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

Who cares? Skip the car, and skip Electromatic.

Let's help this newbie,

not bury him in troublesome "ESSO terica" just because that's what you have or had. Or because you've got a car languishing in the garage.

Keep it simple.

Paul, skip this rusted out turkey. It's a nothing car. Instead, use this time to read, talk, learn u s e f u l information about a Packard you can readily service, maintain, and enjoy.

As previously explained, there are h u n d r e d s of nice junior eights w/ overdrive needing only new homes for a fraction...of what it'll cost to just do the rust repair, body and paint of the above rust bucket. Let alone chrome, rest of or complete interior, glass, wiper motor and other components, woodgrain, complete wiring harness, engine, perhaps radiator, brakes, painting or powder coating the wheels, new tires. We're not talking about a "show" car, whatever that means today. But a car neighbors and non-car people will ooh and aah. A car that won't let you down five or 15 or 50 miles from home.

Are the above posters flying to England to do the arduous work?

Packards are no different from any old car, Paul, other than using fine-threaded bolts where most get by with coarse, and here and there roller or needle bearings where other upper echelon automobiles did just fine with nothing or a plain bushing. Part of that may simply be insecurity and not having the money for an enormous engineering department able to deduce their real worth; a company in some ways, despite being run by ex-GM production men, yet retaining that tendril of over-engineering. Forties Packards had a chassis equal to anything from either side of the Atlantic or Channel. Their 1948-on 288 and 327 engines were good side-valve inline eights, but they harked to 1935. They should've been good L-head straight eights, Paul, because Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Chrysler, even Studebaker were about to introduce ohv V-8s.

Drive such a car as you're considering, even if a four-door, before buying anything.

Quote:

I won't argue as I expect everyone here is more knowledgeable than me, but I thought overdrive was required on the 23rd series. 81 now, long time since I was a teenager. Somewhere around 1960 I purchased the Electromatic parts from a salvage yard and added the feature to dad's Packard, that's the extent of my knowledge. I find this post interesting as dad's was a similar 2 door model. As best I remember the Electromatic system operated the clutch from a stop, but once rolling it was locked out and I was able to shift to second and third by way of the freewheeling feature of the overdrive.

Was it a great feature for driving, not particularly, more of a fun toy, yet I would consider it nice to have today, not for the driving but as a tidbit of automotive history.

‘ Somewhere around 1960 I purchased the Electromatic parts from a salvage yard and added the feature to dad's Packard, “

…….Having studied the service guide for the Electromatic clutch system , may I express my respect & admiration for having done this !

Well , I viewed the vehicle today.
Sad to say I won’t be buying it.
The predictions here were pretty spot-on.
The links to for-sale items showed some good value.
Again , many thanks.
Fingers crossed for a long-lost relative bequeathing a N American farm with a barn full of classic Packards.

There are plenty of fish in the sea! If you wanted help to get a car from this side of the pond, I'm sure there would be someone willing to help.

Here is a much nicer example of a "bathtub" era Club Sedan. This one is a 1948 model, so it is a 22nd series (1948-mid 1949). It is a Super Eight (Model No. 2275), so it has the larger and more powerful 327 CI engine. I had this exact same model of Packard many years ago and it was a lot of fun to drive and had plenty of power on the highway. Mine was not nearly as nice as this example. It is currently for sale in New York State, so at least it is on the East Coast and not halfway across the country somewhere. Not perfect, but a presentable driver and the interior is nice and super clean. Interior looks original and I recognize the pattern as being correct for a 22nd series Super Eight. May be pricey at $17,495, but it has been for sale for several months now with no takers, so the seller should be open to offers. And it is certainly not as overpriced as the one in England. I think I actually saw this car a number of years ago for sale in the Hershey flea market. If it is the same car, it is exceptionally nice as I was interested in buying it myself. But I had to pass as I could not take on another car at that point.

hemmings.com/listing/1949-packard-super- ... ign=autotempest_premium_classifieds