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Oh great! more ugly little 320 gremlins.

Is the wall thicknesses between the water jacket and exhaust port inherently thin, or was this just a one off deal? I have heard the 37, 38, & 39 320 had some cylinder block cracking issues, but had not heard of thin water passages. The 39 head / block have different water passage drillings on the exhaust side from the earlier engines. I wonder if this is part of why that change was made.

I really appreciate the info. and picture you posted. It is always good to know what others who have recent hands on experience with this particular family of engine have seen and found. You seem to have some excellent hands on knowledge of the 320.

How was this situation handled; Weld, or replacement cylinder block?

Jim

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Pete, there is no doubt in any of our minds that you just don't "get it"

Right as always O_D, we have not really answered MIDan's question. There are very few parts that interchange with a 120. The list of what interchanges is much shorter. The obvious would be the bare body shell. The glass would interchange. The steering wheel. The basic wheelbase is the same.

Items different from 120 (from memory, many more if parts book is used):

Headlight assemblies
Wheels (size)
Hubcaps
Brakes
Shocks
Side trim
Hood trim
Door handles
Running board strips
Rubies in taillights
Trunk rack assembly
Transmission
Differential
Bellhousing
Engine
Generator
Starter
Air cleaner
Trim around front & rear windows
Speedometer
Clock
Instrument panel
Glove box door
Dash trim
Interior door handles
Window crank handles
Windwing crank handles
Carpet
Seat springs (Marshall type)
Upholstery
Door Panels

MIDan, you have to understand the 39 Super 8 ushered in the new era of Packard design and style for the future of senior cars. This is a divisive year and model. Essentially the 39 and 40 Super 8 is the exact same car with the exception of the 356 engine in the 40 (an outstanding engine). As mentioned in an AACA thread people either love the 39 Super or hate it. As an actual owner, I would say it is an ok car. Very classic design, well appointed, and very speedy with the newly introduced overdrive. The engine is massive under the hood, filling the engine compartment completely. The early engines are antiquated with some inherent design flaws. In may ways, the 120 engine is a far better design, as it was designed many years after the old 320. Bottom line, if you buy a 39 Super 8 be prepared for some that smite the car. Also be prepared for a car fraught with one year, one model only parts making this a very challenging car to maintain.

MIDan,

Interesting question. There has been much discussion about this on the AACA website forum under a thread titled "What is your favorite Packard and Why?" The discussion delved into the 39 Super 8 question.

O_D is correct about components being similar, but not the same, Bigger brakes, springs, and so on.

Edited:

Deleted lengthy response to other opinionated reply.

Jim

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I like the 51 to 56 cars. They truly got the Caribbean convertibles right. I came into the Packard ownership via the 51 to 54 lineage. They are a handsome vehicle that is a charming mixture of old and new. I still enjoy seeing these cars at shows, and respect the time, effort, and expense that the owners put into these relevant pieces of living Packard history. To this day, I would not totally rule out owning another 51 to 56 in my own personal stable.

Jim

There was a great looking Bath tube convertible in the Back To The Future trilogy. It was the car owned by the professor (played by Christopher Lloyd), basically taking second fiddle only to the DeLorean featured in the movie. I believe there were a few 51 - 54 cars in the movie as well.

Kev, A Packards in movies DB might be a neat addition.

I was recently at an AZ. region PI breakfast talking to a member about his torque flight conversion on his V-8 car. Unfortunately, his feedback on the ordeal was not so great. The original adapter was not concentric with the crankshaft. This resulted in a damaged torque converter and input shaft. A different adapter was then sent and it was ok. This fellow had to pay for another converter because his first was damaged, as well as paying the shop to change the defective parts. This little quality control problem cost him $800 + dollars additional.

With that said, now that the bugs are worked out, and the money is spent, he reports it works very well. A 727 torque flight is a very durable reliable transmission. I would think this would be a viable conversion.

Many individuals here report that the original Ultramatic can be properly maintained and provide reliable service. I had a 51 200 with Ultramatic that worked fine.

It was no rocket ship, but I have never been in a Packard street race!

Pete,

I think the silver fenders, silver top looked good. Your present paint scheme & top color looks nice too.

Did you ever run across a fellow named Bud Ekins in your studio exploits? He was an old motorcycle / car collector pal of mine who Did an awful lot of studio work / stunts and so on.

Jim

O_D,
Silver fenders / silver soft top. The show seems like it was kind of a neat concept. It is actually called Salvage 1. Bits of the pilot can be viewed on You Tube.

Pete,
I assume you must have re-painted your car since renting it to that production company; as I remember last few times seeing your car it having black fenders and a black top. It looked good with the silver fenders / silver top in the scene I saw on You Tube. What prompted the color change?

Jim

Checked out your car on the owner registry, looks great! Welcome to the forum.

I bet your radiator re-core was a few bucks. I think half the fun of these cars is doing the work on them, or at least we tell our selves that while we are doing the work.

Great to have another 39 enthusiast here. Keep us posted on your progress.

Jim