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The problem is a potential of 'antique' cars getting legislated right off of the road.

There is nothing more aggrevating to JQ Public than to get behind ANY vehicle doing 50 in a 70 mph lane. Especialy on the I'state hiway. Or running the speed limit on two lane blacktop when everyone else is running 10mph faster. What are u going to do???? Call the Sherrif or something?

A couple of weeks ago i was on I40 near Bucksnort and traffic was heavy. Very rural I'state hwy. I was driving the Exec. Up in front of me about 1/2 mile was a very nice looking 66 Dodge convertible thus most likely with a big V8 running everybit of 50 mph. TRaffic had to merge and pass and it was a little bit of an aggrevation even for me. I tend to be couteous of vintage tin on the hwy. ESPECIALY since i was driving one too.
So here is a case of an "antique" car completely capable of running every bit 100 mph all day long but the owner too timid to drive it at the speed limit.

Stand up and sing speed limit legalities or any other good excuses. THat's fine. Just try to sing it to JQ Public and he just mite sing right back. We live in a real world.

I think I covered that in an earlier post. You don't like how fast I'm driving...go around me.

Also, I suggest you read your last post again. Are you really afraid of being legislated off the road? If you apply that logic to everything that doesn't "move along with traffic" you're going to be legislating a lot of folks off the roads.


As to obeying the law, I don't care how many people choose to break it...I'm not following along just because everyone else is doing so. I can think and act of my own accord, thank you very much.

And to the original poster...sorry about the thread hijack. I hope someone here is willing to assist you and your client.

I have a feeling that a year or 2 from now someone will be trying to sell a 37 Packard with a chev engine, and be ticked off that not only can he not recoup the cost of conversion, but the car is worth less than when he started.

Of course by that time the original engine, transmission, rear axle, radiator etc will be long gone to the junk yard (who wants that old junk?) so it will be practically impossible to restore the car, or get its value back.

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I live in NEOhio right in amish country. And they SHOULD be legistlated off the road, not because of their speed but because they don't pay ANY fuel or road tax. A good chunk of every gallon of gas you buy goes back into maintaining roads, and so do license fees, etc that they don't pay. Manure and shoes and nails are HELL on asphalt. So move em on off. They're not allowed on highways which is the main point anyways, so you wouldn't run across them and tractors and SMV on a cross country tour unless it was all backroads.

If it was all backroads, time is not an issue and you could drive an old six or eight slow as they do.



"There is nothing more aggrevating to JQ Public than to get behind ANY vehicle doing 50 in a 70 mph lane."

That's me to the T. Of course i am on the road for work most of the day, so it's worse to me than most people. But let me point that out - IN A 70MPH lane. Do 70 or move right. I ride to the right except to pass and expect others to do the same..it's the law. I ride my packard at 75 in the left lane while passing, and move it right back over. Let fast trucks by, don't go the same speed as someone in the right lane, etc.

Your choice of vehicle should not impact or inconvenience me ON A HIGHWAY. On the regular road, hey, that's life and if you're going the speed limit (max 55 around here) then we're friends. 35 in a 55 while i'm billing $120 an hour to save a customer from an emergency? You're getting the horn.

SMV exempted of course, if you can't do 55 then again hey, like school buses or garbage trucks, luck of the draw.

But not everyone is out on a joy ride. When i am, i drive slow and let everyone around, because i remember how bad it is when they don't do the same.

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Isn't that the case with the 37 coupe with the nailhead? Just a little too much for a hot rod, and not enough left to make it a packard. Well said.

Also, i want to point out that just an engine and tranny swap won't reduce the sheer amount of fatigue you get from driving an older vehicle. They were never as easy and comfortable as new ones today, with muffled sound and ergonomics, and hours of comfort testing, etc.

You'll always feel beat at the end of the day driving an old vehicle with whatever engine and tranny you have in it. Even my 71 with A/C and power steering can be work to drive around all day since it's stick with a stiff clutch.

Lastly, i believe there should be NO ISSUE driving any 6 or 8 engine cross country that is decently maintained and in good condition, as long as it's not the poured babbitt type because who want's to put wear on that.

If i had more free time, i'd take a bet on it. I'd take the 50 Packard cross country no problem if the ultramatic rebuild came out 100%. If it was any stick tranny, for sure i'd jump on it. It'd be a blast, and i really don't forsee any but random issues like tires, etc.

The thing is, a lot of our cars aren't maintained like they were when they were drivers. We baby them and so we don't really stress them to the breaking point.

" They were never as easy and comfortable as new ones today, with muffled sound and ergonomics, and hours of comfort testing, etc."

True of the sound the deadening but that's where it ends. There does seem to be alot road shock felt in PREwar steering wheels too. But the seating comfort of the prewar cars rivals the very best of any modern day car except maybe some modern truck based vehicles. The prewar upper end luxury cars had real coil springs for seats. Not the no-sag or zig-Zag seat spring garbage like my 56 Executive has or even my 89 Caprice. The seat cushion of the prewar car is rather high from the floor. More like sitting in chair instead of a formula V racer.

I'm sure anyone traveling cross country in a prewar luxury car will find it most comfortable. AC can be added to ANY car.

Oh i agree that the seats, etc are super comfortable and the ride is honestly amazing in my 50 vs my newer stuff, i'm just talking about effort to keep it between the lines, no cup holders, no cruise and the like that i usually don't care about but would definitely take it's toll on me when in that car for 14 hours straight each day headed across country.

If you headed out and stopped and drove state routes and took breaks and ate meals, it's a blast. The wife and i did about 6000 miles in 2 weeks for our honeymoon in september/october. It was great and i have so many places i want to go back to, and i'd love to take the packard. (Hell, at the devils tower in WY there were 3 motorcycles from NE Ohio...has to be worse than any car!)

If i was in a hurry to get cross country, i'd have to take my 05 mustang out. Even shifting in it is SO easy compared to my older stuff. But as i'm driving around town mostly, it hasn't moved 10 miles in 2 years. Packard is way more comfort and way less "work".

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Ran into a good example a while back. Owner had a 56 sedan with a Buick V8 and Turbo hydramatic. He figured, I paid $3500 for the car then spent $4500 having the engine and trans put in, so the value must be $3500+$4500 = $8000. I offered $2500. He was so ticked off he refused to speak to me. Next, he put the car on Ebay. Top bid, $2200.

To get back to the original question. A 37 Packard was one of the best road cars of its time. It could cruise at 60 from coast to coast, maybe even 70 but you would feel the strain of the engine. Install overdrive or a lower numerical rear axle gear to reduce the RPMS and you are good to go. No engine swap required.

Now if you put in a Chev engine and trans you are going to have to use an overdrive or change the rear ratio anyway. So why not just install the overdrive or different rear end and let it go at that? Keep the original parts in case a future owner wants to change it back. Make no irreversible changes and you do not ruin the value of the car.

OK here is a crazy thought. How hard would it be to adapt a late model 5 speed to a Packard eight? This would give you the overdrive for hiway cruising. The 37 already has a floor shift transmission. I bet this could be done as a bolt in. Jack Vine or Turbopackman should be able to figure it out over the weekend LOL.