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

A question to ponder over the holidays. Were the hydraulic valve lifter equipped 288 cu. in. engines a one model year option only? The reason I ask is because beginning with the 1952 models, Packard offered the 327 cu. in. engines as an option in the 200s and 200 Deluxes. These engines - however - were equipped with mechanical lifters, while the engines in the 300 and 400 had hydraulic lifters.

Anyone with a 1952 or later 288 that has hydraulic lifters? This should be indicated with an "H" stamped at the end of the engine number. Thanks.

(o[]o)

That whole engine numbering and option thing is interesting and confusing.

The way I read the 52 RPO chart, the optional 327 engine --code OE-- had hydraulic lifters. Brian's chart also lists the same OE option in 51 so wonder if it also had hydraulic? I thought once introduced, most Packard options carry forward virtually unchanged until a later improved version came along--unless it is the oil filter. Still don't quite understand why they dropped that with the 300 option engine in 200's unless it was for a price point OR if the optional 300 engine did in fact did have an option for solid lifters.

I would think the 52 and later 288s would have also been the same --solid unless they bought the HT option. Another interesting question might be if there are any 51 327's in 200s and if so, solid lifters or any with H after the number.

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The parts book provides some good clues:

In the Model Identification List at the front there is a note for the 200 Models from 1951 and 52 that says cars specially equipped with the 300 engine have serial numbers in the J or K 4______ series. This would indicate hydraulic lifters as the 300 engine was a 327 and only came with hydraulics.

Group 5.1711 shows hydraulic tappet bodies for Chassis Models 2401 and 2501 (200's) from 1951 and 52 for cars with the 300 engine or with engine number suffix H.

Howard -

Just to clarify, the chart that I composed was for 1952 (25th Series) and was derived from factory Trade Letters - one of which cites the reduction in price together with omission of oil filter from the "300" 327 cu. in. engine package (OE).

Based on the three available letters from that time frame, the separate offering of oil filter (OF) equpiment was unchanged throughout the 25th Series (1952) run - optional on 200 and 200 DeLuxe, but standard on 250/300/400. Hydraulic tappet (HT) equipment was also offered separately from the 300 engine (OE)package and also remained unchanged throughout the run (1952) - again, optional on 200 and 200 DeLuxe, but standard on 250/300/400.

The ommission of the oilf fitler form the OE package makes no sense, but it is what it is. Could be there's another Trade Letter that we don't yet have.

Now, I've never seen any Trade Letters for 1951 (24th Series) models. However, these codes were previously provided in another document, 24th-25th Series Factory Production Options, from Dave Czirr (Owen Dyneto), covering 1951 as well as 1952.

Taking BdeB's parts book reference into consideration, together with aforementioned newsletter articles, it seems to me that the "300 engine" and engine "Suffix H" refer to two different engines - that all 327s engines had hydraulic tappets, but "Suffix H" was applied only to those 288 engines that included hydraulic tappets.

Brian,

I was referring to the 51-2 list but didn't realize it was Dave's since you have done most of them. I thought by virtue of the list that the 51-2 327s were hydraulic but JW mentioned he didn't think so in his post #41.

According to the engine SN list some 53 and 54 327s had solid so could have that also applied to earlier as well--or were any equipped with solids at all. If so maybe only as a delete option & wonder how they would be identified.

Oh boy, it is confusing. After 20 years of servicing these things I take nothing for granted on a junior car and usually end up taking off a valve cover for a look. Can't recall ever seeing a 288 with hydraulic other than 51Packard's. Have regularly serviced an excellent survivor 51 200 with 327 and solids and oil filter. Have a 52 200, 327, Ultra, oil filter, hydraulics, and no H suffix. Had a 54 Panama with Ultra, 327 and hydraulics. According to literature, should have had solids, and had no H suffix. In fact, the rarest thing in my experience is not that any given car had hydraulics, but that they bothered to give it the H suffix. My take is that Packard did it like concurrent Chevies:if you got automatic, you got hydraulics.

A tip: if the valves clack noisily at idle, they are almost certain to be hydraulic as the solids never get all that badly out of adjusment by themselves. But an idiot may have been present. If they quiet down almost at once as you increase the revs then for sure they are hydraulic as that is the normal failure mode for hydraulics in the S8s, unlike the V8s.

No problem Howard.

Just know that all of my work WRT equipment codes has been (and will continue to be) laid out in tabular format, rather than a list. (I also try to make it a point to "sign" my work.) My intent was not merely to repeat the Trade Letter info, but present it in a way that made it easier to distinguish availability between models. (I hope I achieved that.)

Know, also, that I have charts roughed in for 1951 (24th Series) and 1953 (26th Series), but won't be able to finish them for public release until I can lay my eyes any of the relevant Trade Letters (or bona fide copies thereof).

Now, based on what I can tell from the parts book (and it's complicated), the 327 engine became standard installation in the 2611/5401 Clipper Deluxe and the 5411 Clipper Super models. However, applications for both standard and hydraulic tappets are shown for these models - as well as those with the 288 engine. "Suffix H" is also noted for hydraulic tappets in the 288 and 327 engines in these models.

Yet, I found no option/code for hydraulic tappets in the ONE Trade Letter I've seen for 1954 models. Again, there were likely other Trade Letters issued, but until we have them, we may not be able to see the full picture.

Perhaps it wasn't a buyer's choice, at least in 53-54.

Meanwhile, Ross' correlation of hydraulic lifters with Ultramatic equipment sure seems to fit.