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

Hi
Many thanks for letting me join. Am in the UK.
Have had a look around the forum , and am amazed at the volume of resources available, the literary archive and kindly advice are remarkable.
So , am moderately aware of the joys / pitfalls of running older vehicles ( 40 yrs of older Land Rovers , couple yrs of 1956 Sunbeam 90 mk 3 ) , and have recently had my heart strings tugged by “ 1949 PACKARD DELUXE EIGHT COUPE “

Will try to add link to advert :
ebay.co.uk/itm/405228981042?mkcid=16&mke ... &var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Have found a lot of info , but still have some queries. I understand that vehicle identification numbers may help with this , if I get to view the car I will add.
My questions , if I may ;
Expected mpg ?
Comfortable cruise speed ? ( no overdrive ).
Best fuel in UK has 5% ethanol , that ok / lead additive required ?
Car advert does not specify whether overdrive is fitted ….is no overdrive ok ? ( another buying-advice thread here seemed to suggest that buying a car without overdrive was a mistake )

Any advice re what-to-check at vehicle inspection gratefully recieved. Am ok with welding minor rust repair as shown in advert .
Spares seem to be available (?) , I appreciate that post & import duty can add around 50% .
Lastly , just to check , the UK isn’t perhaps where the problem cars that Americans wouldn’t buy get sent ?!
Thanks

14 mpg fast driving, 20 mpg slow driving.

60-65 MPH

American fuel/carb parts are made up to 10% ethanol so anything 0-10% is ok. I would use lead substitute.

No overdrive you should keep up with the lorries on the dual carriageway. If you want to drive all over the island though you will want overdrive.

There's not too much about these that is special in terms of operation. You will want to take it to a mechanic who is familiar with cars of this era. If it runs drives and stops with no strange noises, fluids look OK, etc., there's not much that can hide, more than any other car of this era.

Parts for these are very common in the USA but rare in the UK. As long as the major mechanical systems are OK, it won't be too much of a problem to get parts shipped to you.

Considering that shipping to the UK is thousands of dollars I don't see why anyone would do this. The interior in that car looks to be a very nice original, which would be more expensive to repair than minor rust or mechanical problems.

- if the mechanic has any questions be sure to just ask here, we will have answers.

The interior appears original , but the cloth is not one I recognize being used. Can anybody else comment? I’ve seen houndstooth and stripe, both in wool


Starter is a button under the gas pedal with a vacuum switch on the carburetor. Check that this works. Transverse fifth shock in the rear. Whistling gas tank. As said, pretty straightforward mechanically with good mechanical part availability in US

If it’s the Carter CarStarter, there is no button under the pedal. The switch is entirely on the carburetor and actuated by the linkage when pressing the pedal to the floor. The switch is purely mechanical but once the engine starts, there is a ball that is lifted up by vacuum to keep the starter from actuating again when pressing the pedal down hard.

Just had a look at the photos and not sure if that’s an overdrive lockout under the dash or if it’s the cowl vent handle but I think it’s the latter. I did notice, however, that the car has ElectroMatic Clutch. When working it does all the clutch work for you but apparently finicky and hard to get working although in the event it does not work, you just leave it alone and do your own clutch.

Thank you Don for your correct description of the starter/carb. It’s been a while since I sold my ‘49

Appears to have an overdrive switch on the dash. Not sure what the switch next to the steering column is for. Looks like electromatic hardware under the hood.

Thanks very much for all the advice & info.
The vendor does seem to import various older American vehicles.
Will hopefully view car during the week.
May I ask , would the car originally have indicators / trafficators / turn signals ?
Am off to research ElectroMatic clutch.

Dad purchased one very similar when I was young, later I drove it in high school.

Looks like an overdrive knob just to the right of the steering wheel.

Georgia speed limit was 60, no expressways in those days although I was known to push that on occasion.

I think I remember gas mileage in the 12 to 14 range. Dad always purchased AMACO high test, which was not leaded, no expert, but don't see why unleaded gas would be an issue for you.

Yes it had turn signals originally.

Manual:
packardinfo.com/xoops/html/modules/archi ... ntent.php?op=&catID=15&ContentID=29

Quote:

Hi PaulUK,

I'll add my 2 cents. (I have a 53 Cavalier with the 327 and Ultramatic.)

You'll be able to cruise around very comfortably and while the car will be able to keep up on the dual carriageways, I generally avoid them. When I'm out in my Packard I'm not in a hurry! I find that 55-60 mph is a "nice" cruising speed in my car.

I just got 21 mpg (Imperial) out of my car on a 210 mile road trip. This was after a fuel pump and carburetor rebuild and driving across the flat prairies of Western Canada. All that to say the fuel economy of these big ol' cars is not great, but it is not awful either and doesn't prevent me from taking my car on road trips.

I was running premium fuel in my car, with an ethanol neutralizer, but this summer have been running regular (87 octane) with a fuel neutralizer and it runs just as well. I will continue running regular.

If you go to look at the car, have a closer look at the "minor" rust. There is ALWAYS more than what you can see. If you go have a look at the car get underneath and have a look at the floor pan braces, inner rockers, etc. What looks like just a couple of floor pan patches may require much more extensive work. Which doesn't sound like it's a problem for you, just something to be aware of so you know what you're getting into and that you pay an appropriate price for the car.

Parts are certainly available for these cars, in the US. It's expensive for me in Canada to get parts out of the US, and even more so for you.

My experience has been, and I am not a mechanic, only mechanically inclined, that these cars are rather simple and easy to work on. They are also very well made, so many components, even 75 years later can be rebuilt and kept in service.

The car is priced high compared to what it would cost in NA, but I have no idea what it would cost to get a car from the US to the UK, that is, if you wanted one that required less work, which you may, or may not want.

The car is running and depending on what maintenance has been done, I would guess that little by little you will end up going through all the systems, cleaning and rebuilding them to make the car reliable. (Generator, starter, voltage regulator, fuel pump, fuel tank, carburetor, brakes, bearings, cooling system, etc. etc.)

I think an important question is what kind of car do you want? What I mean is some guys like to own and drive their cars, but repairing or rebuilding them is not what they're looking for. This car is a project, it's LOTS of projects! If that's what you enjoy it will be a great car/hobby for you. Also what do you want to end up with when you're "done"? Do you want a nice driving car that maybe has few imperfections, or do you want a highly finished show car? If the latter, you may want to start with something in better condition.

Let us know what you find if you go have a look!