I agree. If you need an accurate number there is no other way to do it except weigh it yourself. Unfortunately Packard did not give any specifics on how the engine was configured when it was weighed or calculated. Is the given weight a basic assembled engine without generator, starter, carbs etc (which I suspect) or would that be the number if you lifted an engine out of a car complete with bolt on components and sat it on a scale. Using the word "about" seemed appropriate without known criteria.

There is a 30 lb weight difference in the given figures between the 5 and 9 main engines. That is probably due to the extra webbing support in the block and the throws on the crank for the 4 additional bearings but if not, then in addition to that extra there is a difference in bolt on items to factor in.

They're not factory. I have a '29 and mine doesn't have them, I've looked at a lot of late 1920s/early 1930s Packards, have never noticed any with those holes before.

I think the previous guess is correct, somebody probably drilled them to mount road lamps at some point in the car's life. Although why they did this on the cross bar is a bit odd, most of them were made to connect to front bumper mounts or to the bars themselves, but there really wasn't a need to drill holes unless you really were over-the-top about hiding wiring.

I hate to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway. If a person wants to know what some thing weighs, said person needs to cause the thing in question to be weighed. I think that this is referred to as Scientific Method. Numbers that are modified with the word "about" are useless. I remember wanting to know what a B-block Chrysler block weighed. All the information I could Google started with "about." So, since I had a stripped engine block, I cleared a path through the house and dragged the damned thing on a hand truck to the balance-beam bath scale. The platform was large enough to stand the block on it on end, so I did and moved the wee weight gizmos about until I came up with 231.25 pounds, and I felt pretty confident that I was as accurate as can be.


Later, I bought a book on performance builds for that engine family, and the author observed that a B-block weighed 230 pounds. Being within .5% of my findings, I took it with confidence when he said that the RB block weighs the same, and he gave the reason. Obviously, he had done the research.


My conclusion, based on the vague ranges given by Packard, would be to take a loose engine and weigh the thing to come up with a figure accurate to a pound or two. That would be a definitive answer. Not having a scale that would accommodate that, it would likely have to be done in pieces.


As a young draftsperson/designer for a design build commercial contractor 40-odd years ago, I had the chance to do the preliminary measurements on a turn-of-last-century warehouse. In the loading area and built into the floor was a lovely 19th century Toledo scale large enough to work with something the size of a modern pallet jack's wheel stance. Nicely sculpted, good workable design, steel with brass trim, it has a large circular dial which was easy to read and its needle was sitting exactly on 0, and it was a 5000 pound capacity. Knowing what I had weighed myself at a few days before, I stepped on it, and the needle rolled up a bit and landed on a number I considered to be accurate. I always wondered what became of that device as it would be a lovely addition to any large auto shop with people working there who like to collect data for the curious-minded. It would be perfect to set this 1954 327 engine/trans combo on and read the dial.


Just a thought . . . .

Always enjoyed reading those stories each month.

Suggest you contact Tommy Baccaro, Director PAC Lone Star Packard Region in Houston. See the LSP website for his contact info. Meador was responsible for identifying and developing Packard dealerships. In that time, Dealers purchased their Packards from the distributor, not Packard Detroit. Earle Anthony held the distribution rights for Packard in California. A different system of selling cars. In that era, buyers could expect a 20% discount from the window sticker price or an inflated price for their trade-in. A different time!

Have spent the last few evenings revisiting the old Model Garage stories.

Since the original post and link was 8 years ago thought there might be some younger people who have never had the pleasure of meeting Gus Wilson or older ones who might like to meet him again.

The link is still the same but here it is again.

https://gus-stories.org

Did you buy a Packard from Gene Meador
Packard ? John Brinegar phone 210-488-2594

Doug, here is an example head gasket test kit they are talking about.
https://www.amazon.com/Block-Tester-BT-500-Combustion-Leak/dp/B06VVBSFTF/ref=sr_1_13?keywords=head+gasket+test+kit&qid=1683763171&sr=8-13

If you've never had the heads off, this is worth investigating I think. This guy had a seemingly undiagnosable problem with his BMW i8, a car that cost $150,000 new. Turned out to be a bad head gasket, only way to tell was a CO2 test in the coolant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vOsU2J5MAo

Did you check the pickup assembly? Just 2 days ago I bought a push mower that didn't run, all it needed was the carb sprayed down with cleaner, and gas shook in the tank a few times to wash all the yard detritus out that coated the bottom of the tank and was clogging the fuel screen.

Where did you get the wheel cylinders?
Had a problem with cheapo Chinese reproduction when I did mine
All parts are not the same, there is a reason that some part are cheaper.