Welcome Mike! You will find a lot of help here for your new project. I also have a '51 4 door. Mine is a 200 model. The thief proof number is right above the heater box on the firewall (passenger side). It should be between two triangles. Below is a pic of mine.

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Thanks for all your input guys. Fred, I'm glad you posted your ring job. It sounds like something I might be able to tackle myself. I just hate taking something apart that works because I don't have a lot of room for a car to sit in the driveway and I'm always afraid I'm going to break something and not be able to get it back together right.

I think I found the casting date. I can't get close enough to read it exactly, but it definitely has a 51 at the end. Tried to take a pic with my phone, but the quality was too poor to make out the numbers.

Here are some pics I was able to take with my phone's camera:

The first pic is my cylinder head with the 288 STD 327 AT on it.

The second pic is that large square on the side between the freeze plugs on the left appears to have a number on it. What is it? The engine number is on the far right.

Third pic is the tag right in front on the cylinder head. Mine is very rusty and I can't tell what it is. Someone suggested it is the date the engine was built. Mine appears to be 4 numbers, but it almost looks like an old coin with a worn out date. How is it read with only 4 digits?

Fourth pic is of my oil filler cap that I see light smoke come out of when the engine is warmed up. Ist this normal or a symptom of worn rings or valves?

The fifth pic is just a humorous repair that someone made to the car. It is a clothes pin wired to the linkage. I'm not sure why it is there, because nothing appears to be broken or missing.

The sixth pic is the petcock on the intake. Why would anyone do that?

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So lets say there is a section of swiss cheese floorboard...maybe 8-10" long. Would it be better to keep the old floor and weld in a repair section or replace the entire pan with one from classic to current? Which would be stronger? I'm guessing you would be better with the new panel because it would be easier to install and newer metal. I'm not too concerned about what it looks like since no one would see it.

Has anyone used classic to current's rocker panels?

What advantage would there be using a standard 288 head on one with an automatic? Higher compression is better, right?

The smoke I notice from the car cannot be seen coming from the tailpipe. You see it lofting in the air when the sun hits it. Maybe I could get away with just replacing the rings? A while ago I did a compression test and got 120 on each cylinder. What would be considered good? Can you change the rings without removing the motor from the car or the cylinder head? I would hate to break one of the 100 studs on the top of the cylinder head. My dad told me that back in the day they would pull the piston from the oil pan to change the rings. I would think the crankshaft would get in the way.

I took another look at the petcock on the intake. It definitely looks newer than the rest of the car. What purpose could it have served?

Is the casting date on the drivers side or passenger side? Can you see it from above or do you need to look from underneath?

Sorry for the rookie questions. I don't know a lot about motors.

Hi Brian,

Cool car! How fast have you gone in it? Have you gotten it dyno'ed to find out the HP? While I am techically a purist, I like your ride and bet you get a lot of puzzled looks when they see Packard on the motor. I'm 33 if it matters.

I believe the oil crisis helped get the Japanese in the door, but once they solved their quality issues, that's when they really took off. Their focus on quality and building a strong reputation for it really helped them.

LOL! "At least then I could make my own panels that don't fit." That cracks me up. Sounds like what my alternative would be too, except I can't weld very well either.

It says 288 STD 327 AT on the cylinder head. It is cast in just like "Packard" is on it. The engine number on the block itself indicates it is a 288 from 1951. I guess that means the block is original, but the head is not?

I would agree that Toyota products were prone to rust in the '80s, but newer products are exceptional. I have had a '92 Lexus that I got 165,000 miles on before being taken out by a semi and my current 2001 Lexus has 220,000 and still running like a top. Neither of them had any rust. I live in Wisconsin so you know I have seen my share of snow.

Thanks Owen for your input. Since the block says 288 STD, does that mean it is not the correct engine for my car? I have an automatic. The engine number is hard to read, but I can make out the beginning as J2029... which puts it as correct for the year according to the chart on this website.

I also notice smoke comes from the oil filler when the motor heats up some. Is this normal or indicitive of bad rings or valves?

Any ideas what purpose the petcock would be for? Wipers work (kind of...they wipe outward and then get stuck) so it wouldn't be for them...