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

Thanks. The carb just has one barrel air horn, but apparently it's a two barrel, then. Strange. Are there two venturis? Are both barrels always open, or is it progressive? I would guess not progressive, given how simple the linkage looked.

Well, even 4-bbls have a single air horn. And sure, since it's got two barrels it's got two venturis, one for each set of 4 cylinders, both throttle plates operating off the same shaft. No rocket science here, just plain simple carburetion.

Right that, Owen, but what I meant about the air horn is that it LOOKS like a single barrel because of its size. It's not stretched wider like a modern 2-barrel. I may be dumb but I ain't stupid.

Carb matches the style of the one on my '54 engine. Ignore the head, and look at the engine number on the drivers side, near the back, right below the head. This will tell you exactly what motor you have.

Example: M212345

First Number Postion is the Year Code:

M > 54
L > 53
etc

Second Number Postion is the Size/Type

In 1954 in would be:

2 = 288 Solid Lifter, 5 main (Specials only)
3 = 327 Solid Lifter, 5 main (Deluxes and Supers)
4 = 327 Hyd Lifter, 5 main (Cavaliers)
6 - 359 Hyd Lifter, 9 main (All Seniors)

The other digits are just the sequential production number.

If it was optioned with hydraulic lifters on the "2" and "3" motor there would be a letter suffix at the end. But, i've never seen a '54 block that was optioned with it.

Thanks, Big Kev. I'm going to see if I have a motor pic I can enlarge enough to read.

This is as good as I can do, cropping for the area where I think the numbers are. Maybe some of you Photoshop geniuses can find it and decipher it?

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Probably requires a wire brush to clean the engine number pad on the block then wipe over with chalk, or something to expose, fill or highlight the stamped numbers, to be able to read the engine number.

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As Mal said, clean in with a wire brush, and then go over it with white chalk really good, and then wipe it off. The chalk will stay in the stamping marks and make it legible.

Thanks Mal & Kev. I can't believe I didn't get that done when I was there. But, you know, 100 degrees F can mess with your head a bit.


Here are a couple of other questions that I originally posted on my 3-spd OD thread that someone might know more about. They're not so straightforward:

(Modified previous post follows)

1) This thing has king pins? Rats, what's it cost to fix them?
I mean a ballpark number.

2) The clutch does not engage until the pedal is excessively high IMHO.
What does a clutch go for, if there's no more adjustment left and the friction material is toast?

3) The OD balks, needs to be driven a few miles and then only shifts at about 50 or 55, and there's really no "feel" of it going in when you let off the gas, which I'm used to on past 3-spd OD transmissions ('62 Ford Galaxie) Shouldn't it kind of go "clunk"?. Letting off the accelerator after you think it might have shifted is the only way to tell if it's in OD. Kickdown is also hit-or-miss. Any idea what might be causing the need to get the OD "warmed up" and its shifting behaviors after it is?


Sorry about all the questions, but I want to know what I could be getting into with this thing.

1) This thing has king pins? Rats, what's it cost to fix them?
I mean a ballpark number.

That depends in part on how much you're willing and able to do yourself, so assess your own skills and available time. If you're handy with tools and take the time to study the front suspension, it's pretty much self-explanatory though I'd suggest first reading a shop manual - the setup is pretty much same from the late 30s right thru 1956 with just minor differences.

Assuming you have the tools and skill to remove the pins and take the parts and the new bushings to a machine shop to install and burnish/ream the bushings to size, that might cost you about $75 for shop services. The rest after buying the pin kit is just your own time. If you have the tools and understanding you can do this yourself.

If you find a shop competent to do this type of work, it's probably 4-6 hour job; multiply that by their hourly rate and add the cost of the pin kit and you've got it.

Of course you should probably have a full front end alignment done after the installation, so add another perhaps $150.