One thing about the Pan American that might be an issue in adapting to the torsion suspension is the fact that it was lowered. I recall a thread or two a few years ago in I think the AACA forum about lowering the body vs. wheels in a torsion bar set-up. Can't remember what the conclusion was. Didn't someone lower a 55 or 56 coupe? Have seen pics of such a car.

One of my dream Packards of 50s would be a '52 Pan American body in 6-passenger convertible form placed on a '55/56 chassis with torsion suspension, V8 and Twin Ultramatic. V8 engine compartment components would need to be repackaged under the lower hood which might be a challenge but everything else is doable, as Henney demonstrated.

That would be a very interesting restomod. Certainly Packard had lots of experience with OHCs by then. My dream Packard of the 40s would be the b/w image I posted earlier, with a 356, Ultramatic and perhaps guages from the 38-39 Seniors.

You had asked earlier about where the 48 image's grill came from and I don't think I fully answered. Connected to the actual 48's grill top is an image contrivance inspired by the 40-42s. The grill surround is simply extensions of the 48's grill sides. For the louvers I took a small section of the 48 grill center section, extruded it, cut/pasted it a bunch of times to create what appears to be adjacent louvers, then overlaid the grill surround around it to button the whole thing up. The last step was to rotate the grill x degrees to give the impression of a rake. There were lots of other little tricks but that covers the main elements. If someone wanted to modify a real 41-50 Packard to create such a classic grill, I would start with the grill top from the 48-50, fabricate a full surround, then add louvers from a 40-42. The hood and fenders would be a metal tear-up of conventional means.

That monster looks familiar. A few years ago I was doing some mods on a car at a shop just north of Dayton and some of the guys were working on a beast very much like this. I remember the day they fired it up. Shock waves blasted through my body. It was a car thrill unlike any other.

Eric - here's the tall grill version with split windshield for your wallpaper. Had to add a small uplift on the far fender, should have been done on previous.

Would like to check out that chromed monster. It forever boggles my mind the potential number of wild customs lurking out there.

Agree completely on the V12 being the kind of firepower Packard needed to keep Caddy in its place, particularly in the 50s. Always thought a 1954 or 55 Pan American 6-pass coupe and convertible with a lively and efficient SOHC V12 would have finally ended the debate in the marketplace as to which car was on top.

Attach file:

---

  (81.54 KB)

Well congratulations, you are the owner of a brand new 1948 Packard Custom Custom. And hey, since you're such a nice guy I'll throw in an Ultramatic for free! If I could only find that key...

I think you're right about the wrap around type. Yep, I was referring to the slightly curved type.

Here's a mod with both the one piece glass and a slightly taller, more steeply raked grill. I dunno, maybe taller is better. Need to look at tomorrow with fresh eyes. Can easily mix and match the elements if you want to see a differenct combo.

Attach file:

---

  (81.38 KB)

Chrysler and Studebaker offered curved glass pre-war in limited volumes and Lincoln had it for 1949. Could Packard have done it a year before Lincoln or was there some big advancement that happened for '49? If it was simply a cost issue then once again the question would have come down to the importance of Senior vs. Junior differentiation.

Eric - if you want me to tweak the concept let me know. Am somewhat limited with Microsoft Paint - and my own abilities - but am game for the more straightforward assignments.

The top of the grill is from the car itself, a 1948 Custom Victoria and a strikingly beautiful one at that. The grill top has the right width and nicely defines the rest of the surround. The biggest swag was how high to make the grill. Tried higher versions but they looked too locomotive-like for such a rounded car. Would do a clay model before turning the fab shop loose because one never knows how these ideas will play out.

Also tried a version with a one piece curved windshield. Looked good and would have been a fitting choice on Packard's part for the smoothly contoured '48s.