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I am trying to see if I can locate a short wheel base body and frame from a 20's or perhaps a 30's car (maybe from a 6 cylinder car?). A convertible or roadster body prefered, but not required. I am NOT looking for a restore canidate, but something rougher that may have been passed up by others.

I have an idea for all Packard Rat-Rod or Tradional Hot Rod (I know, I can hear to boo's already, but wait) that would use nothing but unwanted Packard parts. I am not looking to gut something that is restoreable, but something that be sitting in a field somewhere that others have tagged as unrestorable or not worth it. Basically I just need a frame and body, and the doors. Then I can find a radiator shell, suspension, and hopefully a 352 for power.

Just an idea at this point, trying so see how feasable it would be. I think the crux of this would be finding the right frame and body to pull it off. I think it would be neat concept to pull together a pile of rusty, unwanted, unused, or discarded parts and make something unique out of it that isnt just another chopped up Model A or T, and that uses nothing but Packard parts. I shall call it project Pack-Rat.

So no restorable Packards would be hurt in the process, but we get another Packard (in spirit) back on the road. A stripped down car with a V8 engine. That may give that Avanti a run for it's money!

Big Kev--I had this very same idea about 15 years ago, and were money and time more available I wouldn't mind taking a 36-39 110 coupe and making an all Packard nice rod. 374 v-8, manual trans out of a V-8 Clipper.

I have always liked the 110 coupes.

The only problem I just throught of would be any of the bodies that used wood sub-structure.

I've always had the idea of doing like Mr. Pushbutton suggested, only with a '55-'56 Torsion Level chassis.

Imagine if Packard had that big V8 and the T/L chassis in 1936? They'd of had one heck of a winner!

Several years ago there was a Caribbean chassis and drive train with a 46 or 47 Clipper body mounted on it listed in Hemmings. The guy wanted $1500.00, but it was in Missouri.

BigKev,

As someone who came from a rodding/dragster background, some 35/40 years ago, until the simmering Packard bug infected me of recent time I support your concept.

However the only drawback I see is with using a so called unrestorable body and then bringing it back to a usable state. The purists will be saying why didn't you go all the way amd restore it, so you can't win with them whatever you do.

Meanwhile the more broadminded amongst us will be applauding your inventiveness while retaining "All-Packardness".

Concerning late 30's Coupes, I think from 38 on Packards are all steel.

It's up to you BigKev.

Well, I'm doing some back-reading because it's too hot outside to do much else. Kev, if you're still interested in a project like this, or anyone else is, there is the entire front suspension (including segments of the frame!) from a 1937 Junior Packard on the Tuscon craigslist.

No more projects until the Clipper is off to paint. So I still have many months aheads of me.

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I should put you in touch with a buddy of mine who has dreams of building a "Funny Car" powered by a 9 main bearing Packard straight eight.

Hi Kev - just love the Pack-Rat name. I think you should do this if only so you have something to pin that name to!!

As my father has often been heard to say, it's like grandpas axe... it's had 10 different handles and 4 different heads, but it is still the same bloody axe! Restoration is a tricky thing. I would suggest that (IMHO)a body, for example, that is so badly rusted that large areas have to be replaced with new metal is not being restored - it is being replaced or remade. To my mind restoration means to bring the original back to near new condition - not replacing or remaking everthing so that it looks new. Many cars, to my mind, (especially many racing cars I have seen with significant histories) have been over-restored and end up better than they ever were. Outside resonable saftey and reliability concerns I think this is a mistake. This is all part of why I was so happy to hear of the increasing popularity of 'survivor cars' in the US and I hope the trend catches on here. Otherwise, just jack up the radiator cap, push a new car in underneath and 'tadah!' - a fully restored original car! Contenscious issue I know, but just my opinion.