Re: 1949 Packard should i pull the trigger

Posted by HH56 On 2019/10/30 15:43:07

Your liking the car is probably most of the decision as to whether you should pull the trigger. Maybe being out of state and the costs to get it to you would be the next question.

As to changing the clutch I don't believe it is any worse or more expensive than other cars of the era. Kanter, Max and probably a few others would have either new or exchange clutch discs and you could probably even get your existing plate relined at a local or at several online shops. There is nothing special in tools needed other than a clutch plate aligning tool and a jack to help remove and hold a fairly heavy transmission so any shop that works on older cars should be able to do it without too much problem. If the car has OD there is a bit more to disconnect but again only a tiny bit more work.

Several on the forum have done it in their garages so if you are somewhat mechanical and physically able you could probably do it too. The tools should be an easy rent and the aligning tool is nothing more than a piece of round material properly sized to stick in the clutch bore and pilot bearing to keep the disc centered while the pressure plate is tightened.

If it is a 22nd series 49 the turn signals could be as simple as a reversed pair of wires. If a 23rd series 49 then a bit more involved and would need more information. The horn could be a disconnected wire at the bottom of the steering box or a problem up in the horn ring area so that would take a bit of troubleshooting to point in the proper direction. Wipers could probably be fixed to like new condition with a relatively inexpensive rebuild of the motor by Wiperman.