Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Whatever the head has on it of little importance. What matters is the engine number stamped on the side of the block. If you can supply that number, someone can tell you exactly what the engine is without guessing.

It was in different places over the years from near the starter to near the distributor but it is always a flat bass with the number stamped into it.

Jeorge,

Something is amiss here. A wheelbase of 129" looks suspect, could it be 139"?

Also I'm surprised it has a 288 head, maybe it's had an engine transplant as I wouldn't expect a 288 head would fit a 320 motor. Could someone, gently, tell me if I'm wrong? Plus the 320 engine has a separate aluminum crankcase while the 288 series are cast "enbloc" so a readily visible means of identification. Another matter is the distributor, the 320 has it mounted on the middle of the head while the 288 has it mounted on the left side of the block.

The Packard Engine Serial Number Reference should also help in establishing just what engine you have.

As Mal points out, the wheelbase measurement of 129" must be an error. The 3 possibilities are 127" (Model 1500), 134" (Model 1501), and 139" (Model 1502). Of these, by far the majority of the 4-door sedans were Model 1500 with the 127" chassis.

Mal, the replacement motor with a casting date of 1951 was noted in the opening post. Your comments about the differences in the two engines are correct.

Ok, in the next few day am going back to my storage and take measures again, may be i've made a mistake doing it,by the way what i 've measured was from center wheel to rear wheel, and i can't upload pics from some reason , am gonna try again.

A quick way to tell if it is a 320 or later engine is the location of the distributor. The original three piece 320s (head, cylinders, crankcase) had the distributor mounted on the cylinder head. The later mono block engines had the distributor on the drivers side of the engine.

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Blowing up your pic's it certainly looks like 129" centre to centre. Appears to have the front wheel in a fore and aft position and it doen't look like there is 2" of sag in the tape. It's certainly a 288/327 later engine transplant. Interested if it is hooked up to the '37 trans, or if there's a later trans in place?

Did you get any paperwork(registration, title or other documents) with the car? If there are numbers on those, they may help to solve the mystery.

I havent goyten anything besides bill of sale eithout vin or registration or title, i'll get pics of the tranny soon.

Worth remembering that actual true wheelbase lengths may differ from the "advertised" number Packard used in promotional literature. For example, my 1934 model 1100 is advertised and promoted as a 129" wheelbase but the actual specification is 129-7/8".

Regarding Jorge's car, his measurement doesn't begin to approach the next shortest wheelbase of 134" so its apparent to me that the car is a 1937 Super Eight Model 1500, body style 1003.

Owen is correct, its a 1937 Super Eight Model 1500, body style 1003. Although we haven't the exact production numbers, it was their entry-level Senior, five-passenger sedan at $2,335. Those seem to have been their best-selling Super Eight by the number of survivors that still turn up.

Iirc, there is a Service Bulletin that instructs dealers how to retrofit postwar 327 service replacement engines in pre-war models with the 320 engine. In the period of more practical outlook, a good Packard with a tired engine wasn't discarded when a serviceable replacement engine was readily available at their dealer. Since they were concerned with utility and not correct period engines, a 1951 engine served just fine.

Steve

Steve