Hey there,
I have an original 1929 Seven Passenger Sedan. The passenger side has a clock and a pen and paper wallet in a slot. The drivers side holds a combination cigar lighter and dual ashtrays. I can send you color pics of whatever you need. I am doing a ground up restoration, but I am focused on the frame and engine so the body is setting and collecting dust...lots of dust. Let me know what you need pics of.
John Wogec

Hi Pippo,
I can't believe you haven't received a flood of responses yet. I am restoring my grandfather's 1929 Seven Passenger Sedan from the ground up. I have the luxury of free advice from several excellent restorers, at least one of whom has told me that proper restoration is simple...take the whole car apart, clean up the parts and put them back together. That is of course an oversimplification. There are some parts on a pre-war Packard that will probably never wear out, like the ring and pinion gear (in my humble experience). One thing I have observed on my car is that ninety years have allowed dirt, rust, rot and corrosion to attack places I had assumed were inaccessible on a car that has largely been stored inside since new. So, without telling you that you may want to carefully explore a few places where that wood may have begun to rot, I would not at all be surprised to hear that you found some trouble spots.

Another fact I have begun to fully embraced over the course of my restoration is that these cares are just as beautiful in original condition as when they are restored, and the act of restoration takes away some of that patina that will never come back. It is only original once, and if you don't have a good reason to tear it down, you may not want to.

In my case, it was necessary to take the car apart because my dad overheated the engine in 1956 and I was encouraged to examine the internals before starting it, and the same (dear old dad), had the frame sandblasted with the car intact, so there was sand everywhere, which I am still finding.

Ultimately, the decision is based on common sense. Good luck with your restoration!

Hey Burr,
I know the confusion you speak of. I own a 6th series model 645 sedan and Owen Dyneto is absolutely right...all of the components on my car have forge dates of October, 1928, but the theft proof number, engine number and body number place my car firmly in the early segment of "1929" cars. As for the body number, it is on a small brass plate, nailed to the floor, underneath the passenger compartment carpet, right up against the rear seat. It will tell you the body style (3 digits) followed by the number of your car in that body series. My car is body style 374, followed by a "7". Presumably that means my car was the seventh edition of body style 374 (Deluxe 7 passenger sedan) that rolled off the line. Your body number should start with 334 if it is a Model 633, 7 Passenger Sedan. Welcome to the mysteries of Packard lore.
John

Hi Burr,
Nice to meet you. You may want to click on the "Packard Model Info" link on the left side navigation bar on this website (has the little car icon next to it). The webmaster has taken the time to break out all the details of each series in that link. I'm sure it will give you the ability to pin down exactly which series your car falls into fairly quickly.

John

Hi there,
There are lots of folks out there with the skill and knowledge to braze and/or weld cast iron. I am not one of them, but having paid a couple of them to do work on the cylinder head and engine block of my'29, I can attest to the quality work of Rick Geertsema at A&C Casting Rebuilders here in California (415)269-5483 and Tom Sparrow at Prairie Auto Porcelain in Minnesota (507) 581-9887. However, you will probably not have to go nearly that far afield to find someone to repair that bowtie.

John Wogec

Max Merritt sells the correct shoulder rivets for that period.
John Wogec

Hi,
I recently had the exhaust manifold on my 1929 re-enameled by Tom Sparrow at Prairie Auto Porcelain in Minnesota (507-581-9887). Tom told me where to look for cracks in my manifold while we were talking on the phone...he knows these manifolds extremely well. Sure enough...mine was cracked right where he said it was. I sent it back and he had a guy, I think in Nebraska, weld it.

I also had a cracked cylinder head on the same car which Rick Geertsema at A&C Casting Rebuilders (415-269-5483) in Kelseyville, California repaired. He's not cheap, but welding cast iron is a serious mix of art and science. Rick works on everything from one of a kind antique tractor mainfolds to engine blocks for Salt Flat racers.

Both Rick and Tom do work for most of the major restoration shops and the quality of their work is top shelf.

John Wogec

Hello,
I have an original 1929 Parts book which shows the visual components of the CG-678 and the CD-777 and CD-800. I have attached pictures of both. Hopefully this helps.

John

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Hey Henry,
I guess it is my turn to step up and try to help. I have mentioned in other posts that have an "unmolested" '29 Seven Passenger Sedan. Well, the wiring underneath my dashboard looks like it has been attacked by rabid mice, and as some of you probably know, the wire coatings in these pre-war cars tend to crumble in your hand after 90 years, when you touch them. However, having dispensed with the disclaimers, I would be willing to investigate the wiring in my car to see if I can help with the conundrum. If you would like to pm me, we can swap emails and photos and see if my car is in any better shape than yours. At the very least, the whole exercise may prepare me for the task that awaits me.

John Wogec

Hi,
I am by no means an expert on the late 20s cars. I have an unmolested 1929 model 645 7 passenger sedan (virtually identical to the "big" limo for '29). The instrument panel is metal painted in a woodgrain pattern. there is a strip of wood for the dashboard. I seem to recall either hearing, or reading somewhere that Packard used carpathian elm veneers for the wood trim on the late 20's cars, but I refer back to my opening statement.

John Wogec