|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
 
|
You can spend a lot of money on disc brakes and such, and end up lowering the value of the car to no good end. I'd stay way from 12 volts, disc brakes, coilovers, etc. The engine looks like someone may have done, or attempted, an in-frame overhaul. The engine may be good to go, or not. These cars were very competent when new, and one that is in good condition is fully roadworthy today. The engine was factory balanced and equipped with a forged steel crankshaft, full pressure lubrication, and full insert bearings.
Posted on: 2023/11/16 19:31
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I wouldn't sandblast the chassis or much of anything else. If you're going to drive the car, there's not much to gain by painting the chassis and suspension.
Driving the car will soon destroy the paint. Driving the car will also soon do away with light surface rust, and the car will look about the same underneath with a few thousand miles on it, painted or not. I've pulled many old cars out of old junkyards and got them running, and the underside, with the exception of old, hard grease, always cleans up nicely from road grit and the normal under car environment when on the road. Body rust, if present, can be dealt with as needed, if needed. All new original style wiring is available, and all dash units can be restored to look and function as-new. A show car is one thing, a driver is another. A driver can be put in good order for far less than a show car, and look very nearly as good and probably perform better.
Posted on: 2023/11/16 19:46
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
That car looks to me like someone spent a lot of money on paint and chrome and perhaps refinishing the dash and metal trim inside. It looks like the glass is all good. It looks like it may have a new cloth headliner installed. It's doesn't need ripped apart. It needs what was started to be finished. Brakes normally leak off fluid and need repaired after a car sits for years. Parts are available to do that. You may find that the brakes are in good shape except for the rubber cups and boots.
I don't know what to think of that green paint, but the engine doesn't care what color it is. FWIW, the paint on the engine block may be original. That block is a nickle-iron alloy, not common grey iron.
Posted on: 2023/11/16 19:58
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
I'm also a learner and continue to benefit from the advice of others on this site. I read a lot of posts not directly related to me as often the trick of one car helps with another. I haven't formally started a project thread but will soon. Hopefully my slow progress won't seem to boring for others.
Posted on: 2023/11/16 22:11
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just can't stay away
|
I think maybe some people here are from further down south and not as familiar with rust. This car could really use a good sandblasting and paint underneath. I couldn't care less about grease. That only serves as a rust inhibitor! lol
The previous work on this car is just lipstick on a pig so it looks good on the outside from a 20 feet away. Also, I can't fathom repiecing the entire dash/cluster back to how it was originally. It's a mess and 90% of it is missing as this car bounced around a few different owners in its current state with each person losing/selling parts off of it. I would need a donor car with a complete dash to figure out how to make it right/original. My best guess on the oil pan and valve cover paint is that the engine was worked on/overhauled at some point in the distant past. I don't think any of the recent previous owners actually removed the pan, because the top of the bolts are still caked in grease... They haven't been unbolted as far as I can tell. Someone just wiped it clean, it looks like. I soaked the cylinders in Marvel and plan to try to run the engine this weekend just for a moment with starter fluid. Going to rig up a battery, 12v coil, solenoid, push button starter, change the oil, and see if she'll fire. I'll crank it by hand first, and hook up an oil pressure gauge when I try to crank the starter. The goal is to make this a nice restomod. Maybe I shouldn't post here about it too much if it's ruffling too many feathers. Attach file:  IMG_7124.jpg (431.82 KB) IMG_7119.jpg (533.80 KB) IMG_7128.jpg (401.37 KB) IMG_7127.jpg (421.82 KB)
Posted on: 2023/11/18 13:19
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Please feel free to do anything you want with your car, it's yours!
I know that you are anxious to see if it runs, but really...why? There is no hurry right? I know it may not be winter where you are, but at any rate the days are getting short and it is a good time to putter away inside until the spring brings in the nicer weather. In the meantime do a nice careful disassembly of the main engine parts that will allow you to achieve a nice running unit once all things are in place. So what if you get it running now to simply hear it go knowing there is no way you would drive it like that. You are not needing this car Monday to go to work. Relax and enjoy a calm and directed approach to bringing an 80+ year old car back to life. It WILL run, these old flatheads are pretty much guaranteed to do so unless you see a con-rod sticking out the side of the block! Pull the carb, water pump, starter, generator, master/wheel cylinders and radiator off and send them all out for rebuild. Pull the head off and remove the valves so you can thoroughly clean them and their seats along with the cylinder head's combustion chamber. Order new spark plugs, points, condenser, oil filter, coil, plug wires, battery, cap and rotor so the ignition side is good. Pull the gas tank and get it dunked. blow out the fuel lines while it and the pump are off. Run new cables/wires to the starter from the battery. Run new wires for the ignition and starter, brake/tail lights, headlights/signal lights. While all that is going on, redo the brake shoes and replace the brake lines. Check the drums for wear and resurface if necessary. Inspect wheel bearings/seals. Free up the emergency brake cables. Drain and replace the transmission and differential fluids. Then when the rebuilt parts come in 6 months or so later you reassemble, put in new oil and water and dump some fuel in the carb and hear her fire up easily and take her safely for a spin. Then you have a car, not just an engine that runs (poorly) with no confidence in the rest of the machine. Have fun! Bob J. Attach file: Engine-1a.JPG (460.65 KB) Engine complete dr side 1.JPG (403.10 KB)
Posted on: 2023/11/18 15:25
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just can't stay away
|
Quote:
Hi Bob. Thanks for your response! I totally agree with your approach, which is why I want to take the body off the frame and do things right the first time. Yes, I'm going to go through the engine properly of course and likely remove it completely from the vehicle, especially if I separate the body from the frame. I'm just curious for fun to see if she will fire. If it really wants to run well, I may just do a full tune up on the engine (new water pump, 12v generator, carb kit, etc..) and maybe see if the transmission works..No brakes, so that could be a little dicey lol If it actually runs/drives decent, then maybe I'll update all the brakes and take it for a maiden voyage before deciding on pulling the body off, etc. Right now is the exciting part of a project before a million problems are discovered and the frustration sets in lol!
Posted on: 2023/11/18 16:22
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Home away from home
|
Any pics of the frame?
Posted on: 2023/11/18 18:48
|
|||
|
||||
|
Re: Just bought a 1941 Packard 120 - Considering a frame off resto
|
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Just can't stay away
|
Well I didn't get far...The engine is stuck.
I turned it maybe half way and it stopped. Turned it the other direction and same thing. I didn't want to put a huge breaker bar on it yet, so I'll get some more fluid to soak in it. I used over a bottle of marvel mystery oil, but only soaking 2 days probably wasn't long enough...
Posted on: 2023/11/18 21:02
|
|||
|
||||
