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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#41
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Packard34, I did not mean to indicate that your car has been changed, rather that mine with a later production number had no numbers on the firewall, between the triangles. I was just wondering about yours. I wonder what is on 5588-1001, the Dawes car?

OD has explained about the randomness of the firewall number, which just adds to the Packard mystery! OD, I should look this up, but did 55-56 use the I in the 1st position, or what has been the the 1st position number/letter? Where were the firewalls stamped, at Connor, or East Grand?

As far as the resurrection of a deralect Caribbean, a 400 hardtop would have to be used. (I have another story, but another time). The man I referenced takes cars that have seen better days, and makes them look and drive like new again. I may be wrong, but what I remember from his pictures, was he took the 400 body off the frame, turned it over, and put in the inner rockers that the convertibles have.

He either welded a strap on the inside of the door, or took the door off and used a jig of some sort, to keep the alignment , and then cut off the top. He then took and welded the inside cowl bracing and set the bronze windshield in place, matching it to the convertible top header, and inner wheel well keeping it all aligned. He used the old convertible frame, because as OD has pointed out they have the extra strapping, and the outer boby mounts are different because of the extra inner rockers.

One suggestion on finding out if the firewall is the one that came with a 55-56, is that the ones I have and observed the data plate number was marked on it before painting. Look at the picture from the Finish magazine. I don't know what was used, but it seems to bleed through the paint. You might have to squint or look with one eye closed! One other place to look is the front fenders on convertibles, look for the extra bracing.

Posted on: 2013/2/7 14:15
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#42
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Randy,

Yes the block was stamped 5588-1035. When I went to look at it, 20 + years ago, Haden came with me and noted that the casting numbers on the heads looked like 56 not 55 numbers. The engine was caked with gunk, and rust, but it did have the 56 bronze paint in places we could get to. After purchasing the car, I looked up the tags on the carburetors, and the were the 56 ones. I will have to look at the date of the block, it did have the oil pump with the plug in it.

The car had a 56 crest on a 55 Caribbean hood. When I started exploring the car more, I came to the conclusion that it had been in a wreck at sometime in its life. I think that was proably when the engine was changed. The right side of the cowl had been hit and worked over, in lead. The fender was changed, but was not a convertible one, not set up for the brace. The door had been replaced with one with a Packard Atlanta tag on it. The quarter panel had also been replaced.

So my assumption (we all know what that means), is that it had its accident late in 55, or early 56. I am not sure anyone would have fixed a Caribbean with that much damage after Packard went away.

Posted on: 2013/2/7 14:45
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#43
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Owen_Dyneto
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I should look this up, but did 55-56 use the I in the 1st position, or what has been the the 1st position number/letter

First, the "I' is just the number 1, albeit in a different style. Body dash numbers began in 1929, perhaps with 000001 or maybe 000011, the lowest we know of it 000051. Then they just progressed in numberical order until they reached 999999 in 1950 or early 1951. Then, rather than add a 7th digit they went to a letter prefix, starting at A00001 thru A99999, then B00001 thru B99999, etc. With the exception of a couple of 55 cars with either no number or a number taken from the 1936 range (22XXXX), all the 55/56 cars began with either a "C" or a "D". The "C" series actually began towards the end of 1954 production.

The cars with a "1" (or "I" if you insist) in the first position would be those made after 099999 and before 200000; this corresponds roughly to 1930 thru 1935.

None of this has anything to do with Utica Engine Numbers, we probably should have split this off a long time ago.

Posted on: 2013/2/7 14:57
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#44
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Mathew Rattray
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I was able to get the number off the firewall #025993"
I understand you didn't mean anything by the question about the firewall though its always interesting to know

Posted on: 2013/2/7 21:06
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#45
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Take a closer look, I think you'll see the first character is a "D", so it's D25993. None of the 55/56 stampings are as distinct as the prior years so it takes a sharp eye. Look particularly at the four corners of the character; those on the left upright should be crisp right angles and those on the right will have a very slight radius.

Posted on: 2013/2/7 23:15
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#46
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The cast date on my block is 4-11-56, 440971.

On the boss next to the oil filler pipe is stamped C1488 and unerd that is 5588-1035.

Posted on: 2013/2/8 0:11
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#47
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I believe C1488 to be the Utica Plant number, "C" denoting a Caribbean engine and 1488 denoting the 488th such engine built.

Posted on: 2013/2/8 9:11
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Re: Utica Engine Number Prefixes
#48
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Mathew Rattray
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I got the engine rebuilder to get the firewall number for me, I believe it may have been misread and is would be a D not a 0

Posted on: 2013/2/9 6:56
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