brother is talking me into staying with the 288 straight eight in my 49 packard club sedan.. instead of the olds V8 and kind of agreeing with him, so this weekend we tried to get the motor to turn over, still haven't but working on that.. if it looks like we can and if the motor is in rebuildable shape, it looks like the straight eights are not too expensive to build a runner... I will be going with an automatic, there is a place in minn? that sells the adaptor plate and parts to connect almost any late model Chevy automatic to the straight eight, any suggestions on which one to use? also the plan to switch out the whole frame with a 1990 cadillac may be discarded and will stay with original after looking at the packard frame, it looks pretty stout and in good shape. my concern is with brakes and front suspension, stay stock or is there a better way? The rearend most likely will be switched out to a later model with updated drum or disc.. would like to run disc brakes up front too... any help on this would be appreciated.. really thinking about stay stock as much as I can except for reliability and safety... and an automatic...
I think you might want to base the transmission decision at least partially on what your rear axle ratio is. If it's as low as I suspect it might be a TH350C with a lock-up converter might help your fuel mileage a bit. If it's a fairly high ratio axle a 700R4 has got a lower first gear to help get you rolling from a dead stop. Plus you get overdrive and a locking converter to help you when cruising.
okay thanks for the advice, the rear axle/end still to be decided, wouldn't be using the stock one.. I have a TH400 from the olds that the big block came out of but it is from 1970, and maybe too big? a 700R4 would be around what years in production, or do they still make them? would a rebuild from salvage yard be a good step? and what rear axle ratio would be good for city driving and cruisin the highway with maybe a little oomph to it? not going to be drag racing with it of course.. and why the locking convertor? what does it provide? thanks for any help on this, I am trying to learn as much so I can go in the right direction once started... a straight eight, with auto tranny and good brakes, stout rearend as this is a heavy car..
Bubbles, for ALL kinds of assistance on the stock drive train, be sure to check out packardinfo.com. VERY good site with LOTS of helpful info on firing up the ol' 288!
First: Thank you for sticking with the straight 8. You won't be sorry, and the value of the car will be much higher then if you had shoved a sbc or even the Olds into it. Second: Did your Packard have a standard 3 spd, or a 3spd+OD? My Dad's '49 Custom 8 Deluxe has the 327 straight 8 and OD, and I can't think of any reason to ever change that trans. I don't know though if they put the OD's behind the smaller 288 motors. Third: Remember that that straight 8 is much more like a diesel then a gas V8. It probably redlines at 3500 to 4000 rpm, and will not like spending all day at 3000 rpm on the freeway, so please gear it accordingly. If you go with a non OD trans, please plan on a tall enough rear gear ratio (2.7 or so) to get the 60 to 65 mph cruising rpms down to around 1800. I would however strongly suggest an Overdrive trans like the 700R4 or Ford AOD if you are going the adaptor route. Much better acceleration with a larger rear end ratio and very good cruising rpms. Forth: Don't you dare swap over to a 90 something Cadillac frame. That will be a bastardized project that will never be finished or look correct. You can get all new suspension bushings and parts through Kanter and Max Merritt Auto. Packard was a luxury car back in the day, and drove like one. With new parts it and a properly set up front suspension, it will drive very nicely. Good Luck and keep us posted.
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