hmmm....all this talk about beer drinking...may I assume the idea of a RIGHT hand drive Packard Twelve, came from, and is limited to the end result of a night of too much of the stuff, and that in fact, my suspicion that there is NO SUCH THING in the real world, is correct ?

Seriously, thanks for the info. about Aussie vehicle laws. I did not know that it is possible to legally drive LEFT hand drive vehicles in Australia (apparently under limited circumstances).

That is why I was puzzled at seeing the photo of what appears to be a '39 Twelve in an Australian collection. I was aware, as I noted above, that EIGHT cyl. Packards delivered to (or later shipped to) Australia have RIGHT hand drive kits installed.

So - thanks, guys, for straightening me out on this -

wrong - Harry Truman was VERY proud that he drove away from the White House no richer than when he got there. Made a special point of buying his own car. Was a '52 Chrysler Imperial. He still had that Imperial when I met him in '59 as a research student at his library just east of St. Louis.

Ahh...Australian humor...he sees "possible problems".....

Got to admire those Aussies - give em a big enough hammer, hack saw, and some welding rod...bet they could start civilization over from scratch !

In answer to your question -

East Valley - North Hollywood area is where I lived after I got married in '64 - from '50 to then lived at my parent's house above Barham overlooking Universal Studios.

I bought my V-12 in 1955 (for twenty five bucks) (well, yes, that was a lot of money for un-wanted big pre-war cars in those days - something more practical, like a Ford Model A, or pre-war Chevrolet, would be at least fifty or seventy five bucks).

Roger, myself, and a few other "hard cases" who liked big Packards were the nucleus of the Classic Car Club Of America in those years (ask Roger what happened to his '37 V-12 Club Sedan).

I did a over-haul in Charlie Last's shop in the 1960's, finally escaped Californicated in '99. From the 1950's until we escaped, my V-12 "lived" at my parent's house above Barham Blvd. Of course Roger knew Charlie (Charlie got his Packard Twelve training at the same Packard dealer), but had left and started his own business long before Roger came on the scene.

When I went to Hollywood High School in the mid-1950's, you can imagine (well, I guess you younger folks cant) the contempt and ridicule I got from many of my class-mates for choosing a pre-war luxury car for my "mount". Revenge is sweet - couple of months ago the Hollywood High School "Class '58" had our FIFTY YEAR RE-UNION. Parked at the entrace to the hotel, where you couldn't possibly miss it, was the Twelve. Guess what - they arent laughing any more...!

dropping the radio cabinet down from its position is a VERY tough squeeze. Not sure if that is what you are asking. Is that the issue ? Or is it that the radio wont come out of the dash itself ?


Over the years, the foam rubber "bumper" that surrounds the speaker turns into a hard glue-like substance. Practically GLUES the radio cabinent to the dash sheet metal. You may have to take a bent knife blade to cut that to get it out, if in fact that is your problem.

How about some good hi resolution close up photographs of what you have done so far ?

Quote:

Hi Ron:

I used to live in the San Fernando Valley. You can be ASSURED you arent the only "real Packard owner east of the San Fernando Valley" besides Roger !

But I am not familiar with the latest goings-on in Southern California. When did they move Valencia to a point east of the San Fernando Valley ? Last time I was in Valencia (about two weeks ago...) it was right where I left it - northWEST of the Valley (above San Fernando).

Must have been quite an earth-moving project. Surprised I didn't see that in the 6 '0 clock news....

I was kicked off the AACA site for discussing the connecting rod bearing failure problem on pre 1935 Packards.

This subject gets people VERY upset. And for good reason. A lot of restorers recognize that MOST people paying big bucks for restorations know what they want. They want a car that looks pretty, and can win prizes at car shows.

Many restorers recognize most people today couldnt care less how the car actually runs, or what its techical capabilities are. They have a good point - would be unethical to add to the costs, to build into the motor technical capabilities the customer couldn't care less about. No restorer or friends of restorers wants to hear the technical facts on this issue - what happens when you try and drive a poured-babbit equipped motor at anything APPROACHING modern speeds.

The sad fact is, pouring babbit into connecting rods, instead of or in place of a proper "slipper" or "insert" type bearing, virtually guarantees eventual bearing failure, which means VERY costly crank-shaft damage. The laws of physics will not respect the desires of ill-educated back-woods type mentalities who are just trying to make a fast buck restoring cars for "show".

Packard and its partner in bearing development (Federal Mogul) put a lot of engineering effort into solving the rod-bearing failure problem. In one test I read, General Motors found that at 75 mph, a non "insert/slipper" Packard would develop rod bearing failure after approx. 2,500 miles.

The "last gasp" of the poured babbet rod bearing was in the 1934 model year, when Packard went to finned connecting rods, full flow oil coolers, and full-flow oil filters.

It didnt work. High speed "runs" on Packard's famous test track made it clear there was only one solution - the "insert" type rod bearing.

In my own personal experience with my own '34 Packard Super Eight, I can assure you I tried EVERYTHING avail. in poured babbit bearing technology. No matter what methodolgy of using poured babbit I tried, (this was in the mid 1950's) I would get rod bearing failure in short order after high speed driving.

In late 1934, Packard took a off-the-shelf production 1935 Packard Standard Eight, and demonstrated with the new "slipper"/insert type rod bearings, the car could be run at over 90 mph for over 25,000 miles, after which, the engine was torn down, and in the words of the engineering report " could have done the test again without replacement of parts'.

Bottom line - "you pays your money and you takes your chances".

I strongly recommend that if you want to actually DRIVE and enjoy your Packard, dont let someone ruin it by pouring babbbit into the con rods. Find someone who KNOWS what they are doing, and have the rods machined to accept modern (meaning 1935 or newer thinking) insert / slipper rod bearings.

why do you "believe" it would be possible to convert a Packard V-12 over to right hand drive ?

(well...ANYTHING is "possible".....!). May I respectfully suggest you crawl under a Packard V-12, and take a good look at how the exhaust system is set up, and then tell us what you think about "possibilities" ?

you didn't read my post carefully. Of course it is common knowledge that there were plenty of RIGHT hand drive Packards coming straight from the factory on East Grand Ave., and from the assembly facilities in Canada and England.

But they were all EIGHT cyl. cars. Converting an EIGHT cyl. Packard from left to right hand drive (one of my good friends in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles recently sold his beloved '34 Super Eight Formal Sedan to a guy in Australia, who was able to find all the authentic parts to convert it over) is no problem.

What I was asking, is whether there are any Packard V-12's in Australia or New Zealand, and if so, what did they do about the regulations down there. The reason I am curious, is the parts books do NOT show anything about right hand drive parts (called in the parts books "EXPORT" for the Twelve.

Here's the technical problem that makes me wonder about this. Again, my question has to do with Packard V-12's - NOT the much smaller engined eights and Super Eights, which, again, we KNOW were produced in both right and left hand drive versions.

The V-12, at approx. 480 cu. inches, was a MUCH larger engine than the biggest eight (the Packard Super Eight earlier called the Delux Eight) of 384 cu. in.

Thus there was much less room under the hood. To make matters even more difficult in the case of the V-12, the huge exhaust pipe comes down off the right rear side of the engine, right where the GEMMER steering gear column and box would have to go, to make the car right hand drive.

With the much larger exhaust pipe of the V-12 on the right side of the car, no room for all the "stuff" related to brake and clutch.

?