Great discovery for all 1941-1950 Packard owners

Posted by Dan Marrin On 2008/1/25 13:10:35

In a recent process of registering my two 1948 packards with their respective roster keepers at www.packardclub.org, I discovered from one of the roster keepers that there is a hidden source of valuable information that may still be found on some of these vehicles. I would refer to this piece of paper as an "assembly line tag", "build sheet", or "birth certificate" for your car. It was especially helpful for me, since the previous owner had removed and misplaced the ID plate on one of my cars.

I will quote the roster keeper as to its whereabouts, since he descibes it better than I could:

There is a small piece of paper that may still be found on the 1941-50 Packards. Although it may not provide a clue about the original dealership, it is an interesting record of the car. It is wedged in between the gas tank's vent tube (this is the thin tube running along side the larger filler pipe). You can see it by laying on your back and looking up into the left-rear fender. The paper is folded to about 1/2-inch by 1-inch. This area of the car would never be exposed to water (unless the car was flooded), and this paper can be (carefully) removed and unfolded. It would have the car's ID number and the various paint and option codes from the factory.

I might add that if you do find this item in your vehicle, be very careful in removing it and unfolding it, as it may have become very fragile after all this time. I had to wedge a slim jim pry bar between the filler and breather to expand the gap that held the paper in order to release it. Don't try to pull it out as it will most likely rip or disintegrate in your hand.

Some of you may have been aware of this hidden treasure, but for those who, like me, were not, it is like having Christmas all over again.

I have not yet deciphered all of the code on the paper yet, but have a good idea of what most of it refers to.

HAPPY HUNTING.