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

Hello friends,
I bought this Packard Clipper 1947 a few years ago and I need to regularize its documentation with the Brazilian authorities.
I need to know all the information about the vehicle such as the correct model name, serial number and any details you can provide me because in my country surviving Packard vehicles are rare.

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If your patent plate is still present and screwed to the cowl all the important vehicle identification numbers will be on that plate with the exception of the motor number. Packard only placed official numbers in a single location so if your patent plate is missing, there is no other place to find the pertinent vehicle number for the car. Also, if the engine has been swapped the original motor number will be lost. That is important because in some places registration was done by motor number instead of the official vehicle number.

A number similar to the official vehicle number may be found on a small tag on the engine side of the firewall as placed by the body builder. That number can differ from the official number by several digits depending on where the body was placed on the assembly line. A large embossed number is also on the firewall but it was never used outside the factory and surviving documentation to link that number to a specific car is no longer available.

On a 21st series 46-7 the motor number should be stamped on the engine block slightly below the head/block parting line and in the area around the distributor. Sometimes the motor number stampings were faint and they could be covered in dirt and grease. You may need to use a wire brush and do a good cleaning to find and read them.

On the last page of this service counselor is an article where Packard compiled and listed the range of all pertinent numbers for various years.

The chart at the bottom of this post is information from the Clipper parts manual showing the various Cipper body identification numbers and which chassis each model was build on. Those are the numbers that should be found on the patent plate.

The other chart posted here is not official but was compiled from various sources and put together -- mostly by BigKev -- as a reference to the size and details of the various engines by motor number. If your motor number does not start with the letter "F" as listed it is not the original motor.

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Alvaro, I assume you have no documentation for the car, and need to get a new title/registration for it, correct?

Or you are trying to confirm the car is the correct one for existing documentation?

Alvaro Negri,
to PackardInfo.

Trust you'll be able to regularise the documentation for your Packard.

I also invite you to include your '47 Clipper in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

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Exactly! I need the correct vehicle number to re-register with the Brazilian traffic department.

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Alvaro, check if this plate is still on your car. If so, register it with the number on the plate (circled).




If that plate or number is missing, I would register it with the 652298 number shown in your picture. It's not the "correct" number, but I think the department there would be happy with it as long as you don't tell them that.

The 298 number is the anti-theft number and could get you through but typically this number isn’t used for registration. What was the 515 number you posted? That looks closer to the type of number that Packard used, at lease on earlier cars.

The 1515-2455 number is from a 1942 car:

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The document the BigKev posted will also tell you if your car has the proper engine as it shows the range of numbers for that year and model.