Guest deathrodder Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 i i am new to retsoring older cars well new to restoring in genaral . i came a cross a 51 packard straight 8 200 auto and am trying to find out some info for start what type of transmition fluid does it take and what type of oil and where would i find parts for it i would love to get this car restored so i can turn it into a daily drive thanks for yor time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 I'd suggest you post this in the Packard section of this forum, or in either of the two forums dedicated completely to Packards, Packard Automobile Classics, Inc. - The Packard Club or PackardInfo.com - General Site News - New Part Cross Reference Database Added - Packard Articles. I'd also suggest you purchase an owner's manual, shop manual, and parts manual if you're serious about this vehicle - they are all available as reprints from the half-dozen or so specialized national Packard vendors, Kanter Bros. and Max Merritt to name two.Most owners use Type F transmission fluid which is a reasonable match for the original Type A which is NLA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deathrodder Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest De Soto Frank Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Transmission Fluid was originally "Automatic Transmission Fluid, Type A" which can be safely replaced with any of the DEXRON Fluids.The safest oil to use is a non-detergent, SAE-20 if you can find it, or SAE-30.If you open-up the engine and remove all the accumulated sludge from the oil pan, and bottoms of the valve chambers, you can then probably safely run modern multi-viscosity detergent oils.Any idea how long ago the car was last in service ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deathrodder Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 it was last serviced in the 80 where it sat till i got it it starts fine but i trying to find out what need so i can any help would be awesome where would i find a pan gasket to do tat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 I question the old story about using non detergent single weight oil. Detergent oil was available in the 40s, multigrade oils from the early fifties. In other words, chances are your car has never used anything but 10W30 detergent oil in its life.I worked in a gas station in the sixties and 10W30 was the default choice for every oil change. We did stock single weight oil and non detergent oil for cheapskates driving worn out klunkers. But I do not recall ever putting it in a decent car.Deathrodder do you have a thread or 2 going on the Packard information BBS? If not you should go over there and look around, there are at least 2 guys asking the same questions about similar cars to yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Albert Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I have been using 30W diesel oil in my 54 packards, and dextron 3 for the transmission as the newer car oils have had the Zinc removed due to it messing up the cat converters, if you have an oil filter it should be a fram 139PL as a replacment, you will fint it a PITTA to put fluid in the transmission, dipstick on the driver side of the transmission,, have to slide under the car to get at,, i have a suction gun for sucking up fluid and then inject it in the fill hole,, or if you pull back the front carpet, and remove a Black cover on the top of the hump (2 screws) you will find a breather hole/ vent which can be removed and filled from there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I also question the need for zinc in a flathead engine. The cam loading should be the same as a modern OHC or lower. It is the hi perf OHV V8s with pushrods that have trouble with the zinc free oil. But will wait until an oil chemist or automotive engineer gives us the straight dope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Albert Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 maybe less load,, but the tappets rotate and the lobes on the cam are not flat on new engines,, the Packards have a square face and flat tappets, the zinc protects the faces, Look it up on the net , nothing new, better to have the zinc than not to,, not like we are going to plug up the Cats in the packard are we,, I have put 8000 + miles on my Packard using good quality Diesel oils, as they have zinc,, you can also get an additive as well, or GM breakin oil additive.. rusyt see what they recommand on the desoto site for you car.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest deathrodder Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 wow alot of diffrent opinions hum which to pick i tought this wold be easy harderd then a new car well i like to thank every one for there imput but i found a packard original service manaul it say 20w oil and type a so i think ill go with what they say i hope i can find some lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Death the reason it is hard to find 20 is it was replaced by multigrade oils years ago, about when your car was built. Multigrade is better, I am sure Packard recommended it as soon as they knew about it,just like every other car maker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 i found a packard original service manaul it say 20w oil and type a so i think ill go with what they say i hope i can find some lolSpeaking from experience, I too prefer a single weight oil. Back in the day (we are talking the 60's here) all I ever used was 20-20w oil. Maybe non-detergent was for cheapies, but single wt. was not. At any rate, the only place I could locate 20w oil in the 21st century was United Lube. Google it. I ordered 3 cases of the stuff! 30w is still around, as an alternative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Unless you live in a particularly cold climate or do a lot of winter driving, SAE 15W-40 motor oil is probably the odds-on favorite among Packard owners for cars with flat-tappet engines. But as has already been pointed out, DON'T use it if you haven't dropped the oil pan and cleaned it and other accessible parts of the engine like the filter cartridge, valve lifter galley, etc. There is no reason not to take advantage of the improvements in lubricants since your car was built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph P. Indusi Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I am not convinced that "detergent" oil will actually loosen up sludge and clean the inside of an engine. I read from a reputable source that detergent oils retain sludge and other contaminants in the oil so it can be filtered or drained out with the oil. In fact, I recall that the source showed tests done on sludged engine components are not cleaned by running detergent oils. What sludge is there stays there unless mechanically removed or possibly partially removed by some solvent like kerosene.I also like the 15W-40 deisel oils as they give cold start advantages, have detergent properties to keep sludge in suspension, and contain some ZDDP.Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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