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

I have a 1950 Packard, all original, rough shape but runs and drives. Its been ready for a body off resto. It has the usual bad places these cars have, trunk, quarters, and rockers need completelly redone. I found a nice parts car that has almost none of these problems.My idea was to buy that and use the body shell only and everything else from mine. My car has been in the family since new, it was my grandmothers car. Some friends of mine are telling me it wont be the same car ??

Psssh...this is one of those "its how you look at it" questions.

If you change the motor, it's the heart of the car, is it not the same car? Most would say it's the same car

What about just fenders and hood? That's half the car you can see? Most would say it's the same car. What about the same frame but change EVERYTHING else? some would say the same car, some wouldn't.

My dad has a 69 gto convertible that has deteriorated to rust. He wants to restore it one day and i said just buy another, and sell yours/use it for parts. You could have THREE gto's for the cost of restoring this one, and this one wouldn't be as nice.

His answer? It wouldn't be the same car he drove around in when he was younger and had memories in it.

my answer? Move your shift knob and steering wheel to a new car, call it a "total restoration" and make memories in the new one that's running vs the old one that will never get done.

It's all perspective.


I don't ever advise moving vin plates and id plates between vehicles because that's illegal and i'm a law abiding citizen.

If the car isn't registered in ohio/last owner in ohio, when you title it they'll want to check it and will see the vin doesn't match and it's a whole ordeal.

Get the rusty one registered and plated in ohio if it hasn't been yet, then make changes and fixes and don't feel that you HAVE to maybe accidentally forget which plate went where on what car, and it ends up matching what your registration says now.

Finally:

Change the body and save yourself time, effort, and lots of money OR have the naysayers contribute to the project with time, money, and effort.

Hey, that looks almost like my '48!

I couldn't agree more with cortcomp. Keep the sentimental bits- ash tray contents, the rusted old coffee can you used to pee in on long trips when you were a kid- and replace the bad stuff with the better. It will still be the same car. Just like a person, you can replace body parts, but the soul remains.

I still have my old axe from my childhood- it's had two new heads and new four handles but it's still my good old axe.

I have my gradfather's car. He bought it new in '49. It's not running since '58. It has the same rust issues.

I plan on repairing the rotted areas. (as I don't have space for another Packard to tear parts off of. ...already have two) The engine is free, and I plan on rebuilding it. I will replace the interior.

As the interior and paint will be new, and the body and engine will be the original, I would think of it as the original car. (Please don't read that as "original condition")

We are/were both cheap and enjoyed doing things ourselves.
I will do as much as I can, including the engine rebuild.

If it throws a rod or seizes up, I gave it my best.

...just my thoughts and intention.

Mark

There is nothing more expensive than sentiment. And a waste of time and resources. I have made an internal decision to turn down customers in the future who ask me fix a pig as there is a pointed lack of satisfaction in pretending a mass produced automobile is intrinsically more valuable by dint of long association.

I would point out that Packard (and Studebaker) considered the complete body shell as a part, and they were available for purchase at you local dealer at least during the year of original manufacture. If you have a chance to install a better part on your car, by all means do it. IMHO

Thanks for your opinions. I agree, I think it would still be the same car.I would still be steering, sitting on my grandmothers seats,pushing the same buttons my grandmother did. I would literally only use the naked body shell. Everything else including frame, engine, suspension, dash would be from my original car. This saves me from fabricating all that sheetmetal to basically stripping/blasting and finising.I was out here looking at my packard and when its all back together all you see of the shell is the roof and 1/4's basically.I just finished a resto on a 49 Buick and I could cut YEARS off this one this way.THis parts car is complete, slightly disassembled so I would have many parts for sale.

Thanks
grandmaspackard (Al)