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Hi , new member, who has restored many muscle cars over the years and am thinking about jumping into a project involving an older car than I am used to.. 1925 Packard 326 Sedan, car has been in storage since 1968 , appears to be in remarkable original condition.. The 6 cylinder engine may be stuck.. I am torn whether to restore car or leave it it's original condition, solid and clean, which seems to be a growing trend with the survivor status of cars. Having browsed your forum, I am very impressed with the information available .. Since this era of vehicles is new to me , am asking for advice to collectability and ball park pricing, Estate of owner is asking $22,000., he was an avid collector and cared for his vehicles, this car appears to be complete and original; and after dealing with the stuck engine it would be able to be driven. I don't mind doing work but don't want to bite off more than I can chew.. Thanks for any and all advice.. Rudy

Welcome Rudy to the most friendly and knowledgeable packard website! I don't know a whole lot about the 1928 models, but I've seen drivable late 20's packards being offered for $20-$30k. For a non running sedan I think theyre a little on the high side especially since you don't know the condition of the engine. Hope that helps, and I'm sure there will be some other guys chiming in soon as well.

Thanks for the reply.. will do a little more research on the shape of the engine and try to make a more educated offer if I decide to go ahead

G'day Rudy(B.I.R.D),

to PackardInfo but sorry I can't offer any advice.

However, if you purchase the '25 326 Sedan I invite you to include it in the Packard Owner's Registry.

Look at the packard club website, there's a 1928 sedan for $17,500 and its running.

http://packardclub.org

Hey Rudy, Welcome to the club.

Dont be afraid of being a different kind of car then your used to but, understand the car and how it differs from more modern rides.

Collectible and pricing varies and is dependent on which 326 you are looking at. Sedan, Coupe, Phaeton etc. Lets assume standard sedan. Fairly common, yes collectible and can turn profit depending on what you decide to do with it.

A fully restored sedan commonly will fetch 50-55k, at 22k purchase price, you have about 25k head room to break even. The level of restoration will affect that price, Concours restore will take you North of 50k.

22k is not bad Assuming the car is solid, upholstery etc. I would shoot in the 17k range based on the herd I have acquired and varying levels of need.

Do not let a stuck engine shy you away. With this year of car regardless if stuck or not, in my experience the engine should be tore down. These engines are babbitt bearings and internals wear. I am currently rebuilding two of these engines. One stuck, one not. Both, the bearings were worn down to the brass backings, Piston pins shot and 1/8" plus of piston wobble. It would not have been long before the engine would have crapped a rod.

Rebuild parts, machining, hardened seats, re-babbitt count on around 3k if you are doing the labor.

Body- These cars are framed totally out of wood. I can not emphasis enough looks can be deceiving. Just because the sheet metal is "solid" does not make the car solid. get the car on a lift or get under the car. Check the main wooden rails for rot/softening. Use an awl or a small screwdriver to prob the wood. Check the doors, pillars, windshield, and roof. I have a 28 that has been sitting since mid 60's and the wood was rotten and shot. yet, I have one that has been sitting for 65 years and as solid as the day it was built.

If you have any wood damage, you will need to become a carpenter, and be forewarned, these cars were not meant to come apart, I am sure the engineers had no forethought of restorations 80 years forward. That said, it is Amazing the way they put these cars together they are tanks considering they are all nailed or tacked together.

I hope this helps in some ways, you will have a blast if you go for it. Here are a few pics of fun ahead of you.

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Thanks again for all the information.. after another look at the car ... was able to tinker a bit and determined that the engine is not stuck... good news... trying to find serial number on block to see if engine is original to car. Have pictures of it but having difficulty uploading to this site. Referenced serial # data base available on this site and numbers I found seem to jive but can't find any on left (drivers side) of block.. found number on lower right side of block near front of engine.. above generator? location. the # is 70277A (it has a star before and after it) and casting # below it of 1546. Am I looking in the right areas?
The car is very solid and have not accessed inside the doors and body to determine the condition of the wood framing..

Motor numbers for the 326/333 are from 49,501 to 90,463 with a star before and after. Various alpha-suffixes were used over the years to denote minor running changes, I'm not familiar with the significance of the "A" in this case.

sound like this is period correct and likely original to the car as was stated by the fellow selling the car for the estate of the owner, The engine has little valves situated on top of the head, (similar to what you would see on the bottom of a radiator) are these a type of compression release or a way to add raw gas for hard start up issues?

Priming cups.