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What's with the bar on the front bumper?

Troy
Wow. Here is how I see this car. The 200 was not the top of the line car for 1951 but it's 8 cylinder Packard powered, everything I see looks like you get a big dose of early 50's American car experience, for $5500 to $6500.

Now, compare that to a 1951 Chevy, or Plymouth, Pontiac - you get the picture. It's a great deal.

Trust me, NO 1951 Packard 200 4 doors are getting restored in this age of $6000 chrome, $7000 engine rebuilds and $10,000 interiors, etc. So if a person wants to get into the old car hobby Packard style without dropping $35,000, here you go.

Anyone in need of 6 tires: 7.00-18
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/pts/5104296297.html

Wow for only 4 left(!), here's another 37 120 club sedan for sale with a more unrealistic price. It's funny what people say to make their car more attractive.

http://rogers-mn.geebo.com/vehicles/view/directory/57/listing/40/id/192288277-1937_packard_door_club/#88gqKCbqRiJz8S6r.97

For a fairly clean 200 with good paint, interior and chrome, not bad for a clean daily driver. If people are paying $7000 for engine overhauls,and 10k for interiors, I need to re-look at our pricing structure, I am not charging enough for restorations.

Troy
Your comments gave me a smile. On the AACA forum - Buick Pre War - there is a discussion now about cost to rebuild properly a Buick 322 cid straight eight and the consensus was around $7000 to $9000.

I would imagine a post war Packard 8 either straight or V would cost $3000 in parts alone (pistons/bearings/camshaft lifters etc) then there are only a handful of qualified machine shops left to do the measurements and machining.

I had a 1990 Reatta convertible and was quoted about $7000 for a paint and body work on just a teeny convertible.

And we all know what it costs to do chrome. Lots of bumpers are approaching $1000 to $1500 and pitted pot metal sent to Paul's can run in the thousands.

Therefore, these "survivor" cars are quite popular.

Quote:

On the 47 I can vouch for some of those prices quoted -- granted it is Calif and we do seem to pay more for stuff out here but still the numbers are close to those quoted in the last few posts. If you work cheaper I sure wish you were closer.

The one current price I don't have is engine but have receipts of close to 5K from when it was rebuilt many years ago. It is a 356 so take that into account but 7K for a regular engine is probably close if not even low today. Just had front and rear bumpers chromed and they were $600+ each. I was fortunate enough to get some already replated bumper extensions and the front license piece at a reasonable price from another poster here so that saved a bundle . Misc pieces like door handles, light bezels and window frames etc another 1500. Fortunately the grill isn't horrible and polished up to presentable so will use it as is.

I believe the interior is easily going to be over 10K in labor alone. I suppled the fabric at close to 2K and when posting in May about picking up the completed rear seat, joked that I had paid for the upholsterers mortgage, car payment and shop lease for a month or two. That was no exaggeration and the front seat, door panels and headliner etc to finish the interior is still on tap for next month. By the time it is over I will be happy if it is only 10K..

Much as it's useful to have "average" or typical costs for things like engine rebuilds, interiors, paint and the like, it's important to take into account the scope of the work and the standards to which it is being done. For example does an engine rebuild require new or reprofiled cam and new cam followers, or just a cam and follower polishing; did the crank have counterweights to be removed, were the engine accessories (starter, generator, water pump, etc.) also done; was a radiator recore included? Were all the engine cosmetics done (just the manifold porcelainizing and nickel plating on a senior can be a tidy bill)? I've seen more than one top-notch rebuild of a 356 engine including accessories and cosmetics top $15,000 and the detachable block seniors can easily approach or exceed that.

Ditto for paint work. While you can get a nice paint job on a good, straight and prepped body for $7000 or so, a superb (Pebble Quality) paint job can cost $35,000 - more probably more than that. Likewise for interiors, an interior on a senior closed car if you have to have materials made can be 3 or 4 times that of a junior convertible. I have a friend that just had a complete leather interior and top done for a Twelve convertible Victoria to standards that should put him in the top of AACA judging but probably not Pebble quality, cost was near $30,000. If an interior restoration also includes restoration of dash instruments, think even higher.

So when speaking of costs we need to take into account the standards to which the job is being done, and the inclusiveness of the work.

Now this is maybe a stupid question, but what would be the difference in a AACA versus Pebble Beach paint job? Can you see the difference?

Let me ask it different: if that brand new 1936 Packard would roll out of the Packard plant today, would that be a AACA or a Pebble Beach quality paint job, or would it be neither?

The first step in getting to rabble beach is to go to a tire store in a minority neighborhood and get some chrome wheels. The next step is to go to a hot rod shop and have them take a grinder to your chrome radiator shell, cover it with putty, and paint it over the same way as a T-Bucket. Next go to Maaco for non-authentic base coat clear coat paint. Then you need some Packard 120 fender lights. Finally, a little Mercedes-Benz style leather for the interior.

Now to really get with the in crowd you need to do this to either a nice original car or one that has already been torn down fifty times by every shop in the country.

It also doesn't hurt to make up a little tacky historyonics to boot.

If they gave me free tickets, hotel, food, and a top dollar call girl, I still wouldn't waste my time going there.