Great pictures!

I like steam, and love Packards! Best of both worlds.

Looks to be a 1940.

Jim

How neat!
Your car brings back memories of a near identical 54 Caviler I had years ago. It was light gray bottom dark blue roof. They are neat cars.

Try to be patient and enjoy the process of fixing your car up. I just spent the last 13 months on and off, correcting a number of issues with my car (supposedly ran and was reliable when I bought it). I hit two Packards International swap meets, and have made good friends in the process of getting back into Packards.

What options does your car have? Power brakes, steering?

Best of luck!
Jim

Twitch,

What a fine looking car. You are spot on about this car in question. I looked at the ebay pictures, and it looks like a fun car, but would take $$ and effort to get to the $17,000 figure.

Thanks for sharing the pictures!

Welcome to the forum!

I owned a 54 Cavalier years back and really enjoyed it. I believe the Patrician will have a 359 with an aluminum cylinder head. I have heard over the years the aluminum heads are somewhat problematic. The Ultramatic (automatic trans.) can be a little tricky, but when right work well. As for the car itself, and the rest of the engine, they are fine automobiles. Parts are relatively available for the 51 to 54 models and they are popular cars. There are a number of 51 to 54 fans on this site with good knowledge and lots of enthusiasm.

As for prior ownership by the Wrigley family, it seems like every Packard was owned by someone famous, but there is just never any documentation to establish that. My advise would be to pay no premium based on pedigree if there is no documentation to support the claims.

Best of luck!

Many of the Kelsey Hayes wheels produced in the 50's and early 60's were riveted, yet tubeless. Latter they did switch to welding. I would be curious what others report, as I never gave much thought to this tube / tubeless application on Packard.

Well, figure out what your two vehicles are worth, and look in NADA, Kelly, and else where like eBay to get an idea of what the 50 is worth. If it seems like a good deal, and you want a 1950 Packard, go for it. I do not know where you are in AZ, but here in Phoenix, we have a great, active Packard club. For selfish reasons, (Another Packard owner in AZ. to play Packard with) I say go for it!

As far as I know, the pre-war 320 & 385 all ran roller rocker arms. They pivot on shafts attached to the rectangular rocker covers. I do not think those are from the multi-piece aluminum crankcase straight 8 engines. As I recall, the tappet guide blocks are integral cast as part of the cylinder block. With that said, I am sure someone much more knowledgeable will enlighten us all.

Selling a car that starts, but won't shut off shows a certain since of style! I think it's a new low in car sales?
Glad to know I am not the only one who buys a ?running car? that is full of surprises once home.

The first thing I would recommend is get the wiring diagram, and take it to Alpha Graphics, Kinko's, or where ever, and have it blown up. This makes it easier to read and trace the circuits.

The starting problem sounds like a combination of problems. #1 is the charging system is possibly non-functional. #2 hard starting with fully charged battery is often the use of lighter gauge battery cables normally used for 12-volt starting systems. 6-volt systems utilize heaver gauge cables to adequately carry the heavy current flow.

The clock is electro-mechanical. If it is obviously drawing excessive current, until you can have it reconditioned simply disconnect it.

Extra wires could certainly explain the car not shutting off. You will have to attack this in four steps. #1 try to figure out where the wire connects to and from. #2 figure out why they did this (in other words what wasn't working) and #3 what original electrical system stopped working, and why. #4 fix the original electrical circuit.

A multi-meter is certainly handy, but you can do an awful lot with a simple low cost test light.

Another helpful hint is to make sure you understand how the electrical system was supposed to function originally. The owner's manual is a good way to familiarize yourself with the original operation and function. I had a 51 200 years ago, and I remember the starting circuit involving the depression of the throttle to the floor, and a carburetor operated switch controlling the starting circuit.

Best of luck with your electrical trouble shooting!

On 39 and 40 Super dash there are two studs on the back side of the cluster about half way between the top and bottom (mid-way) one on the left, and one on the right. small nuts must be undone. On the bottom, there are two screws on the left and two screws on the right. speedo cable probably needs to be disconnected before attempting to remove. I bet this 41 is a similar setup.

Best of luck!

I agree with both of you. These cars are for our enjoyment. My now deceased friend worked for Earle C. Anthony in Los Angeles from the 30s to 54 and readily admitted that the 110 115 & 120s probably single-handedly saved the company. The quality was great! and the engines extremely well designed and reliable. A close and longtime friend has a 40 180 formal sedan, and it's a great car! I have owned a 49 standard, 51 200, and a 54 Cavalier, all great cars!. After nearly a year of reading here, there and everywhere how the 39 Super is somehow what killed Packard, or was a low quality car, well you know.

Heck, I even like 57 & 58 Packards also!

Thanks for the support?