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

Am I correct that there were no manuals for the year '33? And if so, beyond the available "letters", what else is available? Russ with a 1002.

In addition to the individual service letters, Packard published books in at least 1930 and 1934 which contained the information from the service letters arranged by topic. These books were regularly updated by subject as new letters were issued. The books are called Reference Book of Mechanical Information and are very useful as they are easier to manage than the individual letters. In addition, there were periodic tool catalogs which are helpful as they show special tools and explain their function, which sometimes lets you know how something is put together or taken apart. Otherwise, not aware of any other technical publications other than owners manual and parts list.

Jim Wayman
640 Phaeton

Thanks, Jim, for that additional information. Where do I obtain the book(s) mentioned, "Reference Book of Mechanical Information.?" Russ

The "Reference Book of Mechanical Information" was not a Packard publication, at least in that format, but rather a compilation and reorganization of information from the individual service letters for the 7th thru 12th series. You can purchase it thru PAC (www.packardclub.org) online store. It's organized by category (body, brakes, chassis, etc). A slight downside is that with the promotional material and date/letter# information deleted and the entries consolidated, the missing context sometimes makes it a bit difficult to determine just which series/model is being referenced.

Also, older editions of secondary manuals like Motor's Manual, Chiltons, etc. can be very useful for mechanical servicing, specifications, and the like.

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There is also some of the Reference Book at the Packard Library.
thepackardlibrary.com/Service%20Dept.htm

Site also has various other info, some items which I don't think are found here. Good quality scans but downside is they are not pdf files so require you to get a plug-in (link on site) to view.

That's what I originally thought also, but I have an original version of the 1934 book and it is printed on the same paper as the service letters, not the kind of reprint paper that comes with the 7th thru 12th series book from PAC. I believe that PAC printed their version off of an original Packard publication. The pages in both versions I am aware of (7th thru 12th series and 1934 versions) don't correspond to the pages in the service letters as they are arranged by topic, not chronographically. My 1934 version is looseleaf and has tabs that correspond with the sections with the section titles printed on the tabs. It is also copyrighted 1934, which would indicate that it pre-dates
PAC.

Jim Wayman
640 Phaeton

Here is part of the 1934 Reference Book of Mechanical Information. Included are the front inside page and portions of the first section covering the BODY. Note that each of the first 8 pages of the BODY section is numbered with large numbers. The next 2 pages are in a different type with smaller numbers starting all over with page 1. My belief is that pages with the smaller print and smaller page numbers is the original and that the 8 pages in larger type are supplements issued later. Either that or someone a long time ago combined two editions into one. Each of the sections follows the same format.

Jim Wayman
640 Phaeton

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Found the answer. The pages in small print are the same as those included in the 7th thru 12th series version that you can get from PAC and are all original, indicating that PAC got ahold of an original and copied it. The large print pages are from a different version that covers a wide range thru the 14th series.

Jim Wayman
640 Phaeton

The format appears identical to that on the Packard Library site. Last body section entry is 5-1-42 there.