1953 Packard Patrician 327 9 main flathead upgrades or engine swap?

[60FlatTop 6,481]

On 12/23/2020 at 4:19 AM, Rusty_OToole said:

I had my say which was considerable and I understand if you don't agree with me. I would ask you to keep a record of your adventure with the Packard and report back once in a while.

 

One final thought. From what you are saying I get the impression the Packard is not the car for you. You don't like it the way it is, it is too big, too poor condition, burns too much gas, not reliable, not fast enough.  You want to turn it into something more to your taste. That may seem logical but it would be even more logical to sell the Packard and buy a car that is closer to what you want. What is wrong with your 2010 Mustang? It seems it suits you better and would certainly be more roadable, reliable and economical for the kind of trips you contemplate.

There are many things that can be done to gain acceptance by certain peer groups. Do the right things. You will get grunts and thumbs up. I have seen it often.

Bernie

[Rusty_OToole 2,147]

You mention the Packard forums, I am not sure whether you mean the AACA Packard forum or this one which is exclusively Packard http://packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/

There is a much better chance of finding an engine, trans and other parts there. They even have a section for modified or hopped up cars (modification discussion ). I hope you join, I look forward to seeing what happens when you tell them you want to put a Mustang V6 in your Packard.

Edited December 24, 2020 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[Rusty_1999 1]

Hey! As an update to everyone i have moved my post to the Packard Info forums, and wow, i have received some awesome information, from a rebuilt 327 5 main, a disc brake kit from willwood, advice on converting the generator to an alternator, and even a transmission adapter kit to adapt to a gm small block transmission(allowing for overdrive too!!!!! I really appreciate  it, and all of the private messages back and forth with people to find lots of great aftermarket solutions! Heck! Someone even pointed me towards a set of 6/12volt petronix points that would interchange in the stock distributor!

[Bryan G 65]

My 2 cents, worth every penny: I owned a 49 with the "small" 288 for too brief a time. Somewhat out of tune, it always delivered 17 mpg which I felt was quite good for what I was pushing around, and what I was pushing it around with. But my bigger point, in my opinion, a 3 speed overdrive really is fun to drive. I just loved letting off that go pedal and having it drop into gear. The combo of that smooth 8 and that transmission was a real treat to me. Maybe I'll have such a combo again.

[Rusty_1999 1]

54 minutes ago, Bryan G said:

My 2 cents, worth every penny: I owned a 49 with the "small" 288 for too brief a time. Somewhat out of tune, it always delivered 17 mpg which I felt was quite good for what I was pushing around, and what I was pushing it around with. But my bigger point, in my opinion, a 3 speed overdrive really is fun to drive. I just loved letting off that go pedal and having it drop into gear. The combo of that smooth 8 and that transmission was a real treat to me. Maybe I'll have such a combo again.

I did forget to mention, although some may advise me otherwise, but i have found that a throttle body EFI system like that of Holley Sniper will work with little adaptation on the manifold. Some may ask why i would rather use the EFI system vs the very reliable carburetor and that is because i will be driving across country from the lows in Florida to the mountain highs in Colorado, and i can just see a new EFI system keeping up with altitude changes and help with keeping better fuel mileage over time as well.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born 3,722]

And it will, Rusty.  Going on 8 years in the '50 Buick. From sea-level to mt high,s,  same ,same.                     Ben