Hey folks, it's been a while, but I've been busy. Since my last update I've moved to a new shop and fitted that out and have been busy with my day job at Popular Mechanics, but have also managed to make time for the Packard.

Last week I took the plunge and pulled the body off using my lift. It was a fairly easy process, the only casualty was the tiny end piece on the windshield wiper speed adjustment cable.

Over the last few day I built a rolling dolly for the body so I can set it aside and began building the chassis back up to go drive it totally naked (weeee!).

Today the engine fired up for the first time in two years or so. Idled okay but stalled when I tried to rev it. I didn't want to cook anything jumping it with 12V, so I decided to give the electricals a bit of a rest. I'll get back to it when I have more time.

Gallery here:http://imgur.com/a/wGAr1#0

What do you mean by "front cap"? The steering wheel cap was easy, quarter turn and it comes right off.

If you mean the doghouse or front end of the car, it was a bit of a challenge. I will say if you're taking the whole thing apart, remove the fresh air intake ducts first, it makes getting at assembly bolts much easier. The hardest part is getting the bolts holding the back of the fenders, they're in the foot well and the clips holding them on are prone to spinning. I had to thread a cut-off wheel in there and slice the bolt heads off.

Other than that, it's a pretty straightforward disassembly.

As far as parts go, seat bits are for sale, let me know what you want.

More progress over the last few days. The steering wheel is pulled, engine electrics removed, fuel tank and exhaust off, parking brake disconnected, kickpanel plates removed, and probably a few other things. I think I have to remove the rear bumper still and after that, as far as I can tell the body is ready for lift off. Very exciting.









The further I dig the more astonished I am that I drove this car home. Take a wild guess what that modern wire wrapped around the insulation free coil wire was powering. Note, this is in as-bought and driven condition... ready? Fuel pump.



And this one was a bit of fun. There was a spare guard from fork truck laying around and it just so happens to fit almost exactly in between the frame rails. If we were going Mad Max with this build this would definitely end up as the grille. As it is, onward and upward!

This sleuthing is fun.

So, as an aside, I graduated from GMI with a mechanical engineering degree, chassis concentration (most of which I've since forgotten through disuse) and I am really impressed by this car. Most of what you see here doesn't happen in mainstream cars of the era for 10-15 years. Also, I hadn't even heard of rotary hydraulic shock absorbers before purchasing this car. SO COOL.

(BTW, I'm wondering if I'm at the bottom of the age scale for this site at 31)

@BigKev, Dude, you rock, thanks.

Also, @HH56 the block number is H404477, indicating that it's actually a 1949 model 327.

How do I decipher the body/chassis age? Absolutely everything on the ID plate on the bulkhead is faded out, but the stamped in numbers read "2392-5- 44054" complete with space. Those are the only legible marks on the plate.

Also, how the heck do you remove the steering wheel? I don't want to break the steering wheel horn in case someone needs it but I can't figure out how to get at the bolt otherwise.

I have a question. My car clearly has a "327" cast into the head, however the tire hood ornament and trim level leads me to believe the car was a Deluxe Touring Sedan, which was advertised as having the 135 hp 288, whereas the Super Deluxe Touring Sedan (with the swan ornament) was advertised with the 150 hp 327.

Was there an engine upsell option for the Deluxe? If not, what's the best way to figure out what's going on with engine? It may be with 288 with a 327 head or a 327 swap, I have no idea.

I am familiar with the Flinstone Flyer, however I had no idea it lived in the area. When I get deeper into things I'll definitely look Mr. Koffel when I get into the finer details. Maybe even ship the mill off to him to give her a bit more pep in her step.

I understand the desire to keep 'em original, and while anything can be restored, this one would have taken a small fortune to put right. It looks okay from afar, but up close and personal there's a lot of cancer and 62 years of shade tree mechanics.

I tend to buy well-used cars that are never going to be concours quality again and make them fun drivers cars. I also have a '64 Continental hard top that had a small branch fall on it, slightly tweaking it's unibody frame so the doors don't have proper gap. It's rounding the bend with body work now and has a new carb, carpet, and sneaky hidden toggle switch panel. I just like foolin' around with cars, hopefully I can do this one justice.

This might be a little sacrilegious, and I don't know how the community will respond to this, but here goes. About 9 months ago I bought a 1950 Packard Eight from a very nice man in Michigan. He'd bought it to restore but found himself burdened with other projects and health issues. I walked away the first time, but when he called back and lowered the price from $2500 to $1200 and threatened to scrap it, I couldn't pass. I drove it home, 327 with three on the tree, and parked it. Then started planning.


The plan: A body off restomod with the intent to enter the 2013 La Carerra Panamericana.

The Gear: The straight eight will remain, but after going through it and rebuilding what it needs, a modern automatic will be fitted, along with a 12V system, new front suspension, four link rear with a Ford 9", new floors, corrected body panels, a roll cage and appropriate race interior.


I purchased this car expressly for this purpose. I am a car nut (Associate Auto Editor at Popular Mechanics) and live in the Detroit metro area. I respect the Packard brand, the engineering that went into these cars, and the mystique associated with them. This was Detroit at its finest and I hope to bring this car, nearly put on death row, back to life in a new and creative way.


I also hope to glean bits of wisdom and guidance from this excellent community (I've been lurking for a while), bouncing ideas off of experts and gathering tidbits of knowledge available nowhere else.

Ambitious? Yes. Fool-hearty? Certainly. But hey, you have to spend your money somehow.