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

Hello all,is it necessary to remove the driveshaft from my 1952 Patrician before using a tow dolly? The car has been sitting for about 10 years covered in a garage. thanks in advance for any comments!

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I'm assuming that the car has an automatic and not a standard transmission.

There are several threads on here that address that issue. You can tow the car on it's rear wheels without the need to remove the drive shaft with some restrictions as to how far and at what speed.

My opinion here is, because the car has been sitting for so long, you would be far better off unhooking the drive shaft or towing the car with the rear wheels off the ground. The short answer, in my opinion, is Yes remove the drive shaft.

My 51 had been sitting about 10 years too. I was able to get it running so I figured if the car would move then the trans was ok for now and drove the car home.

Not that it matters anymore, but I had my '56 Patrician towed one time when it died for a distance of about 10 miles, before we pulled over and dropped the driveshaft.(at 60mph) It didn't hurt it and I actually think it ended up helping it some. But yes, I'd drop the driveshaft from the rear end and wire it to the side for anything further than 10 miles.

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G'day fzhv00,
See you've been a PackardInfo member for a while but seeing this is your first post - Also, could you please include your '52 Patrician in the Owner Registry, together with a pic, any known history and how you acquired it?

I would disconnect the drive shaft. I had my car towed (was drivable) for 30 miles. When it got to my house, the trans was smoking. I don't know if it was because there was not enough fluid (must have had some if it would drive), or they didn't take it all the way out of gear, but had to get it rebuilt.

51Packard,

That was an expensive tow job.
I would take your disconnect recommendation (and others) very seriously.

What do you think, fzhv00?

DanL

I would be making the towing company pay for the trans rebuild if I was you.

The "towing company" was a couple of foreigners who loaded the car on a dolly and towed it with a '70's Monte Carlo. We were in a shadier side of Chicago and it was getting dark so we were ready to get out of there. The guy we were buying the car from couldn't find anyone willing to take the car as far as we needed to go. I planned on having the trans rebuilt anyway, but not that soon. Pretty big blow for an 18 year old, plus I think I got ripped off on the rebuild... but that's another story.

Hey, thanks to all of you for your supportive advice! This is a great forum! I was lucky enough to find a friend of a friend with a car hauler that was kind enough to let me use for a couple of days so it all worked out in the end. Again, thank you guys for the help. Will have the car registered and pics up on the site soon!