To each his own. But the queens whether V8's or S8's or any engine type definately need to stay on the porch. Every once in a while i witness a very nice 60's GTO, or MoPar muscle etc out on the I'state or hi-speed 2-lane blacktop. They look like they just came from the showroom floor. BUT they are polking along at 20 mph UNDER the posted limit. It doesn;t bother me but i've heard civilians who don't understand complain about it.

THis problem seeems to extend to farm tractors and motysickles too. Especialy motysickles, late model HD's. I don;t understand it. The roads around here are loaded with pot bellied babyboomers on very late model HD's trying to wear long hair and buy el-cheapo chia-rican made leather jackets bought from fleabay or some local outdoor fleamarket and they're polking along at the blinding speed of 35 mph in a 50 mph zone.

Talk to a few of them once in a while and ask about how well it performs out on the I'state in O'drive with a 200 pound hen sitting behind them. They reply " OH NO!!!! I never ride on the I'state!!!! That's too dangerous"

It just makes me wanna shit.