Re: Tips for moving a Patrician that has been parked for 35+ years?

Posted by 53 Cavalier On 2024/6/28 0:25:13

Your car looks pretty complete and unmolested, a good thing in my opinion. I think you'll find that you have the original 9 main bearing 327 in your car. (My Cavalier has the 5 main 327)

I have kept my car very original. Packard engineered everything to work together, and I think Packard was leading the pack when it came to engineering. When maintained, the engine, transmission, brakes, cooling system, carburetor, 6 volt system, etc. all work very well.

I too have the Wonderbar radio and it is a favourite feature, it never fails to impress everyone! I have a friend that restores antique radios and he went through it and got it working perfectly. Not a priority at this point, but it's a fun to have!

You have no shortage of work to do on your Patrician, but I think you'll be surprised by how well made your car is, and by how many things only require some TLC and they are ready to go for another 71 years.

My car was not running or driving when I bought it and if you're like me, the first thing I wanted to do was to get it running. I think with yours I would be inclined to open up the engine and see what you have before trying roll it over and possibly causing damage. For a few days work you could pull the head, pan, pistons, valves and lifters, clean them all up, ensure everything is within spec, throw in a set of modern rings, replace what gaskets/seals you can, make sure everything is lubricated. Then you know you're good to go, and you can do all this with the engine in the car. In my mind it's cheap insurance. If your car does have 17,000 miles on it, which is quite possible, your engine may have minimal wear and with a bit of TLC it will be good to go for thousands of miles of trouble free driving.

After your engine is running you can move onto the cooling system, electrical system, transmission, brakes and drive train. Before you know it you'll be driving it, and I can tell you from experience that is an exciting day!