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

I know the junior cars had 122" wheelbases and the seniors had 127". Where was the extra 5" added on the '51-54 cars?

Thanks, John

The rear wheels were moved 5 inches further back, as was the rear seat, creating capacious legroom. The door uppers were the same as on the junior cars so the C-pillar area was made 5" deeper to acommodate the movement rearward of the seat.

In the back seat. If you examine pictures of the different models carefully you will see the difference.

Senior models Patrician and Cavalier had a longer roof and different rear window. Also different rear fenders.

The rear door was the same except the wheel opening was set back farther.

Packard buyers actually got more room for their money when they bought the expensive model. Other makers added extra length in the hood or trunk area. This was a lot cheaper to build but of course did not contribute to passenger comfort.

Rusty beat me to it but here is a picture comparison. Best seen on the rear lower door at wheel well where you can see how much it intrudes into the door on the shorter wheelbase.

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Thanks all that really helps.

John

As far as I recall, no manufacturer made the hood longer to allow for a longer wheelbase. IN all makes I know of in the era hoods from different wheelbases are virtually identical in length. Perhaps Buick is an exception??

Trunks different, yes on some GM's

Fred, When you say all makes are you including Packard?
In the 48-50 series standard & supers -120 inch WB, 7 inches were added from the firewall forward to make the 127 inch WB super deluxe and customs. Then you go back to the 120 inch WB and add 21 inches for the 7 passenger sedans passenger back seat area for 141 inch WB. then take it to the 148 inch WB by taking the 141 Inch chassis and adding the 7 inch longer front clip to get the 148 inch custom limosenes. I do not know about the hearses or ambulance wheelbases.

Nashes 41 to the end, step down Hudsons, Hashes, and Ramblers way up into the sixties added and subtracted hood with no change to the passenger compartment. Of course, the Clippers and bathtubs did the same, and in the 23d series could come in different lengths even though the engine block was the same length, ie Eights and Supers.

Do prefer the Studebaker and 51-56 Packard method of putting it into the rear compartment.

As the topic is 51-54 wheelbases my comments relate to other cars of those general years. If you look at my post I say "of the era", thus 41-50 Packards are not of that era as the basic car began with the 41 Clipper. I'm not that familiar with the Nash or Hudson architecture I was more thinking of Ford/GM/Chrysler. On the Chrysler vehicles the 8"s had longer hoods than the 6's I think??, but does that qualify as "fudging"?? Perhaps, as a 6 and 8 are about the same length (?_)

1949 - 52 Chrysler New Yorker and Imperial had a wheelbase a full 6" longer than the Windsor and Saratoga.

The main body was identical, all the extra length was forward of the windshield.

Up to 1950 this was to make room for the longer straight eight engine used in the heavy models vs the six cylinder in the Windsor. But in 1951 and 52 they had the new hemi head V8 which would fit in the shorter wheelbase car (this was the Saratoga model).

GM liked to add length to the trunk.Pontiacs used the same body as Chev with longer nose and tail. The most expensive Cadillac (60 or 62?) had a longer trunk.

So far as I know Packard (Cavalier and Patrician) and Studebaker (Land Cruiser) were the only ones who added length to the body in their top models. I am not including limousines or commercial chassis in this.