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I've got an itch to recreate the 734 Packard speedster sedan on my what's left of my 733 sedan and would love any information that you folks could come up with.

According to the reader in front of the car at the Gilmore museum it's lower and narrower than a standard Packard sedan. I did some tracings in ACAD of the car off some photots I found on the web and it looks like a standard 726 body with a longer hood and 1 1/2" to 2" drop to me. The front fenders look to be unique to the model (possibly from a 740?)but the rear fenders look like standard 726 items. Do any of you have actual dimensions for comparison?

Lowering of the car can easily be achieved with lowering blocks however I am sure that Packard didn't do it this way. I've already talked to a couple of sources who drop axles and they both suggested that my front axle can not be dropped in the traditional manner. This is mostly due to the large mounting pad cast in to it for the lever shock. I would like to know how (and if) Packard did it. 1931 and later cars mounted the lever shocks to the frame and mounted the dogbones to the axle. This arrangement would make it easier to lower the axle without major work. Lowering the rear of the car is very simple with new springs.

I also read somewhere that Packard reinforced the standard 733 frame by boxing it in (standard hot rod procedure)although I have never seen the frame of a 734 and can't confirm this. Do any of you have pictures of this so that I can recreate it? There are many areas along the frame where boxing would create a problem like the steering box and crossmembers and I wonder how Packard got around them.


I currently have my car stripped down to the chassis and the engine is at the rebuilders. The standard (#404)sedan body that came on my car has been modified in to a club sedan by someone with an axe, a stick welder and a deep love of lead so it probably won't be reused on this project. Moving forward, I'd like to find a 726 sedan body and use it on my 733 frame with a longer hood so let me know if you have an extra 726 body in your attic. In the meantime I will continue restoring the chassis components as needed and getting the engine back in order. Thanks for any help or insight you may be able to provide on this project.
Todd
Livonia, MI

This project will rank right up there with "labor of love" '55 clipper just posted with a straight 8.

I have a 734 and will photograph the frame when i get a chance and am wearing old clothes. The front fenders ave very long and I believe they are from a 745, I'll give yoiu the length. The body and dash are narrower and the dash does not have glove boxes on the open cars, not sure abut th closed cars but I would presume so. LOwering the body on the frame is a lot easier but the sleekness of the speedsters is partly due to the low windshields. On line somewhere is a photo of a Speedster coupe on the factory turntable, you can see the long hood, "custom by Packard " plate etc etc. It has a standard coupe height windshield and looks awful.

Speedsters also had xtended cowls which made the hood look even longer, therefore the body had to be shorter. They used a 740/745 hood to cover the Super engine

In order to decrease wind resistance Packard advised not to order sidemounts or any ohter accessory which would interfere with speed. The boat tails had to have side mounts as a rear spare would not fit.

The difference in length of the cowl is 6", and sets the body back that much further. The only similar fender on the 1930 line is for the 745 model, which was then used on the 1931 840/845 as well. I don't know if there is a difference in length between the 734/745/840/845, but there probably is.

This sounds like a pretty big project, and I think the best advice would be to tell you to run over to Kalamazoo and look at the car first hand (there are only two in existence, and the other is in Florida), take your photos, dimensions, etc. If you ask nicely, you may be given permission to crawl under and take your dimensions/detail photos.

My other advice would be this:
Since you'll probably only end up with a reasonable faxcimile of the real thing, I suggest that you not limit yourself to just a sedan. If you find any spare body in reasonable condition, think about doing "what Packard might have done."
I certainly don't condone butchering a car that should otherwise be saved and/or restored, but that's your call based on what you find.
Good luck, and keep us posted in a restoration blog.

Fred, I believe I've seen your speedster, it's orange correct? Very sexy car indeed. I would very much appreciate any photots you could take of its underside. I think your also correct about the long fenders however I've never seen a set for sale at any price much less a price I can afford. I did a profile drawing of the 726/733/734 and my proposed creation and I don't think the 733 fenders I already have detract much from the cars appearance.

West, there are a couple of affordable 726's on the market right now however I can't bring myself to chop up another Packard for the sake of this project. If I get to the point where I have a fully restored chassis and no body to put on it I'll simply turn it in to a one-off runabout. I'd rather have a sedan so I can take the wife and kids with me though.

Thanks guys
Todd

P.S. I've attached a comparison drawing of the different models in profile:

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Here's a photoshopped 726 which is also close to what I'm after:

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