Welcome to the group. My feeling is do as you wish but any old car on the road regardless of engine will allow others to see and enjoy the style that all old cars have there trademark style and appointments . Cars did not all look the same and upscale cars were made to a different level back then anyone can see that after looking at them. If you change drive train keep the old or get it to some one who will use or keep it for future use. Once its scrapped its gone forever. Cars are throw away when 5 to 10 years old but later they can't be replaced as easily

My 1949 Packard is the 4 dr touring sedan model w/Super 8 (327). The amount that I can mill the head on this engine to realize the power/economy on the octane now available (89-92) that was originally engineered by Packard is my goal. On flathead 6 cyl Studebaker Lark you can remove as much as 0.60" from the head for max. performance. Seems like 0.40" would be a reasonable number on the 8 cyl. flathead Packards. I would need to check valve head clearance before starting it up on the off chance that there is a clearance issue. I do not think an aluminum head was ever manufactured to fit this post war engine.

Un shrouding the valves, i.e. like on Ford flatheads, is an optiion but you will loose some compression ratio numbers(increased head combustion volume)but the air flow number increase should more than make up for that. Did Packard or a privateer ever run a straight 8 engine at Bonneville or on a track in modified form to set any speed records? If so, those modifications would have been captured in old SAE papers of the time. Phred

Hiya everyone...

I'm wondering if any of you happen to have stowed away some photos from the 1934 auto show in Pittsburg's Motor Square Garden.

We have a car ('34 Packard 12 1108 Dietrich convertible victoria with factory pontoon fenders and twin rear spares) that was there as one of their show cars, and would love to see pictures of it at the show, but naturally such images are hard to come by. Ed Blend has a sketch of it that he drew at the show as a boy in his book.

Here're some pictures of the car:













Thanks in advance! I'd be happy to pay for prints.

Edit: I think I should have posted this in the General forum. Whoops. Can a mod move it?

You fellows who THINK you know what a "stock-authentic as-built" Packard of that era SHOULD look like, may be over-looking the fact that guys like me were repairing them when they were still in service as used cars.

If they have survived, there must be at LEAST a dozen '51 - '54 Packards of various series running around whose "front clips" dont quite match what the factory info. and "experts" say....

For example, there may still be a '51 "250" convertible running around with NO "rear vent-a-ports" ( I didn't like em..took em off and bondod up the holes), and NO "teeth" in its grill, and a nice '54 four barrel "327" motor under the hood.

There may be at least FIVE other '51-'54 Packards who wound up in our shop needing "front clips". In those years (late '50's - early 60's) in the wrecking yards of So. calif. you could get a nice "front clip" off a early 50's Packard - typically we'd pay $35 or $50 ) (on one occassion, I got "ripped off- had to pay $75) for nice "front clips" on cars of this era.

Typically Packards of that era that had "blown" their Ultramatics and were thus worthless wound up in wrecking yards. Or if they were rear-ended (we did not, at least at our shop, repair major-rear end Packards - no matter how nice they were otherwise).

Remember, in those years, you would be lucky to get $200. for a used Packard of that era. So that limited how much labor and materials a customer would tolerate to repair one.

I wonder when some "expert" (if the car still exists) will tell us how a '47 Super Clipper wound up with the "Custom" interior, meaning windshield chrome, door sills, seats, etc.... (no, I did not take out the unique "front to rear" head-liner, or the chrome steering column).

Our shop didnt try and take advantage of anyone - we didn't buy and sell these cars. We just repaired them for customers.

Now, if a customer tried to pass off a '51 as a '53, he might get away with it if it were a convert. Obviously coudlnt do that in a '51- '52 closed Packard car - the upper curve in the windshield on the '51 - '52 should give it away.

Suggest you would NOT be happy with a bone-stock Ultramatic transmission. The service record of the Ultramatics was....well.....

I know we arent supposed to discuss the FACT of what "killed" Packard's reputation in the market-place dead...(combined the Ultramatic's dismal reliability record with what one poster in here said "designed for leasurely accelleration" (I didnt make that up - a guy in here actually typed that )...and...well...

Somewhere around here I have an old (hmmm..was it Floyd Clymer's publication) "ROAD TEST" magazine from '53, in which they found the only car that they ever tested that was SLOWER than a '53 Ultramatic-equipped Packard, was a '49 Chevrolet with Powerglide !

That, to put it mildly, would NOT have been the case had they tried that with Packard products ten years before... Hint - I dont care WHAT pre-war car you are driving - dont go picking fights with a "356" '40-'42 Packard...!

Packard's earlier advertising discussed the "soft spoken boss of the road", which noted that Packard products were quiet, but would out-run just about anything in their respective price classes. Dont expect to do that with a 1950 or later one.

I once crossed the North American continent in 2 and a half days SLEEPING AT NIGHT in my '51 Packard convert. with its '54 327 four barrel engine. But it cost me a set of valves, and I sure as hell didnt try and "drag" anything other than garbage trucks and city busses!

I will be more than happy to share that info. I did notice the numbers above the heater. Was kinda curious why those were there... I still don't have it here.

Thanks!

I don't think you could ever replace the Packard engine.You can substitute anything else you like.I have never seen or owned a better engine in an antique auto.(In fact I drive mine every day the sun shines )The 39 was the first year for a column shift and overdrive.(I hope you have the O/D)With proper maintenance,that auto should last another 70 years of daily use with todays fuels and lubricants .Parts are common for this engine as for the rest of the drive train.
Brakes are great when working properly.
Smooth and quiet ride.Easy to drive and operate.Very easy to maintain.(Valve adjustment can be a little tricky.)
A very straight forward and well designed automobile.

Often #3 main bearing is the first or among the first to show effects of wear and/or lubrication issues.

If you'd be so kind, would you please provide me with your vehicle number and thief-proof number (large embossed # over the heater)? Send PM if you want to keep it confidential.

OK. after several tries I think this should work! If it does, this is how our Packard sits at this moment"

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Thanks for the input. May I ask why #3 specific?

Dave, any idea why they varied the shock set up so much from year to year and model to model?

Some ideas. 1935 was a significantly revised and updated chassis so that's kind of obvious. As to 1001 and 1002 being different from each other, the 1001 was in some ways a continuation of the 1932 Light Eight, using up the left over bodies with new nose clips, but the 1002 was essentially the same as 1934. This could be kind of apparent if you check wheelbases, in 1933 the 1001 was 127 inches, but in 1934 the 1100 went back to what the 1932 Eight was of 129 (plus a fraction).

But why the difference (if the assumption is right) in 1934 between the Eight and Super Eight, I don't know. Checking the Twelve parts book might be revealing but I don't have one handy.