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My dad and I attempted to save a rough '38 Super block. Went through all the hot tanking, machining, etc. Got it all rebuilt and fired it up for the first time....water immediately came shooting into cylinder #2.

The corrosion was deep enough to create a few thin spots between the water jacket and critical areas (#2 cylinder wall and a couple of valve areas). The pressure blasted through those weak spots and that was it. Lots of wasted time and money.

I would recommend starting with the best block you can find. Save the salvageable parts of your current engine for use later on. A machine shop would be able to take a look and give you a better idea of whether or not they can work with it.

-Kevin

This is what I have a 39 Bantom and a 49 Packard Stright 8.

Planning on ending up with something like this.

Also, I'm located in North Texas if anyone has anything there willing to part with.

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I don't think that changes the condition of your parts. Talk to the guy that built that one and see what he says.

There's a guy with a '27 Chev rattie over here, and I don't think that car is "safe". Body not sound, lots of sharp metal, etc. I don't know how he got it licensed, but maybe he didn't, used the old title, etc.?
Cool doesn't have to be deadly. They gave me a tough time when I had to get a title for the P as it wasn't running. If I put it back on the street, I'd have to get plates and they'll inspect the work before issuing. So not a given.

Packrat,
I’m in Fort Worth.
I met this guy at the Pate Swap Meet.
He has Packard engines.
facebook.com/RodsNRailsDTX

Also
Did you contact the local region of The Packard Club?

There was also a post from Facebook market place and has been on Craigslist with engine blocks and parts in River Oaks.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you go for a straight-8 and get one that is pre-1951, it won’t have conventional side engine mounts. Those didn’t appear until 1951.

For curiosity, you could remove the pistons, which would take a lot of penetrating oil, heat, a BFH, a drill to drill into the ring seats to get kroil or something similar into the rings.

Then you can mic the bores and see how much over it is bored and have a shop do an ultra sound to determine the remaining wall thickness, or attach a chain to it and use it as a house boat anchor.

I was chatting with a guy in Amarillo last year about the 327 he had in his garage. That he wanted rid of. Just come and get it. It became apparent kind of quickly that I was wandering off towards 356s and that I wasn't going to Amarillo last year or this one.


I passed his contact info along to someone who wanted an engine and lost it. Something tells me he still has it.