Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Hi,

I live in the UK and am looking at buying a 1938 Packard Eight from Belgium, this is the link to the advert:-

oldtimerfarm.be/en/off-market/7632/packard-eight-saloon-38.php

The dealer hasn't been able to give me any ID numbers and there doesn't appear to be a Serial Number plate on the firewall so I haven't been able to identify the exact model.
I have got the engine number, B303944, and using the information on this site that would date it to 1939?
The car is right hand drive and the dealer says it is probably from New Zealand, is this possible?
What would be the expected mpg and comfortable cruising speed for this type of car?
I do own several classic cars but none of this type or size so are there any specific issues I should be looking for when I inspect the car?
Any advice will be much appreciated.

MPG something like 15, cruising speed about 55 mph tops. MPG will be higher if you drive more like 40 mph.

The prior post was referring to US gallons, not Imperial

Wasn’t 1938 the year Packard used a decal instead of a metal number plate? It is rare for these to have survived.
Packard had an assembly plant in Canada where many of the RHD models destined for Commonwealth countries were made to take advantage of more favorable export laws

Hi rhide. I took a look at the photos and agree that it is a lovely car. It appears that someone spent quite a bit of money on it to make it this nice.

Regarding model number, this car is a 1938 Eight Touring Sedan, Chassis No. 1601 and Body No. 1192. It has a 282 CI straight eight rated at 120hp and a 127-inch wheelbase. This is a one of the smaller Junior Series Packards. The Junior eight-cylinder car was labeled as the Packard Eight for 1938 only. For 1939, the model's name was changed back to the 120 which had been used for the 1935 through 1937 models. 1938 was the first year for the all-steel body in the Junior Packards.

I have owned two 1938 Packards in the past and properly identifying them can be an issue because for this model year only, Packard, for some reason, decided to use a decal instead of the usual metal data plate which bore the vehicle's serial number, dealership where sold and date of delivery. The information would be stamped on the decal with an ink stamp. Unfortunately, this decal, being situated on the firewall, often quickly deteriorated or got stripped off or painted over during a subsequent restoration as appears to be the case with this particular car. This can create significant issues when registering one of these cars with your Department of Motor Vehicles. One of the '38's I owned was restored from a very low mileage original car and the restorer, being a Packard expert, carefully masked off the original decal before repainting the car. On my other '38, the decal was long gone, but it was a project car, and I ended up selling it without ever getting it registered for road use. Not sure how registration is being handled for this car, but I would definitely want to discuss with the dealer and possibly with the local motor vehicle authorities before proceeding.

The fact that the engine serial begins with a "B" indicates that this is not the original engine for the car as the serial number for a 1938 engine would begin with an "A". Not uncommon for these cars to have had engine replacements over the years and there is virtually no difference between a '38 and a '39 282 Eight engine. But the car is definitely a '38 as identified by the following features unique to 1938:

Dash is painted silver. Only year for this as other model years had wood grained dashboards.
Chrome moulding on the windshield center bar extends up into the roofline.
Exposed chrome trunk lid hinges.
Round jewels on the upper part of the rear taillight housings. These were eliminated for 1939.
Accessory Banjo Steering wheel is the correct one for 1938. The 1939 banjo wheel was different.
Car has floor shifter. This was available by special order in 1939, but I have never actually seen one so equipped. 1939 being the first year for the column shift, what Packard called "Handi shift". (not so handy in my opinion; my '39 Six has column shift and I really hate it).

This car also has the accessory side mount spare tires with the correct covers. This is a highly desirable option, though it can make routine servicing a bit more difficult. You might have to remove the spares to do some operations, and this can be a chore.

Hope this information is of help. If everything checks out and you do decide to buy this car, I think you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it. This is certainly a Packard you can be proud to own.

I agree, Cane Shift > Handi Shift

G'day rhide,
to PackardInfo.

If you end up getting this Packard, I invite you to include it in PackardInfo's Packard Vehicle Registry.

Thank you very much, this is very helpful. I'm hoping to go over and see the car in a couple of weeks so I will let you know how I get on.

The FIRST thing you have to ask yourself....How do I anticipate using this car?
1. If you are looking for a 'trailer queen' to just show the car, just nit-pick the car to determine the quality of the restoration.
2. IF you want to enjoy driving this car, INSIST on taking it for a 50 mile ride on thruways and country back roads to PROVE it will do what you expect.
Make certain it will GO and will STOP!...but especially that it will not overheat.
I have heard too many sad stories about beautiful cars that just do not run right.

Forewarned is forearmed!

Bob

The pictures of this car look like it is a gorgeous Packard. In going throught the photo gallery on it, my impression was that it was black or very dark blue. The shots of the engine well show a fairly light blue. Anbody else find that odd? Chris.

Rhide, you're getting sound advice from all the above. Have a mechanic put it up on a lift, check it out, drive it at least 15 miles once warm, accelerate, then take your foot off the gas pedal, make sure there's no smoke visible in your rear view mirror. Perhaps the mechanic can perform a compression test, certainly check vacuum. Cheap preventive measure.
If engine, drivetrain sound, and it looks as good as the pictures in person, the price fair, buy it. Here in the States, the stringent Consumer Reports gave the Packard One Twenty (called Eight in 1938) or its Clipper counterpart their Best Buy rating every year from 1938-47 besting all others in its price class, and that included Buick Century, Chrysler, Hudson, Cadillac LaSalle and other smart eights.

Packard never built a better car at thrice the price. In fact, all Packards from 1939-on (other than 446 largely leftover Twelves) were based on the One Twenty. "Cane" or floorshift is simple as it gets, and adds to the vintage charm. Column shift debuting '39 is more complex in Packards than other cars, and if not adjusted on the button, would hang up between first and second gear.
In 1940, some Packard dealers even gave customers a pair of white gloves and small hammer to deal with it. Yes, really.

Imagine England, being 4,000 square miles smaller than our New York state, being largely winding roads, more pleasing driving in old automobiles. A 120 is a splendid pottering car, but will cruise 60 readily, top speed for your car about 84. If you can buy it cheap enough and it turns out you'll be doing more highway driving than expected, you can add overdrive. Get the R11 unit that came out in late 1948. It is slightly simplified, there are more of them, so it is cheaper. Can't think of another single major change to make in such a wonderful car.

The one you're looking at is a doll. Just make sure the engine was soundly, thoroughly rebuilt by having a mechanic experienced with old cars examine it as above. I owned a 1940 One-Twenty from 1974-83, and they are a dream to drive; better ergonomics than the '47 Super Clipper i now own. It is a simple matter to add seatbelts.

Again, have it checked out mechanically thoroughly. It appears to have a new wiring harness, which is good. Looks sound underneath. So it comes down to engine and driveline. Remember, skip the hobby/classic palaver. You're buying a used car. Proceed accordingly.

All best,

Jeckyll