Packard Forum Index » General

While tearing down my 352 V-8 for overhaul I discovered a three digit number (338) hand written on the side of the block with either a crayon or paint stick. This same number is on the bottom of each piston as well as the cyclinder number each piston was installed in. Is this three digit number a production number of some sort?

Hi Dave,
I can't help you with the numbers, but that is a very pretty Clipper!

Oh you have the dreaded 338 block! It turns out, those are terrible motors and the cars that they came in were built during a strike and a lot of states have them on the blacklist and won't let them on the road. Sucks that you'll likely have to sell it for a huge loss.

Then again, i'm a fan of that kind of car, i'll take it off your hands very cheap to help you out in your bad luck.


Of course that's all bs, nice car! I wonder if Packard motors were built by one person start to finish and they wrote on the parts? Maybe 338 is a builder or inspector number? Do you know if those parts have ever been out, maybe someone who rebuilt it later wrote on them for some reason?

Don't know if the engine was ever overhauled before or not. It just seemed strange to find the number writen on each and every piston. The number on the side of the of the block seemed like it was written after it was painted so it suprised me when I found the same number on the pistons!

Just a guess - pistons were selected from an inventory with a range of slight variations from standard size based on hand-fitting to the bore - #s you see might possibily be related to that. Can't say I've ever seen it done in that manner, though I've seen odd numbers stamped on piston heads which I assumed to similarly be an aid in hand-selection.

Owen_Dyneto, Dave - welcome back!

(o{I}o)

Davepa.
Does the "338" appear int he ENGINE number and/or Vehicle Number??? TWO seperate numbers here. Engine number NOT to be confused with vehicle number.

I've not seen any such number as your "338" writen inside of any BLOCKS. My pistons have numbers written on them in pencil on the wrist pin bosses.

PackardV8, No to your first question, 338 does not appear the VIN for the car. The numbers on the bottom of the pistons are on the wrist pin boss as you said yours are.