Packard Forum Index » Modification Discussion

I hear you guys and agree. Unfortunately it's his car and he set on doing this. Wants to drive the car cross country and back on a regular basis (coast to coast). His thinking is small chevy will be easier to find parts for on the road. Thanks and good luck to all in the new year

Perhaps someone removed the anti-slip pad from his bathtub?

I still think the small Chevy is the wrong motor for this car. There's plenty of parts availability for other V8's. If he want's longetivity with less wear and tear and long miles between issues, a big block Chevy or a Pontiac/caddy/olds would still be the better way to go, BY FAR.

With a 400 or 455 pontiac block and about 5K into a motor total, you can have about 400-450 horses and about 550-600 ft lbs of torque (which a packard needs, torque)....All at or below 5500 rpm. Try that in a small block. And that's not to even working that motor that hard. On a budget you could build that motor for about 3k.

Couple that with some decent rear gearing and a 200r4 or 700r4 and you'd have quite the long distance cruiser. With a quadrajet (not edelbrock or holley, has to be spreadbore) built by a real professional, you could be getting well into the mid 20's OR MORE for fuel mileage.

The low RPM powerhouse would be much better than a higher RPM, more radical small block for almost the same price.

Edit: Autozone and Advanced auto and the like still stock parts for pontiac and olds and caddy V8s, they're not outdated or odd or un-available.

Most of your parts that fail on the road (ignition modules, alternators, power steering pumps, etc) are shared across GM brands anways, and even if a starter or water pump went (you should get well over 100,000 miles NO PROBLEM on a correctly built moderate pontiac motor) they usually have them the next day.

I don't see a SBC offering any advantage over the other gm divisions that built their motors for cars in the weight class of the packard. But i do see disadvantages.

Big Blocks, ANY of them may not fit under the hood of casrs with pontoon type fenders due to the relatively narrow hoods, like the 37 in question. As for parts availabilty i doubt that any of the other GM V8's (including BB Chev) are as plentiful as the SBC parts NOT to mention PRICE especialy of Cadillac parts.

The 37 probably has a real short axle ratio that will accomodate the SBC just fine.

As i analyse the 37 owners requirements he just wants a good engine to drive as a luxury car, not a drag racer, towing vehicle thru the rockies or race car or something to get him gold star on his forehead at a car meet. And he doesn't want to pay big block prices for unnecessary torque that is great for twisting frame members and axles out from under the car.

The "1" thing that is forgotten on this post as in many others is the car is "HIS so let"s respect the choices he has made. As I see it he will have a Packard on the road and out of the garage even if he chooses wind power.

I've never driven a 37 Packard. But i've driven a few other 30's and 40's Prewar cars off and on. If the Packard is like the buicks and Chyslers of the 30's and early 40's (EXCEPT Hudson) then then the car may experience tremendous body roll at 60+ mph on Interstate interchange curves.

Maybe some of the more experienced prewar Packard owners can refute or confirm my warning. IF so, then the suspension of the Packard may need to be tied down a bit or maybe a lot for high speed I'state operation in the realm of 60-80 mph.

edit: probably have to reverse the caster setting to so that the king pins are angling back toward the driver instead of the toward the front of the car.

Hopefully, the owner of this 37 will keep us posted on his progress and findings.

I agree it's the owner's car to do with as he pleases. I wouldn't worry about the handling - the 15 x 6 alloys and Camaro sub-frame will handle it. Let's hope it was a 115C.

Let's hear what the owner has to say! ANYONE else in this forum planning multiple cross country trips in their show winning Packards WITHOUT a convoy of other classic car owners and chase vehicles????? GUFWAH Hah ha ha ha ha ha .

Maybe the owner has already tried long distance with the original engine. Maybe there were problems. LEts hear what he has to say first. WE ALL mite learn something from it.

There are any number of possibilities as why he wants an engine swap. Sounds like a great experiment to me. I hope he joins us. New blood is always welcome. Otherwise we might wind up like Chrysler Corp.

Anyone who would chose any prewar car for a coast to coast trip must be nuts. I say this with all due respect to the 37 Packard and its owner.

Even the cheapest late model car would be better in every way.

Does he plan to "motor" as if it was 1937 and enjoy the nostalgia kicks? If so the original engine is capable of making the trip if it is in good shape.

Does he want to drive it like any late model car? If so he will need to change a lot more things than the engine. To the point where it would be easier and cheaper to get a newer car.

I see this project ending in a disappointed owner with an empty bank account and a ruined Packard unless there is a lot more to the story than what we have been told.

In 1937 your Packard was capable of a coast to coast trip, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers could dance all day and Joe Louis could beat your brains out.

Today, not so much. Age has a way of creeping up on us. Your Packard may not be ready for a pine box but there is such a thing as metal fatigue and the march of progress.