I always add this when talking about valve seats. DON'T PUT HARDENED SEATS IN A PACKARD INLINE BLOCK. It's a high nickel casting more akin to cast steel than cast iron. Adding valve seats helps the machine shop and if they fail will continue to help it. Worried about valve seat erosion? Run Stainless Steel Valves. All told that's a relatively affordable option to seats and they're not going to fail. There's always the occasional splash of race fuel or lead substitutes (which you don't need every time you gas up) to offer the engine a bit of old school protection. The use of Rotella or similar high zinc oil also goes a long way to keeping things protected the old way. Good luck...

The good ol 1-6 gig is a guide at best. Some will show a #1 car (a real one) as a #2 just because it's not dressed right to the tire treads and on display at Pebble Beach. Or that a car that was restored more than 5 years ago, regardless of lacking any damage or wear, has to be classified #2. That aside, the next owner of the car should decide what the real condition is. To me, no rust holes, complete interior that doesn't smell of vermin fecal matter and urine, isn't caked with mildew, chrome will turn "bright" with a minor cleaning and polish, engine fires up on demand and holds good oil pressure, never overheats, all the parts are still in place under the hood, it sits up straight and doesn't lean to one side or front to back with excess. The paint is at least all one color and might even shine a bit given a day of soft cloth polishing or gentle wheeling. All the glass is clear and devoid of cracks, but it might show a few bubbles at the edge here and there. Nothing is missing and the instrument panel is also functional. To me that's a solid #3 car. You save years looking for parts, has a bunch of "free" panel replacement done (because it doesn't need it!). You can show up with pride because it's been a well preserved variant with wear only time can cause. Start adding rust holes, "Flintstone" floorboards, missing parts, #4 comes up fast. What the car truly NEEDS is only what the next owner wants to do. I have a 39 Ford Tudor with original paint. Some would say it needs paint, some not, I'm in the "not" line myself. Have a 47 Super Clipper that's the same. A scratch here n there, a couple stains in the metallic green, so what? It shines, it's all one color, it's nothing at all to be ashamed of, in fact with the right talent it could even be touched up with some lacquer. That beats a 5 figure strip and refinish with a bat, no? I call my Packard a 2, but that's also because the chrome is awesome and it has a complete new wool interior. My Ford, well it might be a solid 2 even with the original paint over most of it. It's getting a complete new interior, has a fresh engine, new harness going in and more. All the mechanicals are done too. So you see, only you can decide what's right for you. I like a little age or even an all original car, but I do restoration for a living so #1 is common, maybe I'm even a little bored with it. Make sense? Helpful?

Might be able to lace it. Similar to pinning, you get the smallest cast iron plugs you can find. Drill and tap a single hole and thread the new plug in place leaving some measure above the surface. That gets ground down flat and becomes part of the block. The next hole goes about 1/3 or more into that 1st plug and you do it again, and again, and again until the crack has been completely plugged/laced. At that point a new vale seat and sleeve and let it eat. Just for peace of mind, once it's all done get a proven quality block sealant and add it to the 1st fill of coolant just for an extra measure of protection. Many an old block has gone 10s of thousands of miles with such a repair. Your results may vary, tax n title extra, void where prohibited, no purchase necessary, see your retailer for details...

Where to find the absolute color or shade? 1st try the eye doctor or your own color blind test. A large percent of American males are color blind to some degree. Next, where would one find color that took the least amount of abuse due to atmospheric and thermal cycling conditions? I found some on original 34 12 timing cover studs. Yes, timing cover studs. I took the most paint covered and clean stud and aggressive use of Meguire's 3 revealed what I thought was the best example ever. Never burned or exposed to sunlight, "protected" by the timing cover. Guess what? Both Hirsch and Kanter have it nearly perfect. I stopped making my own when the DAU paint system was dropped by PPG. Isocyanates or something like that removed the greatest paint system ever from the market. Engine or fender, same awesome quality and handling. If my client bought it from Kanter I'm using it. Hirsch? Using it. Since my clients enjoy significant awards too numerous to list I'm gonna say either one will make you smile. I just used some Kanter green on a Clipper and it changed color a little once it's been heated. So what, it's clean and green, close enough. Sometimes we need to remember not to take this stuff, or in fact ourselves, too seriously. That 3 letter word, "FUN", rules. Don't make it the 4 letter version.

To retain the felts, get some small TIG stainless welding wire, locate the holes, push it through and bend it over. It bends easier than you think, buries well into the fuzz, won't rust from rain or washing. Make your stainless "staples" a tad longer so they'll be easy to handle, nip the ends with a pair of dykes before bending. Good luck...

ATF/Acetone mix? I'm a big fan and use it often. One caveat, make sure it's NOT SYNTHETIC ATF. It won't work at all. Must be old school like "Type F" or old Dexron. Another trick that's too cool for school, candle wax. Take a small torch and heat the offending fastener, dab the candle wax to it and it's almost like magic. I have some straight paraffin wax bars and it doesn't work as well as candle "bones" do (the old clumps that Mrs "Packard owner" usually throws away). My wife saves the run off for me for just that use. Try it some time but, as usual, BE CAREFUL WITH OPEN FLAME.

I like topics like this, and it's always a good spot to remind my Packard "family" about the engine blocks in our cars. If your engine rebuilder insists on doing hardened valve seats he doesn't know Packard engineering very well. Our blocks, at least until the V-8s (which I admit I'm not hip to) were more like cast steel vs cast iron. If you want a tougher valve system use stainless valves, but leave the seats alone. Almost impossible to pound out short of abuse and neglect. Then there's the gas thing, again. Don't be afraid to add a couple degrees of timing to your ignition. Our cheapest gas is better than the best from long ago so we might as well get as much energy out of the fuel we can, right? It's basically a cliche' to say high octane fuel "burns slower". It simply resists detonation or pre-ignition. What does make an engine run hot is when timing is below specs because ignition happens "later" in the cycle. Most quality carb and fuel pump kits today are ethanol resistant. Old or NOS kits should be avoided as the older soft parts are not. If there really has to be a concern or worry it should be about your soft fuel lines. it doesn't take ethanol blends very long to hurt old rubber hoses. A company called "TECH/AFX" is building fuel lines for modern cars (late 60s and hot rods) that's compatible with ethanol fuels. Not cheap, but you'll only put it on once and forget about it. Even braided stainless can become a hazard because the rubber liner inside will deteriorate and give you something akin to those old lawn soaker hoses full of holes. We should be developing a safe hose pretty soon that's a direct fit for several models of Packard engines including the lovely depression-era cars.

Ok, carry on...

I've never seen (or read from) someone so incurably in love with chrome radiator shells. Castrated? Really? When I've painted them I simply have their chrome stripped, sand em up with 150 or 180, apply a coat of etch primer and then off to the standard procedure. A grinder? Freakin hacks do that. Perhaps some are better suited to early Ford or Corvette restoration. Any of the heavy American iron that are referred to as Classics, and what some of us have dedicated a large portion of our passion to, there's one universal constant. That was the Great Depression. It hit harder from 32-34 than it did during the 1st years following the crash, and does that seem like the right time to offer cars for 3 to even 20 times the cost of a same model year Ford? Would they do what that customer wanted back then to sell that car? Of course not, right? "Screw you Mr. Baller of 1933! You get this damn Packard the way I sell it to you!" Back to normal (as if), while there were indeed standards of production, even limited production, there was still that "job shop" philosophy that went to the needs and demands of that market. Some were wild and outlandish, some very staid and perhaps even blah in final finish/options. I'm with West, painted shells look better. They're exponentially better on what I refer to as the "Dietrich Cowl" cars, those being the 34 Cpe Roadster, Conv Victoria and Conv Sedan. The low waistline those cars have, the short shell, they nearly demand paint up there. It's not WRONG, and it's also not RIGHT. It's a choice that was available then and certainly now. And yes too, let me know when you're selling a painted shell 34. For $20K under market I'm in...;-P

My interest is to keep this discussion friendly and informative to all involved. I live this sh..uh, stuff, every day. My perspective and personal challenge is to make everything I do as authentic as possible. Has anyone ever seen an original car with a cut and polished frame? Yeah, neither have I. Ever notice that the pick marks from the metal finishers were still visible under the fenders? Not hateful divots, just little marks from their hammer and dolly work. Ever seen fingerprints on the back of garnish moldings? Such stuff intrigues me to no end, and in moderation can go a long way toward the mindset of the company and it's employees. As to rare or once-in-a-lifetime finds of cars restored with little known history? Actually the bulk of my experience. More these days with cars done in the 70s and families who don't get that the amateur photography can be just as important as the car's title. I've had the pleasure, and perhaps privilege, of watching this craft mature and get amazingly accurate. There's still that "thing" from decades past where frames are polished and modern leathers are used, late model pearl and firemist type paints, and to me those cars stand out like elementary school erections, and should be just as embarrassing but they never seem to be. At the end of the day, again from my perspective, it's the client that makes the final decision. Once I present how it should be and the information to back that up, well then professionally I'm out of the loop if they pick leather from a 2003 Cadillac and a color from a late model Toyota. As to considering that certain changes add value, today's buyer says no. Wrong paint can cost in excess of $20K to make right on a classic Packard. Then there's the thought that if they had no respect for the car's pedigree or street cred then where else was it "cheaped out"? I prefer to add value by being sincere to a car's roots, by using the same discipline and craftsmanship that the original builders did. My "skin in the game"? It has to show when someone walks up to see the car without ever lifting the hood or opening a door. Like many things, you know it when you see it, but I'll let you in on a big secret too. It's CHEAPER to do it right the 1st time and it lasts longer. Added value? That's what I'm talkin about. This has been quite a topic, but I apologize if some of these thoughts derailed it some. Our favored marque was selling some of finest cars ever produced while many were standing in bread lines or wondering where their next dollar was going come from. Logic would clearly dictate, that within reason and period availability, they would cater to the odd taste or specified desire to get the job done, especially when you consider that you could buy 4 Ford Tudors for the cost of an 1100 sedan. Maybe only 3 if you optioned those Tudors to the max, but you get the idea...

Sounds like semantics to me. If you bring a car back to an authentic state, specifically a Packard, unless you have some form of paper record as to what 739-32 was, or it's in unbelievable and complete condition with enough original paint left to determine it's color, then making it authentic is still R E S T O R A T I O N. Does every Model A Ford that's been restored have some paper trail to PROVE that it was black, blue, Copra Drab, green? Of course not. You want "as-was" restoration activity? Do a muscle car that has tags and codes. And FWIW, I never thought of even the finest of heavy American Classic cars in the same vein as a "Van Gogh" or any other singular form of art. Many times these discussions end up sounding like they're watered with "Haterade", or like sour grapes. Based on this topic and replies, suppose I find a 34 718 2-4 coupe. Decades ago someone painted it in really ugly colors and stripped it before hand. No photo record exists of it's condition before, little known history. I buy it, restore it to all Packard Blue with Gold Bronze pin stripes, blackwall tires, blue wheels, a black leather interior with a dark grey cloth headliner, neutral tan hogshair carpet bound in black leather, all the correct wiring, decals, tags, fit and finish, gauges, etc, etc, etc. According to that thought it's wrong. Why? In my mind's eye I see it as done to the most demanding of detail and known info and color/chrome/stripe options. I'd even paint the top insert material body color. Why? Because that's how it was done. That's how I would want it. I'd also want it devoid of any chrome acorn nuts or any number of other available engine dress of the time. I'd have the wiring wrapped in metal bands just like they were and the fender welt would be body color as well. And since it was the topic starter, the letter field and stripes on the caps would also be Packard Blue. I'd expect it to be a contender for an "Alvan MacCauley" award as well because my documentation and OEM photos would be with it at the time of judging to remove any doubts as to it's authentic restoration and presentation. I honestly believe that unless someone drinks a big jug of the aforementioned Haterade that nothing I presented in that hypothetical is wrong or not in keeping with the preservation of the marque. Oh snap, I forgot to mention that it would also have a painted shell and a rear spare. Once again, just sayin, and I'd be happy to help anyone sort out things if they're embarking on a proper restoration of a 33-4 Packard, but the parts book, "Packard The Complete History" by Kimes, and an available plethora of factory or period photos are available at swap meets to confirm anything one would like to know. I've been at this for 43 years, and in the last 12 to 15 years I've learned more than all the other years prior.