Re: Restorable 1937 Packard 12

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2020/12/10 10:14:35

Several reasons. Cylinder bores are not perpendicular with the deck making a modest complication for boring, and the hydraulic valve take-up mechanisms are quite complex requiring some real precision work, they run on about 1500 needle bearings. A valve job alone can run to $20,000 or more. OEM type rod bearings have been unavailable for a long time requiring a workaround. Original cast iron cylinder heads are difficult to source and original aluminum heads are generally scrap. Timing chain castings have intergral pass-thru water passages and often require extensive repair, though I understand a repro is now available. Items like distributor caps can be expensive, $500 or more. And there aren't many qualified shops that have proven track records of dealing with this engine and those that do generally have pretty full workloads.

And a very limited number ever built, only 5744 cars + whatever small number for parts inventory.