Re: 1939 Super Eight engine and transmission for sale

Posted by boosquat On 2014/9/29 15:26:54

First of all, I did not post on this forum seeking anyone's approval or disapproval, all I wanted to do was advertise the availability of an engine and transmission to those who desire to restore their Packard using genuine Packard parts. I posted on this forum to provide access to a very scarce Packard engine for someone who needed it to complete their restoration.

I could have junked the engine if I did not give a damn about keeping Packards on the road or understand the value of originality.

YOU started this whole thread with your nasty suppositions about the car in the background of the photo of the engine. You have followed that up with a series of insulting and presumptuous statements about my intentions, personal integrity, and motives.

If you are so concerned with originality, I imagine you are using oil from the 1930s in your Packard, genuine rayon cord Fisk tires, etc.

How many restorers cannibalize sedans to restore coupes and convertibles? How many coupes or sedans had their floor pans cut out to "restore" the rusted out floor of a convertible or convertible sedan? What about those who change the body style by fitting another factory body to an existing chassis because they wanted a touring car or a convertible sedan instead of a touring sedan?

A great many car owners make some concessions to safety and practicality if they wish to operate their cars on a regular basis. What is acceptable and what is too much? Swapping an alternator for the generator, converting to 12 volts, upgrading front brakes to discs, replacing bulb and reflector headlights with sealed beans or conversion kits permitting the use of halogen bulbs, replacing crumbling wiring with modern wire hidden within a period correct cloth covering, swapping in a more modern Packard straight eight, using Coker wide whites that happen to be the more modern radials rather than bias tires, substituting polished stainless steel louvers for hood sides or a stainless steel version of the Cormorant because it is lower maintenance, etc. etc.

I did not expect a positive reaction to my proposed modifications, and I realized that many purists would be critical of any modification deviating from factory correct.
This is one of a number of places I posted the engine for sale. The Packard owner who noticed my ad on Ebay was polite, very knowledgeable about Packards, desired to restore his Packard and was very pleased to find someone who had what he needed to complete his restoration. He did not badger me about my intentions and wished me well with my Packard and my efforts to get it back on the road.

I will go over and join the folks in the modified forum and leave you to the pristine world of uncompromising originality. If I come up with any additional parts that someone might need or could use, would it be OK for me to post the ad for those, or will you start all over again about how horrible it is that I am not using them myself?