Heather, I have to admit that I share your misgivings about the "right thing" for the car. There weren't so many of these ever built in the first place and many were used to distruction, scrapped, or both. The ones that were given a new life as a working vehicle tell an important part of their story. In some ways, more important than the life in service of wealthy individuals, they became the domestic "war horses" of that era. That said, I'm leaning toward an open wheeled speedster. A third life if you like.

Todd,
I'm interested in seeing your chassis. Especially if it is the same as a 726. I do not know their DNA. How do I access those pictures?
Ken

Mal, David,
Thanks for the input. I ordered the Turnquist book. Hopefully I can cite some of the facts it contains and at least get it's name correct on the title. Maybe in a year or two I'll have pictures of us blasting out Rt. 30 in Ligonier, past the spot where Fred Duesenberg flipped his SJ in 1932. It's a dead straight stretch of rolling asphalt where the roar of eight open exhaust pipes at full chat would make a dead man smile.

let's see if this works.

No fenders, no running boards, no bumpers, no lights. The dash panel isn't installed but one came with the car sans instruments and there are no glove boxes in it. May not be original to the car. There aren't any holes in the cowl for mounting lights. The remains of the chassis lube system are still there. Isn't that a '31 first year feature? I also got a cast iron transmission along with the spare motor. I'm sure they aren't a matched set nor does it seem to belong to the chassis. The block on the car maybe. But is there something that would distinguish it from any other tranny?

My entire Packard knowledge base began in October this year and is web based so I wouldn't want to match wits with anyone on this subject in this forum. That said, the body shape and the rear hub diameter along with some other details I've noticed, like the rear frame rail ends and the shape of the frame panel above the fuel tank, really seem to be 7 series characteristics. Another web tid bit I read is that the wheelbase went to 127.5" when they added a belt to the fan. Seems like a drastic way to accommodate another belt. Is that something you can confirm and if so, when did that occur? I'll try to get pictures on soon.

David, I'm starting to feel like a boob. I have been looking at pictures of the car until yesterday. I uncovered it and removed the bonnet in daylight. The BDN is 137182. I stated it incorrectly previously. Twice. I think it's pretty clear that it's not only not a truck but not a Sixth Series nor a 1929. What would you say that it is? BTW I tried measuring the wheel base but the steering linkage is bent and is affecting the measurement. That said, I now think it's measurement is 127.5".
Thanks. This is very helpful.

Hello all, thanks for the input.
First off, the BND and the crankcase numbers don't have a dash a I stated initially.My mistake.The numbers are where you stated. The engine remains (crankcase, crankshaft and block) are in the chassis but it appears from the numbers that they are not matching. I also have another motor, #347667, 1932?
BTW, I am basing my assumptions on the information I found on this website. Kudos.
The number plate on the firewall is gone and the frame is rusted where that number should be.I may be able to recover it with some CSI techniques.
What I find to be odd is that in the pictures and cars I've examined (at Hershey this year) a '29 cowl would be flat, not have the round bead on the cowl which is at the body line height where the hood side hinges.the bead flares before the windshield post and flows into the doors and up and over to a peak on top of the cowl at the center of the windshield.It is at about 23" above the frame rail at the widest point of the cowl.Seven series and '30 standards I've see look like this.(I will post some picture when I figure out how to PDF my digital pictures)but in the mean time I'm thinking it's a late sixth series or early seventh 4 door sedan body and may not be original to the chassis.It was definitely a 4 dr. as the center post remains and the rear door hardware is still there. The rear body header panel was neatly grafted on behind the front seats. I noticed that the rear axle hub requires a smaller hub cap than the front.I think this is also indicates a later model.
Like I said, I bought some Packard parts and a title as a package deal. It came from a Packard collectors barn in Virginia and the seller had a title assigned based on his best guess using the BDN. Not correct I know but I am stuck with it now. I would like to sort out the details before I register it. Pa will allow a correction with proper documentation.
There is so little of it, not particularly rare and in poor condition that I don't think it's worth a real restoration. I am considering leaving it as a truck and add a tow boom (there's evidence that it had a boom bolted to the frame) or, preferably re-creating a Jesse Vincent style speedster of my own design using the parts I have.
I'm looking forward to hearing anything that you may add to the discussion.

I recently bought a chassis, a "truck cab", and a couple engine parts with a 29 title for a truck. Note that I didn't say a car. 157-182 on the cowl. 240-755 on the crankcase. The cab was a sedan that was shortened, nicely. I want to correct the title when I transfer it but Pa will require documentation that it's not a truck. I looked on the Google for a definitive source but nothing came up that I'd go to court with. Any suggestions?