Nice and concise, thanks for the info saltydog. I'll check around and see about a replacement manifold.

-Kevin

Hi all,

Been here off and on for a while and have been considering buying a Packard for quite some time. I just came across one near me that looks decent, but need some opinion/advice from those experienced with these cars...I'm rather inexperienced when it comes to this.

The car in question is a 1941 110 Deluxe Touring Sedan. It appears that the car may be in original condition, but I'm not sure if there's any way to prove/disprove that (is there???). The paint is presentable with the expected chips and wear. Rubber appears in good condition on running boards and weather stripping. Windows are in good condition apart from some crazing around the edges of the rear side windows.


Interior seems to be decent condition considering the age. Wear on the carpet and a bit faded inside, but no tears or serious damage.






No way of knowing if the mileage is correct. The gentleman bought it about 10 years ago from a man in Vancouver, who in turn had purchased it from the original owner in Cincinnati.


Car runs and drives, though seems a little rough right now (hasn't been used much). There is an obvious exhaust manifold leak, and another hole at the tailpipe. Needs a tune up I'm assuming as well.

Also noticed some wetness around engine block and transmission (bad pictures, sorry):






So now for some advice:
1.) How difficult is it to repair/find replacements for the manifold? Expense?
2.) What might the leaks be caused by on the engine block and trans? Hoping to avoid any major work here.
3.) Is there a way to tell if the car is original or has been restored? If it is indeed original then I would leave it in that condition. If not, then I would consider restoring certain areas (engine block and bay for example).
4.) What can I expect as far as issues common to this year/model? If I pick this car up I want to go in fully aware of what I might have to face.
5.) The gentleman is asking upwards of 13K for the car. Fair price for what you see? I'm considering offering lower with knowledge that I will need to put in some work.

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

-Kevin

Wheelbase is 139 so it's a 1605. Thanks for the tip Owen. I was just looking at Packard: A history and saw that that information was in there. I guess I should have checked there first, my bad.

We'll keep you updated on what we find out with the radiator!

-Kevin

Guys, this is very helpful information! Thanks for taking the time to help us out. My dad says that the water pump isn't leaking as bad anymore but he found another leak at the radiator. He thinks it's coming from the upper reservoir. Here's a pic showing it....half the radiator is wet, and coolant is visible on the upper left corner. Replacement? Repair? What are our options?


Here is a picture of the water pump (I believe....haven't seen it in person).



On a side note, is it possible to tell whether this is a 1603 or 1605? Being a 1938, the builders sticker is long gone. Here's the car:


Thanks,
Kevin

Guys, this is very helpful information! Thanks for taking the time to help us out. My dad says that the water pump isn't leaking as bad anymore but he found another leak at the radiator. He thinks it's coming from the upper reservoir. Here's a pic showing it....half the radiator is wet, and coolant is visible on the upper left corner. Replacement? Repair? What are our options?


Here is a picture of the water pump (I believe....haven't seen it in person).



On a side note, is it possible to tell whether this is a 1603 or 1605? Being a 1938, the builders sticker is long gone. Here's the car:


Thanks,
Kevin

Owen, thank you for the information. I'll pass this along and see what my dad is able to come up with. It seems like it would be the shaft packing from what he described, so perhaps a simple turn of the nut is all that is needed. Would it perhaps seal itself with use, as the packing rehydrates?

You are correct about the vehicle number, the decal is long gone. I'll have him recheck the firewall number.

-Kevin

Hey guys, quick question. My dad just acquired a 1938 Super 8 Touring Sedan (I'll be adding it to the owner registry soon) that has been very well kept. It hadn't been driven in several years due to the previous owner's health issues, and after his maiden drive with the car he noticed there was a coolant leak. By leaving the engine running he was able to trace it back to the water pump. He thinks it's the seal or gasket on the pump. I don't have much more info than that because this car is on the other side of the country, so I'm going by what he sees.

Neither of us are well-versed in older cars. Are there replacement gaskets/seals available for the water pump? Do we need to have the water pump rebuilt or replaced? He'll be taking it to a guy who does some work on classics in a couple of weeks and would like to have the parts on hand for the repair.

Car info:
Body # 412133 (from firewall)...not sure if this is correct.
Engine # A502416

Thanks
Kevin Packard

Thanks everyone. I believe I've got the information I was looking for on what safety features should be added: lapbelts, turn signals, outside mirrors, LED 3rd tail-light, extra bulbs on brakelights, and halogens on headlights. Quite the list!

Quote:
Good point Guscha...of course nothing is more important than the safety of my family. I was going to install safety features regardless of what the answer to my question was...I was just interested in how other people viewed it this topic.

Quote:
So are there any other safety features can be or should be installed besides seat belts and turn signals?

I apologize if this has been answered elsewhere, but a quick search of these forums using "seatbelt" and "safety" failed to turn up much. As far as I've been able to find out, pre-war Packards didn't come with seatbelts or other safety features (besides maybe a padded dash??). Is installing seatbelts looked down upon, or points deducted in judging? And is it even possible without overly modifying the car? Is there anyone with experience in doing this?

Eventually I want to restore a pre-war Packard and I'm interested in keeping my family safe while driving it. Thanks in advance for your responses.