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

Hi, my name is Chad. I've just recently purchased a nice 1937 120 Sedan. Seems to run fairly well. I have many questions. I'm a car guy all my life, but have never owned anything as early as this. My first question, do these cars use a pressurized cooling system? My radiator cap I'm sure is incorrect. It seems just like a gas cap, and doesn't seal at all, so as soon as the car warms up, it pukes coolant out of the top of the radiator. I didn't see any overflow tube, so I wasn't sure if they used a pressurized system. Where can I get a correct cap? Second, am I correct in reading the owners manual, this wonderful 8 cyl engine only produces 38HP? Really? The car drives pretty nice, I'm impressed for it's age. Where can I get new running board rubber? Oil pressure. Mine runs at 30 psi on the gauge cold, and when warm, seems low at idle, maybe 5 psi, but comes up to about 25 psi at operating speed. Is this normal? What about the roof fabric (exterior) material. Is this available, and how is it normally changed out? mine isn't all that great.

Well, that's it for now. She's a beautiful, elegant car, and I really look forward to enjoying it. Thanks in advance, I'm sure I'll have many more questions as time goes on.

Chad

Dear Chad:

Your cooling system is not pressurized and the correct fill level is enough to cover the top of the radiator tubs. You will need a light to see the level.

If the temperature gauge reads in the middle and the radiator is still spewing then you have a problem. First check the thermostat and if it is missing install a 160 degree unit (available via the Stant printed catalogue or one of the leading Packard parts houses). When you get the thing, carefully drill two bleed holes in it. These prevent motor damage in the event of overheating and ensure proper filling.

Next check the lower hose. The original had a curved tube with two junction hoses. If it has been replaced with a single hose it may be collapsing at speed.

After that there are the usual suspects, clogged radiator, faulty water pump, or a thing called the water distribution tube which is inside the motor behind the water pump.

Par for the course on these cars is a complete cooling system cleaning. Manuals are available right here on this website.

Your oil pressure is about right for an aged motor, but you need to straighten out the cooling system. 40 psi on the road is very good or somewhere around the middle of the gauge.

There is more about that in the owner's manual available right here.

Good luck with your car.

My 37 Six, which is the junior model to yours, engine temperature runs in the middle of the gauge most of the time. It has never lost any coolant and this is idling and driving very slowly in July 4th parades with 90F temps.

No vapor locking either.

The oil pressure on my car runs about 45 lbs at road speed and hot and idling goes down to about 30 lbs. I think this is higher than normal, and Tim's advice is good.

These are great cars, simple to work on, dependable to drive, and a lot of fun.

(o{}o)

Thanks for the info guys. My rad is full to the top, maybe that's my issue. The rad cap is old, and really has no seal in it at all. I'm assuming even though it's not pressurized, there should be some sort of rubber seal between the cap and radiator? I'll replace the t stat and thoroughly inspect the cooling system too.

The radiator cap on my car only has a thick paper gasket.

(o{}o)

Mine has a tattered paper gasket too, so maybe my cap is correct.

G'day Chad,
to PackardInfo. Regarding the running board rubber, this should be available from Steele Rubber, Max Merritt and Kanter. The top material I'll leave to others more experienced with those matters.

And I invite you to include your "beautiful, elegant car" in the Packard Owner's Registry here on PackardInfo.

Chad

The 38 HP is taxable horsepower, which is a calculation for license and tax purposes. It only takes into consideration the bore of the cylinders and the number of cylinders.

Packard chose the name "120" because they orginially had a 120" wheelbase and the engine developed 120 horespower


Regards


John Harley

Chad, excellent advice above from all, and i second the Wizard's above invitation to list your lovely "new" car on the Owners' Registry. It took the Depression irritated oyster of Packard's nonpareil engineering and quality, and some GM production men, to produce the pearl, the cognac that was and is the One Twenty, arguably the finest prewar road car from either side of the Atlantic.

As mentioned, the British hp tax encouraged small bore, long stroke engines, just as well given most Britain's roads in those days before the M5, hence the One Twenty's "33.8 hp" overseas rating. One Twenties were popular in England, because of their more rational size, economy, roadability.

Many owners of '30s senior Packards, Twelves, Super Eights, prefer to drive their One Twenties.

The model designation refers to the 1935-37 models' 120-inch wheelbase. Horsepower for the debut year was 110 hp, that year's engine displacing 257-ci, same bore/stroke as the concurrent Oldsmobile, which was used in the 1934-36 LaSalle, which the One Twenty handily outsold, as well as Lincoln's new Zephyr, introduced '36, and all others in its price class. For 1936, the engine was stroked to 282-ci, in which size it ran through the final 1947 junior Clippers.

Each year, the Packard One Twenty or its later Clipper counterpart was rated Best Buy in its price class by Consumers Reports.

Since you live in warm Santa Clarita, my only suggestion after following the above gentlemen's' advisos would be to use nothing, nothing but soft water---never distilled, which is ion-hungry and leaches minerals from your cooling system, the last thing you want--- and a quality rust and corrosion inhibitor. At the risk of boosterism, i heartily recommend www.norosion.com since i and my circle, which includes troublesome Cords, have used nothing but since the mid-'90s. It's also economical as it protects for five years, though you can check your coolant anytime with litmus paper.

Owned a '40 One-Twenty many years. They're husky, dependable, wonderfully engineered, smooth cars, "climb hills like a goat," as the late Bob Turnquist told me not long after i bought mine back in 1974. Your '37 has a more traditionally bespoke look than the later 120s, and being on the shorter 120-inch wb, which Packard brought back for the 1942-47 junior Clippers, is more nimble, as good in town as country. If you want your chest to swell even more, just park next to a 1946-on Silver Dawn or R-Type on the same 120-inch wheelbase and see which is snappier as well as more elegant.

Nice going. Keep 'em flying, and please post it on the Owners' Registry.

Ok, I appreciate all the great advice. I put in a new Stant 160 thermostat. Now, it drives well, and runs cool, just as long as the car is moving. If I'm moving, it stays at 180 or less on the gauge. If I stop and idle though, it will boil over after about 5 minutes if idling. This tells me not enough airflow across the radiator at idle. But obviously it has a fan, and it's pulling air through the radiator, I can feel it. Seems like it needs a shroud, which I'm assuming they didn't have. Maybe waterpump issue, low flow at low engine speeds?