Hi David, thanks for the response.

These were all issues I was concerned with, but considering as I like a challenge, I wanted to consider the Packard of this era. There have been a handful of Packard that have run the rally in the past, and a large amount of cars from 1925-1935 which have made the journey. Just this year, a Rolls P1 finished very well in class with fairly minimal troubles (among other cars from the period who also finished well).

A bit of background on the rally, it is approximately 13,000 kms from Peking (now Bejing) to Paris. Is is not a high speed rally or a race, but rather an endurance event, so a sustained speed of 40-45 mph is not a problem of being too slow on good roads. The most challenging part of the rally is the portion through Mongolia, which is rough and can be quite slow. Known upgrades include heavy duty shock absorbers, heavier shackles for the leaves, upgrades tires and wheels, and reinforced chassis components. This goes further to include smaller modifications.

Some upgrades I would do for the car right now, not just for P2P but for any touring application:
Overdrive, upgraded suspension, better fuel system including larger fuel tank, engine and trans rebuild and possible conversion to insert bearings, better brakes (though you cannot convert to discs), upgraded lights, alternator, and many others to address most of the problems you have brought forward.

There are other wooden-bodied cars that frequently take part, however this was something I was concerned about with the 626 and 633 construction as you have noted. Certain things are against the rules like converting suspension to independent, disc brake conversions, or other things that drastically change the function and appearance of the car. A quick google image search for "Peking to Paris Packard" will show a 1928 touring and 1934 Super Eight. There you can see generally these cars are not highly modified from the original guise.

As I am not fluent in Packards, what are known areas of parts breakage and frustration under normal touring?

Hi everyone,

I am looking at purchasing my first Packard. I have had several classics from the period before so am generally familiar with the technology and drive-ability.

I want to get into touring and long-distance endurance rallying and have done a significant amount of research for both. Ultimately, the end goal is the Peking to Paris rally, but that is a few years down the road. As much as I want a gorgeous Super Eight or Twelve, if I will be driving it relatively hard, I want to use a Standard Eight. I have found several 1929 models, both in 626 and 633 guise that I am considering, in either club sedan or sedan bodies, and a mixture of side mounts and rear mounts, wood and steel wheels. All are straight 8's with three speeds, I do not know the axle ratios.

Aside from the normal spare parts to bring along, and normal prep work for beefing up certain parts, what are known fault areas in these Packards that need attention before long distance rallies? Period modifications? Recommended modifications? The car would have to be built not for power, but for maximum reliability.