Re: ask the man that owns one

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2010/7/7 19:09:05

Let me start to address you main question and I'm sure a lot of others will have comment. I don't know what "highway speeds" in AZ means, exactly.

Prewar cars for the 6 years or so before the advent of the 120 are pretty much 45-55 mph cars unless fitted with high speed rear end gears. An exception would be the lighter body styles that might have the 4.07 axle. Eights (aka "Standard Eights") don't cope with modern high speed gears as well as Super Eights or Twelves which have the advantage of more torque, this would apply to all the 320 engines thru 1939 though this is less of an issue in primarily flat terrain. The 120s thru to just before the intro of overdrive can manage 60 mph or so, in part due to shorter stroke and insert bearings. OD makes them 65+ cars with no strain. Most any postwar Packard, even w/o OD can do 65 routinely if in good condition, but I wouldn't recommend a steady diet of much higher speeds.

There is a lot more to say on this topic and others will have opinions and actual experience which would be worth listening to.

Best of luck of finding the Packard you want.