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Hello everyone. I just came into a 52 200 sedan. Although I'm not new to the restoration of cars, I am new and ignorant of the Packard line of vehicles. I have researched numorous Packard websites and most say the same. I would like some fresh opinions and advice from anyone who owns one or has owned one. My son and I are rebuilding her for his first car. I only hope I have not made a bad choice. Thank you. Jerald Smith Jr.

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Welcome and congratulations on your find.

The 200 was the economy model in 52 and as such, will not have all the frills the 300 & 400 have-although most were available as options. The 4 door sedan was probably the most popular. Mechanically, parts for 51-4 are relatively available through the various vendors although some can get a bit pricy. A lot of the body parts will also interchange but there will be some trim items that might be hard. The old law of supply & demand kicks in since there were lots fewer Packards than Fords, Chevys & the like.

My first suggestion would be to look through the articles section and download the various manuals and items available for your car. A wealth of information is already on the site and what is not, many having similar cars can help you with.

Generally, Packards of those years are pretty reliable, but like all old cars, will have their quirks. I went through 2 yrs of high school driving a 51--and it survived so that should give some indication of what abuse they can tolerate. If you have the Ultramatic, that will probably take the most getting used to--leisurely acceleration was the norm--and probably will be the most expensive to work on.

You didn't mention any details but let us know what options you have and many members with similar cars are sure to offer suggestions.

The 200 may have been Packard's lowest priced model but don't be fooled. Packards were luxury products and even their cheapest cars were superior to most offerings.

For example all Packards after 1947 used 8 cylinder engines. The only other makers to build 8 cylinder cars exclusively were Mercury, Lincoln, Buick and Cadillac.

Packards were quality cars with well balanced chassis and powerful engines. Your car should be reasonably capable in today's traffic, for example it would have a top speed of nearly 100 MPH and would cruise easily at 70 when it was new. This is more than most cars could do at that time.

On the other hand the 1952 200 was relatively simple. Yours probably has a 3 speed manual transmission (Ultramatic was optional). It would have regular, non power, drum brakes. No air conditioning, power steering, power windows etc.

Practically all mechanical parts are available new at reasonable cost.

Packard bought a lot of parts from outside suppliers like Lockheed, Wagner,Carter, Autolite and Ross. These parts are still available from your local NAPA store.

Sheet metal, trim, and glass can be a problem but it is usually possible to locate used parts.

If you want a high grade car of that vintage, the Packard is an excellent choice.

Thank you very much. It is a manual transmission, the only rust on her is surface rust. All the glass is good. No holes in the floors or trunk. It was a two owner car, only just over 47 thousand original miles. The interior is shot due to sun damage and dry rot. but the dash and gauges and all the lights work. I actually got her for almost free. I did a couple of odd jobs for a lady and she gave me the packard as trade.

A BIG WELCOME TO THE FORUM:

The 200 will make you a fine car. By 1952 the engine and either transmission offered by Packard was just about bullet proof. The 51 through 54 Packard's don't seemed to have the problems that 55 and 56 Packard's had.

The big drawback with the 51 through 54 Packard's is the rotten chrome they had. If you want to get pieces rechromed it will cost a pretty penny and then some.

John f. Shireman

Thank you very much for the info. Yes the chrome is in bad condition. very tarnished. Other than that its good. So far I'm very excited about it, and my son is happy also, even though he doesn't realize yet that he now has a piece of history. Hopefully he will grow to love and appreciate the classics as we all do. Even if I have to beat it into him. hahahahahaha.