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Hey everyone, I'm still having troubles getting the title of my packard that I've had for 6 months now. It's a 1953 Patrician 400.

Okay to start things off I have an issue where I can't open the driver side door to get the VIN / ID number, I broke the ghetto rigged lock when cleaning it one day (don't ask how). I'm still figuring out the way Packard classified the VIN number to at least get myself in the ball park of the correct VIN number. But I have to have a VIN inspection done, so does anyone know another VIN location or a way to open the door when the lock is broke (I tried opening it from the inside already), or if theres a way to undo the door trim in order for me to fix the lock.

But I found a registration ticket from 02/31/1955 in the glove box! It's from California, and it has ID/engine number (L602939) and a seperate body number (SDPA2652). Could one of these be the VIN used in 1980's?

1980's was the last time it was registered, so could that still be the VIN in the records or could it have changed.

Any and all help and guidance is much appreciated, and please respond asap! Feel free to email me at stephen.colt.armstrong@gmail.com too!

The "2652" is the body (vehicle) number. It can be found both on the plate on the driver's door post AND on the body tag on the firewall (passeger side) under the hood. That plate (which is the Briggs Manufacturing plate) is about 1 x 2 inches, and should start out reading 2652-____.

The only absolutely certain way to recover the original VN is to get the door open to see the tag; during the interal 1951 thru 1954 the Briggs number usually (but not always) matched the VN, unlike the period up thru 1950 where they only matched perhaps 25% of the time. The reason for mismatch is related to body delivery and inventory rotation as related to the order the cars were actually finished in production. The VN consisted of a first set of 4 digits which identified the year, chassis and body type (2652 = 1953 Patrician) followed by the sequential production number beginning with 2001; thus the first 1953 Patrician would have been 2652-2001 and the last 2652-9457.

Calif is one of the states that used the engine number for registration. If still the same engine and with your paperwork showing it, that may help a lot in verifying you have the same car. I would almost bet the SDPA stands for Sedan, Packard 2652 and was just a description.

Some places will now use the stamped body number or "thief proof" number when re-registering as that is the only permanent non removable ID on the car. If the inspector will confirm you have the same car, perhaps that number can be the one to newly register in your state.

Thanks so much guys, I guess I really need to get that flipping driver door open :/

The car is to be registered in Kentucky, so I'm hoping they can use the body number and match up. Hopefully this inspector knows a few things about cars so maybe I can "persuade" him to use the stamped body code.

But if you guys had to guess as what was used in the 80's for the registration in kentucky would you say its the actually code in the door jam?


Side note: Anyone know how to get the door panel off with the door closed??

No way that I know of short of destroying it.

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Meh! :( I was worried about that... :(

I don't know if this will work on a Packard as I've never had your problem and I'm not sure if it will work. However, I once got into an old Lincoln buy partially removing the left front fender to access the door hinge bolts. It's sort of like removing the hinge pins on a locked door in a house when the key has been lost. It might be worth a try.

Unfortunately, that won't work on a Packard because all the hinge bolts are either inside the jamb on the cowl side or under the panel on the door side. Striker and lock assy is same way--screw heads are on the jamb side.

Since the window trim molding has to unscrew and then lift up and out to remove the panel, the door has to be open. Without that off, the only way to remove the panel is to just cut it because it also has to pull out to clear spring clips and up to clear the arm rest bracket and then out again to have the spring clips clear their holes. With the windlace, doorframe, seat and all in the way, that won't happen without some destruction. The way the upholstery wraps around the panel, I can't think of a way to loosen that enough to access the panel near the latch for an access hole either.

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Thanks for the input both of you. See I don't see why it won't unlock by turning the handle or using the key, because all it was is the little lock/unlock pin trim came out, I don't see how that would interfere with the mechanism working.

Oh well I will monkey around with it all night tonight if I have to and hopefully bring some insight to all in this matter.