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Has anyone swapped an engine from a pre-war car to a post-war car? Are the engines compatible? Transmission?

I have a 1937 Packard 6, 110C, and there is a running engine/transmission for sale from a 1950 Packard, straight 8.

Any opinions or knowledge of putting the 1950 engine/trans into my 37?

There's several threads if you look around the forum. As I recall, the main difference is that the engine mounts are in a different place that it's a doable swap but not easy as it requires fabrication of custom brackets to hold the engine and transmission.

The 8 may be too long to fit between the 110 firewall and the radiator. (Among other issues)
The '37 120 8 cylinder has no room to spare between the 120 firewall and the radiator, and the 110 is about 5" shorter.

Quote:

The 1937 115C has a shorter hood and front fenders than the 8 cylinder 1937 120C so there is not enough space for the extra length of the postwar 8 cylinder engine.

G'day S_Holman,
to PackardInfo.

I'd say the contemplated swap, altough laudable, ie. keeping a Packard powered by a Packard engine, is not feasible.

Trying to fit a straight 8 into a space engineered for a straight 6 poses a very dificult problem to overcome. The current 6 is about 6 inches shorter than the 8. Although anything is possible with a big enough BFH, ingenuity and oxy!!!

Saying all that, I invite you to include your '37 115C in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

If you can find a Packard 6, they are good engines and capable of running with most modern traffic.

Sorry I missed that you said you have a 6-cylinder car, not an eight-cylinder.

Like the others said it's not possible or at the very least not worth it.

Thank you all very much!!! I am new to this forum, but I have already appreciated the helpful feedback.

And I gave the wrong model earlier. I have a 4-door 115C sedan, Packard 6. I was told that is was probably a taxi cab back in the day. The engine plate says that it is from Memphis, TN. It is need of a lot of restoration work, but as you all already know, it is oozing with character.

I saw a running engine and transmission, and I was excited to possibly get mine running and moving. This information is helpful, and I know that when I can dedicate some time to mine, you guys will be a great resource for the project.

Thank you, again.
Steven

When I bought one of my 1940 110s, the previous owner had tried to install a 120 engine but its oil pan sat where the radiator needed to be and the 282 is probably a little shorter than the later 288 and 327 blocks! The more direct answer is no way.

I'd look long and hard for a Packard six. If you cannot find one, A 292 Chevrolet six or a Ford 300 Six might be good options. It's possible to adapt most engine/clutch/bell housings to most manual transmissions.