Inliners International Forums General Discussion Hi Performance Packard help

If the Packard transmissions were that good, might explain this weird adapter plate I picked up Packard trans to an FE ford, wondered why that thing existed. I will keep an eye out for a Packard manual, an OD would be nice with that slow revving engine an OD could potentially be an acceleration gear instead of a fuel economy gear. I have a pile of Mustang T5s but I dont think they would hold up in such a heavy car with a pretty decent torque number. Unless I am mistaken a Packard V8 like from 1955 is the same as a later Stude as way as heads intakes ect the bolt on stuff but I'm not sure about the transmissions, I think they took the best of what each company had when they merged and went with it. I love the story Bill, I wish people were that creative these days. It might be a long shot these days but I would love to give some V8 guys a run for their money with mine. Think I'm going to need to invest in a hole saw lol.

In '56 the Stude Hawks used the big and heavy 358 Packard V8. It was too heavy and caused front suspension problems and really didn't perform that well. Stude V8s are plenty heavy themselves. Studes front end was almost the same from '52 through the Avanti. It worked well. From'57 on Packards and Studes used Stude drive train. The 289 Stude V8 was used in the Hawks and the Golden Hawk had a McColloch supercharger. The good tranny before the T10 4 speed was the T85 which came in standard and overdrive. These are all BW and the T85 used an R11 OD with 4 planateries. T85ODs were used in lots of cars and pickups at least into the '60s. I picked up one from a '49 Lincoln for $100 a couple of weeks ago. The T85 is what Ford patterned their "Rock Crusher" 4 speed after. The biggest problem for you would be clutch linkage and 12V Solenoids if you are 12V.

I think some Packard inlines used superchargers. There was just a Kaiser setup on eBay.

My dad had a '56 Golden Hawk with a 352 V8. It went 125 mph. Stock. They had the prettiest instrument panel in the industry with SW gages inset into an engine turned background.

But the brakes were lousy.

OK, 352 I gave 'em 6 ci. That would have made them lighter. HAWK

Good stuff here and on the '57 page it mentions getting rid of the Packard automatic trans for the Studebaker BW Auto. In '63 an fore high school friend I was working with at Montgomery Wards Auto Service had '60 Hawk. 289, 4 bbl, T10 four speed, twin track after I drove it I quit making fun of guys who drove "Strugglebuggies" Studebakers all used SW gauges but from the '55 Speedsters through the Hawk line and maybe the GTs the cluster was impressive.

Have a possible line on a R9 transmission for my Packard any thoughts on if it is something I should peruse or are better options out there? I remember you guys talking about the R11 transmission what makes it better (or worse?) than the R9?

If your sure the T5 is not an option, you can look at the big input shaft Ford Toploader tranny. They have a low first gear and I used one in a heavy BBC Camaro with slicks and never had any issues with it.

I dont know about the T5 I have a hard time keeping them together in my in my Fox bodies. The Packard is close to 1000 pounds heavier and the factory rated it at around 250ish foot pounds or torque. I think that would make a T5 cry. I did some digging the factory rated the HP and TQ peaks at 2000 RPM. Even with going lighter with parts and doing what I can to bump up the peak I really don't know how much more I would be able to get RPM wise out of it. I am kinda thinking a taller gearing in the transmission and rear end to keep from running out of RPMs to soon? It sounds kind of backwards but with the limited RPM band would that be a good idea?

The R 11 refers to the Borg Warner over drive unit used mostly on Borg Warner T 85 three speed transmissions. The T 85 is very strong and was the model for Ford's "Rock Crusher" four speed. The R 11 is a heavy duty OD and has 4 planetary gears instead of the the R 10's 3 gears. The T85 R11 combos were used in Studebaker V8s including Hawks and pickups, Lincolns, Ford cars and pickups, and more.

I've never seen one of these before but I'm sure it would work for you if money is not an issue.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281229301802?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Well if I ever wanted the longest transmission I think that would be close to a winner. Mostly I am concerned about getting everything set up for say a T5 or a R11 then finding out the hard way that it wasn't the right choice. The torque on this thing is pretty healthy and with the planned modifications it will only go up. In the R11 style transmissions how do they work exactly it is a manual 3 speed with an electric overdrive? I am sure I could find lots of info online about them but I think I need it in cave man terms if anyone wants to share.

Well if I ever wanted the longest transmission I think that would be close to a winner. Mostly I am concerned about getting everything set up for say a T5 or a R11 then finding out the hard way that it wasn't the right choice. The torque on this thing is pretty healthy and with the planned modifications it will only go up. In the R11 style transmissions how do they work exactly it is a manual 3 speed with an electric overdrive? I am sure I could find lots of info online about them but I think I need it in cave man terms if anyone wants to share.

Yes, They are 3 speeds with an electric solenoid and governor that control the OD. When set up properly they are fun to drive. You can set them up so that you and control the OD with a button. They are strong but old technology. The 12V solenoids are getting harder to find are becoming expensive.
T85 R11 wiring
BW 3 speed OD information

I like the idea of a manual transmission behind this thing and at least I know they were geared somewhere close to what the engine needed and that they are strong enough to hold the torque of the engine. From what it sounds like the OD setup is similar to a gear vendors. If I find the right deal on one I might jump on it otherwise I will keep looking for a better option.

Today I've been working in the trans for my '26 Chevy roadster build. It is a BW T 86 OD. It's not as strong as the T 85 but plenty strong for my 4 banger. Here is some more info.
LINK

Well I found a guy with one of the 9 main engines with crank and head (sadly not the aluminum one) And he has a bell housing flywheel and clutch fork as well. Probably going to jump on the 9 main engine it would give me a stronger base for my mad scientist plans I have for this thing. My next questions (seems like they never end) I did some reading up on the R11 electric over drive transmissions (thanks Beater) and I don't think it is right for me and my project. So from what I can tell I have a couple options. I could get an adapter plate a company makes for a good chunk on change and put some kind of GM auto behind it thinking 700R4 for the overdrive and lack of requisite computer to run it. That same company can met me up with everything I need to put a GM manual behind my L8 so any factory or aftermarket manual would bolt up or my last option get the Packard bell housing and make my own adapter plate any thoughts? I will put the link to the company that makes the adapters maybe some of you guys could use one of the other adapters they make.
http://transmissionadapters.com/Packard%20to%20Chev%20adapter%20kit.htm

For some reason my posts keep duplicating themselves sorry for any annoyance and if anyone knows how to make that not happen or how to delete the copy post let me know.

There is a problem with the board right now. When I post something I get a message but it does post. I go back to the BB selection and click it to get back to the board and my post is there.

If it was me and I could afford it I would go with one of the automatics with OD for this project. You are going to want an OD for the highway so you can run rear end gears that will bring this thing to life. You know you are going to hammer it and in the long run those autos are stronger and parts are easy to find. For the kind of stuff I build the old trannys work well.

Turbos are hard to load with a manual trans, try to keep with a automatic and you will be happier. Load meaning make boost.

Well with some delay Ia m finally ready to dig into my Packard project. I have set a loose date of completion of October 19 at the Billitproof drags here in Florida. I have a lot of work but I have a good buddy pretty charged up to see this thing on the track so at least I have some help.
Build plan for October I plan:
1)to convert to 12V electrical with a pertronix conversion in the distributor and an electric fuel pump

2)Get the bakes in order

3)Regrind the cam

4)Swap to my higher compression 288 head

5)If I have the time and money install a 4L60E or 4l80E transmission summit sells them for around $2000 (these are the 4 speeds not the newer 6 speeds)

6)9 inch rear, gears and posi

7)Figure out NA induction ( I can either use my Edmunds manifold with 2x2s or I have some Solex side draft carbs that would look really neat on the engine)

8)Sort out the exhaust thinking some modified SBC headers and dual exhaust

9)strip the interior as it is mostly trashed and I wont have time to get it finished by October

10)Shave as much weight as I can without permanently modifying the car as I want to restore and re-install a lot of it at a later date (bumpers exc)

11)Take care of some odds and ends such as making the doors open or stay closed respectively.

If anyone has any tips tricks or parts for sale that could help with the project feel free to let me know. If you are in Florida and close to the Lakeland drag strip hopefully you will see the car in October.

Just a little project update.

Moved into a new shop still waiting on the power company to turn the lights on hopefully that will be this week.

The Packard is moved in and I have a 9 inch ford rear that is waiting on a working welder to install.

The spare engine dissasembly has started to grab the needed parts.

I found a local man who can grind the cam or Isky says they can as well.

Still deciding on the induction for the naturally aspirated configuration (2 2Gs on a custom intake I already have the carbs, 2 factory carbs on an Edmunds intake that I already have, twin Solex side draft carbs on a custom intake or 2 holley 2bbls on a custom intake)

A buddy has a 700R4 he would like to trade for my factory Packard rear that he needs for a hotrod project.

Ignition is mostly sorted out MSD 6T box, Blaster 2 coil, MSD 3 step. I just have to ID the distributor to get a Pertronix module it is either a Delco or and Autolite but the ID tag on both of my distributors are severely corroded and unreadable.

I started picking at the flaking paint in a few areas and I have more rust than expected but not in any serious areas which is a plus.

Still shooting for the Billitproof drags in October.

Finally got power at the shop. Cleaned all the rats nests out of the car which was a bigger project than I had expected. Found some pretty good rust in the floor that will have to be attended to before the car goes down the track but it is nothing too bad considering the history of the car. I attempted to fire it up but I think the condenser is bad and it was not getting spark. It did rotate over however and it did that just fine with no weird noises.

The engine removal has started I just need to take 6 bolts out of the transmission cross member and it should be ready to pull. I popped the head off the engine and was pleasantly surprised to find no excessive bore wear. Based on a visual alone it seems that I should be able to put decent sized valves in the engine at a later date which should help the breathing a lot. Still deciding on the intake setup but I have a few months, October will be here very quickly so hopefully I can still get everything done in time.

Awakening this from the dead what ever happened to this ride???