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Technical Packard trans to 8ba a lil help

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by fabricator john, Feb 22, 2022.

  1. fabricator john
    Joined: Mar 18, 2010
    Posts: 305

    fabricator john
    Member
    from venice fl.

    im looking at all the logical trans swaps and wanting to keep it traditional , i know its only a matter of time before i hurt my 3sp even though its fresh, i like the idea of the Packard seems close ratio ,gears twice the size of the ford and has overdrive(r-11 i believe is the better od), i know that a top shift from a earlier one can be fitted to a side shift one and even have a copy of a advertisement for a retrofitted ford top plate to the Packard trans , seems to be lots of the internals on ebay for these , what i wanna know is ive heard rumors but cant verify if the latter trans has a synchronized 1st ( deal closer) anyone have any experience with this what specific trans is best , seems they are out there as well as the adapters , i am interested in this for traditional reasons and have no intrest in a modern trans , please guide me if you can , ive searched here for a while and the ford barn and have only found small bits here and there and technical but no swap info on the packard forums , my car is my fathers car i have gotten it on the road and is a seriouly traditional north east style 27 tudor ,, any wisdom , will be greatly appreciated
    fabricator john
    miss you dad
     
    AndersF likes this.
  2. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

  3. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    I think that syncronized first gear first appeared on Fords in 1964 which is sometime after Packard went under. What do you have against a later trans?
     

  4. miker98038
    Joined: Jan 24, 2011
    Posts: 1,143

    miker98038
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    FWIW, while the R-11 is the better o/d, a flathead won’t hurt an R-10 unless you make a serious effort. That makes a lot more transmissions a possibility. I don’t think any “traditional” transmissions have a Syncro first, as stated above.
     
  5. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    Check the Hamb Classifieds. That three speed Ford transmission that I mentioned earlier is in an ad posted by Koz mounted to a Pontiac engine with tri-power. According to his ad, he is willing to separate them and the transmission has a Jeep shifter top attached to it.
     
  6. JWL115C
    Joined: Jan 28, 2010
    Posts: 286

    JWL115C
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    The Packard transmissions did not have synchromesh in 1st gear. Yes, the R11 overdrive is better than the R9. Also, fitting a Packard top shifter (pre-39) to your later transmission will require modifying the shifter forks. Go to PackardInfo.com for more on this. Many knowledgeable folks there ready to share their knowledge and experience.
     
  7. I used to run a Packard box in my '50 Olds. No synchro first for sure. If you put a floor shift cover on a side shift box without any mods, the synchro balls will pop out.
     
  8. fabricator john
    Joined: Mar 18, 2010
    Posts: 305

    fabricator john
    Member
    from venice fl.

    man ,,, this is what im lookin for ,, you guys keep it comin ,,
    thank you for all the link's
    the car i have my pop started and i have on the road now , has helped me considerably dealing with his passing been 2 years ,,
    he was building this one as the car my grandfather wouldn't let him have when he was in high school
    he graduated in '57 so for me thats the build year , plus i have a great love for the traditional always have . packard trans makes sense to me , as i will be going nuts with the next short block , and overdrive is a plus ,i am a fabricator and can handle a simple rebuild and top plate adaption ,, , they held up to the overheads so i doubt ill break it ,, ROD2 (3).jpg
    heres my hero ,, ive made a few small changes since then but in the name of keeping it traditional , its that north east style ,heavy z'd , now all i gotta do is start getting together all the pieces ,, anybody got stashes under their benches ? really love thet hidelbrandt adapter , found a trend yearbook with some details in it about the packard too , didnt know i had it ..lol keep any info coming ,,
    fabricator john
    miss you dad
     
    hfh, Hnstray and AndersF like this.
  9. I remember a post where your dad passed and you got the car. Glad to help
     
  10. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

    You'll need one of these.

    upload_2022-2-25_8-28-38.jpeg
     
  11. fabricator john
    Joined: Mar 18, 2010
    Posts: 305

    fabricator john
    Member
    from venice fl.

    Gofannon yes exactly that , thats a beautifull casting that should be put to use!!! (searching)
    first time i saw a pic of one i was like yes yes yes
    fabricator john
    miss you dad
     
  12. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Normally I'd question the "why" when it comes to running an odd ball piece like the Packard trans rather than something a bit more wallet friendly and stronger but post 9 pretty well tells the whole Why story.
    Also remembering that that was pretty common in the little book days.
     
  13. dmar836
    Joined: Oct 23, 2018
    Posts: 357

    dmar836
    Member

    John,
    Depending on the Packard input shaft length have you considered making an adapter plate to a more common Mercury or Ford clutch housing?
    Maybe not as traditional as a cast housing adapter but sometimes the only thing traditional that tips off an old build is a jagged OA-cut part.
    Just spitballing.
    D
     
  14. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,442

    goldmountain

    I really don't get it. You want a Packard transmission but say that a non-synchro first gear is a deal closer. We tell you that they are all non synchro first gear but you persist. Driving a car without first gear synchro is not that big a deal. Just come to a complete stop before engaging first. I have suggested a fairly old kind of traditional transmission with the first gear option you want. You also want overdrive and a top shifter too from a transmission that is all but made of unobtanium. Stop looking at those old magazine articles about Packard and Cad-Lasalle transmissions. In the real world, get a t-5. Top gear is an overdrive and it does have a top shifter. I think that the best plan would be to just use the transmission that your father has already put in the car.
     
  15. fabricator john
    Joined: Mar 18, 2010
    Posts: 305

    fabricator john
    Member
    from venice fl.

    after being a restorer for 30yrs and doing all of the latest trick of the week stuff 5.0's ,tpi, Lt's , LS's ,hemis and coyote's , in my personal life im heavily traditional and love year/era builds no matter what era, i work on enough confused cars daily , for me this is the plan and just want all my nuts bolts n screws strait before i have to buy/swap/scrounge parts twice ,, i have a strong refusal to pull car funds from the family budget so im very carefull with parts selection , and love old speed parts
    fabricator john
    miss you dad
     

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