Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

This gets more involved as I go. If I find a S10 chassis or equal, then I'd have to harvest and convert steering and rear end. You can get kits for that, but then you're only using the side rails = 2 lengths of channel. Plus have to relo all the mounts, so I can't just buy one already harvested, powder coated, and ready to go.
I can get a weld-it-yourself kit, but doesn't save much and more time and labor. So I keep coming back to the same spot. No wonder this hasn't progressed!
With all the Nascar shops around here, I can't find a local chassis maker?
I think I'd be better off buying a whole done car and parting this one out / selling as a project or putting back together stock. I'm back working on the Cad in the mean time. Parts as parts go. Flip flop, flip flop...

Why don't you just use the original chassis and modify it? Not like it hasn't been done before. Or find another Packard in rough shape and use the chassis from it?
John

It's an "X" frame, and I'm trying to eliminate that. "P" used lever arms (front) in this period and leaf springs(rear) not a good combo for high HP.

I don't have the equipment to build one myself(nor inclination). It's too much surgery to redo the whole frame and I have the body, etc to do.(one man band) I want to finish it, if I do it, this time, in year 6 now. Yeah, it looks easy on TV, but that's a bunch of work compressed to 30 minutes.
I'd rather keep it original and put the L8 back in there.
I guess if I wasn't so "tight" Morrison would be welding one up by now. Cost is probably near the same if you figure in the purchase, tear out, parts, and redo.
I guess I need to really decide if I want that project anymore...

I figured maybe a Nova front subframe or one of those Fatman front ends they sell....

Matter of fact I contacted Fatman and they don't build "custom frames", even though it says so on their website. I'm not to far from them. What they offer is there version of specific model frames.
If I have to rework the front and rear, and still have the X, there's not much sense in that. To get rid of the X, I'd have to do side rails, so that's a whole frame. That's why I inquired in the first place, if someone had done before.
I'll wait til the spring show and see if I can find an option, but whatever is stock out there, will have to be modified. I keep working on the body work for now.

Okay I see you are wanting to get rid of the X in the frame.

There's a good frame article in "street muscle magazine newsletter about custom frames. Lays out the + - s of modify v custom. Unfortunately the featured shop (Schartz) only makes for certain big 3 bodies.
streetmusclemag.com/tech-stories/chassis ... schwartz-g-machine-chassis-decision