'56 Studebaker Golden Hawk Packard engine

[romanusantiqus]

Are parts for '56 Packard engine any harder to find or more expensive than parts for '57 Studebaker engine?

[Welcome]

My "guess" would be that some parts for the '56 GH (Packard) engine would be about as difficult & expensive as some are for the '57/'58 GH (supercharged Stude) engine. Hopefully our expert, PackardV8, will be along shortly to give you a more definative answer.

[Guest]

Check out www.egge.com for internal engine parts. We have a 56 Golden Hawk parts car with a 352 Packard in it if you need anything we might be able to help.

[bondobilly]

With a 56 Golden Hawk engine you have double the resources as that engine saw service in both Packards and Studebakers. Cantor/Kantor can never remember if it is a K or a C sells complete rebuild kits for the 352. Just be aware that their prices are very high, but they justify thier prices by their slogan.

You can also get parts from a vendor on this forum and from a few other places. The last time I saw a thread about this, I think Jack was selling complete engines, less generators and stuff like that for less than $3000. I could be wrong.

I have had my Hawk for 23 years and have never had an issue getting a part within 24 hours. Where you might have an issue is if your GH has the Ultramatic transmission, there are parts in that unit that can take a while to track down.

On the other hand, the 57-58 models had the super chargers and parts for those can get pricy. Bottom line, they will problem even out in the long run.

[PackardV8]

Yes, the Packard V8 was used in '55-56 Packards, some Hudsons and Nashes and the '56 Golden Hawk. There are plenty of parts out there and they are about the same price as Studebaker V8 parts. They're only more expensive when you go to someone who doesn't know the engines.

The first thing to remember is the '56 Packard in the Golden Hawk is a 9.5:1 compression 352" and has tons more low end torque than the 7.5:1 compression 289" in the '57-58 Golden Hawks. There is no comparison in the driving feel, even though both are rated at 275hp. I've had several of each and the Packard V8 was the best engine of its' era.

As an indication of how much I prefer the Packard V8, I'm going to infinite amounts of labor and expense to put a Packard V8 in my '55 E12 pickup which was already equipped with a Stude V8.

Whichever you choose, the parts are on the shelf. I'll build and ship either a Stude V8 or a Packard V8. As bondobilly said, I've got a couple of rebuilt 352"s in stock right now. Your money, your car, your decision.

thnx, jack vines