Tom, et al,

I think you took my post the wrong way. If it was perceived as a jab, my apologies. It was never meant to be a jab.

When I was young and dumb, I had a 1954 Packard Caribbean Conv't. The senior model Packards had a 359 cu.in, straight 8. The head was aluminum which was most likely toast if original. They only made 400 of these cars in 1954. The senior models were more numerous, but Packard went out of business in 1956-7 -- they merged with Studabaker in 1954. What I was getting at is that the head is cast aluminum, has all kinds of stuff going on inside even though it is about 3-4" (from memory). Back in the day, you could buy one new for under $500. Taking into consideration inflation, et cet., the costs should not be horrible for a newly casted one. But as others correctly pointed out, finding a "donor" whatever make transmission and making a bell housing is easier said than done. And the others who correctly pointed out that finding one of these bad boys is not so simple as just buying one, thanks because I was ready to get a scolding for wondering where I could buy one.

I think step one may be: Can one of the transmission guru's ID which transmission would be the BEST candidate for a 5 speed with a modified bell housing or newly casted bell housing ?

Universal Supply & Demand question and answer - done, great job knowing that it is pure luck and not just "buying one"