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

On ebay there's a 1952 200 Deluxe 4 door that a guy cut off the roof on and is trying to sell as a ratrod convertible. Frankly, I have never seen a 1952 Packard 4 door convertible, nor am I impressed with the workmanship so far. To be perfectly frank, I am not in the market for the car but perhaps someone here might be. But I am curious as to whether you think this could be workable as a convertible (albeit inauthentic)or whether you would need to weld the top back or just treat it as a parts car. I know convertibles need special bracing for the body. Take a look and tell me what you think.52 Packard 4 door convertible?

Ken

IMHO the current bid of $202.50 or the current price for steel scrap is about what it's worth. Parting it out might bring a few dollars more if the trim and major components are decent and decently removed but to get that car in any kind of driveable shape would cost far more than one could ever expect to get back. With the main structural roof elements gone and the rust everywhere else, I think if the guy was smart, he'd remove the windshield before it gets broken (if not already), sell that, drivetrain, trim, dash and let the rest go. Not even sure the sheetmetal would be good enough to be worth the freight. If the gas tank is in decent condition, that alone might be worth more than the rest.

Thanks, Howard!
From a pure economic point of view I expect you are right. I am wondering if it could be done and what would have to be done and roughly how much it would cost to make a decent 4 door convertible from a 4 door sedan. Recognizing, of course, that it would not be authentic.
Ken

It would be feasible for a body on frame car like this to be a car with no top and a lot of cowl shake. To have an operable top would be a major operation, made harder by the way the top is hacked off. There is no place for top latches. Maybe the guy who did the Tucker convertible could do it

Thanks, BKazmer!
I seem to recall that after they quit making convertibles after 1976, I think it was, there were some firms that would custom make convertibles for you. I guess they would know how to do it. But if this particular car was cut in the best way to do that, I have no clue. It is going to take a richer and braver man than me to buy this car with any hope of making it into a 4 door convertible!
Ken

Hess and Eisenhart, ASC and others did the "factory chop jobs" you mention - the biggest part of the work was the bracing. Remember that this was factory paid engineering and tooling spread over a modest production run. It would be much smarter in my opinion to buy a 52 convertible coupe.

The one-off peach-colored Clipper convertible has been replicated, so it's possible, but the financial side of doing this with a hacked 52 sedan is truly frightening

Looks like we are looking at parts car status here. Too bad they took off the top.
Ken

I have done some research on what it would take to make a 4 door convertible. Not that it would be practical for an amateur to build a full blown convertible with working top. I was thinking more of a parade car for cheerleaders to ride on.

The best starting point would be a 4 door hardtop such as a big Buick or Chrysler from the sixties or seventies. They are already braced and have frameless windows.

Failing that, a 4 door Packard would work if you dispensed with the windows as well as the roof and built a modern touring car.

The first step would be to reinforce the frame and body. This must be done before cutting off the roof because as soon as you cut the body up, you lose strength and it starts sagging and bending out of line.

I would try to duplicate what the factory did to the convertible frame. Then, add long supports to the rocker panels and brace the door posts. Also, brace the cowl area.

Then you are free to cut off the roof. You will have to decide if you want to make a removable roof or strictly a fair weather car.

If you eliminate the roof, window frames and windows permanently it would be a wise idea to make a vinyl tonneau cover that covers the whole interior, and upholster the car in vinyl in case you get caught in the rain.

Of course you would need to make a padded seat for the cheerleaders where the package shelf used to be.

paint it a bright primary color, add a set of wide whitewalls and you have a car the mayor or the governor would be proud to be seen in.

If you hired a good bodyman it would cost $5OOO to $1OOOO for the conversion.

Rusty,
Sounds like you have put a lot of thought into it and have some good ideas about how to do it. Maybe some hope, if you have the skills and time or have a lot of money to put into it. Some auto body man might have some fun with a project like this.
Ken

I used to own a Lincoln 4-door convertible around 1960 vintage. It was a heavy road crusher. One feature nobody discussed yet is how to support the rear door hinges. As I recall my old Lincoln had "suicide" rear doors with hinges on the rear. If the door hinges are on the front of the rear doors there is no stiff structure to mount them on after you cut the top off of a sedan. I could see a person opening the rear door and having the overhung weight break the hinge post off. To avoid this on your new project start with a 4-door "hardtop" body where they already have a stiff post to hang the doors on (or a car with suicide rear doors).

I used to have a 73 Oldsmobile 4-door hardtop, and those rear door hinges were hung on a very heavy post between the doors, well braced into the lower body structure. That same post mounted the door strikers for the front doors. Even with all that bracing the huge heavy doors deflected a lot.