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Re: 443: Custom 8 or standard 8?
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Home away from home
 
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From what I understand, there is very little difference between the Custom and the Standard 443. Even the body numbers are the same. Customs had sidemount spare tires and a wider range of color options. The Standard Catalog says the Custom was pricier, but then lists the base price on them both as being the same. So, basically, it appears that you bought a Standard, and if you ordered special color and sidemounts, you turned it into a Custom Eight.
Posted on: 2023/3/10 8:17
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West Peterson
1940 Packard 1808 w/Factory Air 1947 Chrysler Town and Country sedan 1970 Camaro RS packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4307&forum=10 aaca.org/ |
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Re: 443: Custom 8 or standard 8?
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Home away from home
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Spencer B,
Beautiful Packard you have there
Posted on: 2023/3/10 8:57
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Re: 443: Custom 8 or standard 8?
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Quite a regular
 
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The Kimes book, which I’ve also studied before coming here with this question, gives some additional information without actually answering how to differentiate between the two models. I’ll quote at length here as I think it includes clues but by my read no clear answers:
Quote: “When the 443 debuted it was with the two fender-mounted spares as regular equipment but without provisions for optional rear-mounted spares. Requests for the latter must have been numerous, as an additional catalogue in March 1928 introduced the 443 “Standard Models” with them*….Interior trim was simpler, body color selections were limited to “a broad selections of beautiful combinations” - but not as broad as the other 443’s. As Alvan McCauley wrote his stockholders, the new Packards were ‘standard in design and therefore lower in cost.’” Kimes also details lower prices for the standard models (with significant rolling discounts as the model year progressed). While informative none of it really gets to the nub of my question of how to differentiate between the two models, if that is even possible. * It’s unclear to me on this point whether Kimes is saying that the rear mounted spares were only optional, or standard, on the standard models. I think the more plausible read is that rear mounted spares were optional on standard 8 443s but unavailable on Custom 8s.
Posted on: 2023/3/10 12:50
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Re: 443: Custom 8 or standard 8?
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Home away from home
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If the Turnquist book is accurate, sounds like you need to find your body number, but I can't tell you where to find that. Start by checking underneath your passenger seat.
Posted on: 2023/3/10 15:34
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West Peterson
1940 Packard 1808 w/Factory Air 1947 Chrysler Town and Country sedan 1970 Camaro RS packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=4307&forum=10 aaca.org/ |
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Re: 443: Custom 8 or standard 8?
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Just can't stay away
 
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Thanks for putting the pictures up that is certainly a beautiful car!
Posted on: 2023/3/11 7:21
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Re: 443: Custom 8 or standard 8?
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Quite a regular
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Hey just thought I’d let folks know, I did eventually figure out the answer to this question with help from a member here who reached out to me. The earlier discussion about body numbers (312 for Custom 8 Runabout vs 382 for the Eight Runabout) was correct. I eventually found the number (with the help of this member) under the rumble seat pictured below. As you’ll see it is in fact an Eight, not a Custom 8, and the number (382-118), along with a September 1928 original sales date, would make me believe it was probably very late in the run for the Fourth Series.
Attach file:  29027159-D543-49DC-9A6E-7124AB097084.jpeg (490.72 KB)
Posted on: 2023/4/30 22:27
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