RichFox

The driver said he thought he saw 5000 on the tach. Yeah and he saw Elvis at the 3. You can,t believe drivers. Anyway I plan to run the car next at Lovelock in May. They plan to have either one mile or one kilo time trials evetually four one mile trials a year. Then back to the salt in Sept. No dyno for me. If I'm going to blow it, I'll do it at the races.

I just thought I would post this for anyone who might be thinking of installing adjustabls rockers on their Packard. I had been using Smith bros. adjustable push rods on my Packard engine. I would like the engine to run in the 5000 to 6000 rpm range and so solid lifters are required. The Smith pushrods worked fine but I'm to old and tired to fool around asjusting them. So I stepped up and bought rocker arms from http://www.rockerarms.com/. Since I allready had my .513 lift cam and 14 to 1 Arias pistons installed I couldn't take advantage of a higher ratio rocker. The valves just clear the piston crowns now. These rockers come as an assembly and were very nice looking and fit perfectly. except when I wanted to install the rocker covers. There are different ways to modify the valve covers to clear the adjusters but I had already cherried out my covers, powder coated them and installed the Packard script so I didn't want to change them. I cut out a 5'16 thick 6061 aluminum spacer and stuck a cork casket to each side with black RTV. When installed on the engine it dosen't show and clears the adjusters.

Driver just called. He is almost here with my car, trailer, and truck. He says he thinks the tach read just under 5000 @ the 3. To be honest you can't believe drivers about much. I think I still have the 2.75 rear end gears in it with 33 inch dia. tires and direct in high. I will like having it home.

Jack 170 is about what I was expecting, or hopeing for. It is a Top loader three speed but I am using second and high only. The driver is having enough trying to do that. In my Stude pickup I have the four speed top loader but I don't know when, if ever, it will be running. I'm thinking of taking my 374 heads to a pro porter to see if he can't do better than me. The car picked up 3 mph between the 2 1/4 and the 3. Have to think about the gears. You wouln't have a junk head I could cut up or one already cut would you. It would help to get an idea of how much is too much.

The main hang up seemed to be with shifting from the starting gear to the direct drive gear in the two speed. I don't know why this should be, since it had worked for me through the last three engines. Jim had difficulty with it last year. More horsepower would help also. They didn't keep the battery charged and didn't know that without an alternator power will drop off. But it ran 5 or 6 times. I'm glad the Packard got out of the shop and made some noise.

Some may remember 2 years ago I was assembling a '55 Packard 352 engine to run at Bonneville in my Vega. Some health issues kept me from taking the car to the '07 meet and again this year. I did send it with some friends who tried thier best with it and I am indebted to them for gitting it out and running. They had a best speed of 155.329 mph. I had hoped for a somewhat faster top speed, but it's a start.

Maybe I could come over there and look at that. Or you could come here and see the roadster. I guess they came through the main caps with the oil? RF

I have been running a Plymouth PB powered roadster at Bonneville and El Mirage. lately I have been looking at a '26 Dodge Bros engine that was given to me. The drip oiling to the crankshaft seems a little iffy. What did they do to the old race cars? My PB went 113.75 mph with a flathead I made and 135 mph with a '57 Ford V8 head. My email is V4GR@rcn.com

I googled Bentley V8. Nothing like a Packard. To bad. Made a neat story.

Looks like if you can find a bellhousing a flywheel can't be to far away. Or at least they are available in the aftermarket, if your willing to pay. I sold a NOS flywheel for $100 and bought a NOS Schefier aluminum flywheel for mine. Lately I had to go on a Golden hawk forum and beg for a bellhousing. Seems the Golden Hawk guys are the guys that have them stashed away

I just read in Motor Trend that the 6.75 liter twin turbo V8 Bentley motor is an updated Packard V8. Anybody know anything about this? I was not able to transfer the web site, but search Bentley and find Motor Trend to read the story.

About a year or a year and a half ago I had a thread about installing a Ford Top Loader on a Packard V8. A near bolt on and very stout transmission used in drag racing and NASCAR. Search "Transmission Conversions" on this forum

The trouble is that the class break at Bonneville is at 372 cubic inches. That puts a 374 against engines of up to 440 inches. My engine is a 352 + .060 to make a 363. It is still being worked out. If you only run once a year it takes a while.

Having just finished adjusting the valves on my 352 powered Vega, Bonneville car, I decided that adjustable pushrods are for younger guys who have longer to live. Jack Vines has done some research on adjustable roller rockers with the Harland Sharp company. So I contacted them and sent them a pair of Packard rockers to see what they can do about making some new ones. It will be a few weeks before I know anything, but I intend to buy two sets of roller rockers. I will post whatever I find out. Anybody interested in obtaining some adjustable rockers might email me so that I can get back with what ever happens. V4GR@rcn.com

I don't know if this is alowed, but if I was able to buy another standard shift Bellhousing, I would start putting my mock up engine in my '52 Stude Pickup. If someone has one to sell I would be very interested.

Here are a few pictures of the Vega with the Packard motor on the salt. For those interested here is a link to some more pictures and videos.http://hoggar.scl.utah.edu/h/Bonneville-Raceway/

Well the car made it to the salt. I, on the other hand, stayed home to have a minor but painful infection reamed out and repaired, I hope. I sent the car with two friends Jim Barker, Mobil A&P out of Stockton Airport, and Pete Brooks of Pete's Gears in Hayward. Both good guys but new to Bonneville and the new car gremlins. I had jetted rich to be safe, but it was way to rich. After leaning it Jim took it out and became coufused with the two speed shifter and started in direct and at 3000, about 110mph tried to shift into the lower gear. After another call home he had the shifting direction stright but found a leaking right rear wheel cylinder. They decided to load it up and come home. I convinced them to put some brake fluid in it and go back out. I don't know what went wrong (Out of gas?) with the third run but they are now on their way home. The clutch worked fine, the Ford transmission works fine. I guess 110 was the best speed. There are pictures of the meet at http://www.landracing.com/gallery/index.php?cat=4

Well I fired the thing today. Everything seems fine. A few small things to do and is's off to the salt and World of Speed to try it out. Open headers and 13:1 pistons sounds pretty good. Don't think many Packard race motors have been run lately.

Last part on, the headers. Hope for good salt next month

Finialy did the headers. Need to go to be coated. Hope the salt dries out soon.

http://forums.aaca.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=21&Number=399248&Searchpage=1&Main=93142&Words=Transmission+conversion+RichFox&topic=0&Search=true#Post399248 Look here for transmission info.

Don't know why i don't see a picture. Will try again.

It's been a while since I sent in a picture of the Worlds Fastest Packard Powered Post War GM Product. I have been under the weather somewhat and it's slowing me down. But it is still looking good for Sept and World of Speed. This shows that all the wireing and most of the plumbing is done . I hope to get the exhaust headers done within the week. The Ford transmission seems to work fine which is no supprise as I have had a 460 Ford, a 455 Pontiac and a 392 Chrysler in the same car with the same transmission and it has always worked fine.

And here it is in the car with the top loader attached. Sorry the picture isn't better.

The Hemi came out so the Pack could go in