Matt Harwood

Having had a great number of "resto-mod" and other hot-rod type cars pass through my hands, I can say that I will take ancient factory engineering over "some guy built it in his garage using modern parts" 10 times out of 10. It is a mistake to believe that just because we have 80 years of technology on our side that we are somehow smarter than the men who built these cars. The questionable engineering inherent in any home build, no matter how beautiful, should give anyone pause. It just isn't the same. Resto-mods are also boring as hell. Everyone gets all excited that it's going to be something special when they cut up a Packard, but when it's done and drives like a 1985 Chevy Caprice they are inevitably disappointed. There's a reason they're all for sale all the time. Ever seen one with high miles?

One, you should always go see the car in person. It's the only way to be sure it's what you want. If you don't and you're disappointed, you have only yourself to blame, not the dealer. And two, you are the only one who can determine whether it is good value for the money. Price guides, enthusiast advice, "experts," whatever, none of that really matters. If you like the car and feel that it is money well spent, then it is. Period. I can't tell you how many people have walked away from a car they wanted because their buddy told them it was too expensive, only to come back later to try to buy it after it was sold because someone else saw the value in it. If you want the car, this might be your only chance to own it. Go see it and then you can decide if you think it's worth spending your own money to own it. In truth, you shouldn't worry about the money. This is a hobby, not a business. If you can afford it, then think of it as buying a vacation. Enjoy yourself, make some memories with your family, but (and this is the important part) when you're done, you'll still get a nice refund. Not many other hobbies can do that. Worrying about the "right" price ends up scaring too many guys into inaction and they sit on the sidelines waiting for the ideal combination of perfection and cheapness that never seems to materialize. Remember that time is the only thing you can't buy more of--why waste it worrying?

Crazy expensive, but that's a handsome road locomotive.

I've got $5 on the coils. Even though they're new, they aren't necessarily good. With the location of the coils on the Cadillac V12, they get really hot and that's when they fail. When they cool off, voila! They magically work again.

Great, my life just got that much harder.

Going by the commercials, it seems that the only reason to have this kind of auto pilot system is so you can clap along to your music. It's totally an answer to a question nobody was asking.

Is a 54-year-old photo old enough to be "period?" Because a 1970 Superbird in the snow with tire chains is just plain awesome.

I think he has a very long wait ahead of him.

I wonder if he'll sell me just the driver's door latch...?

The great thing about a parts car is that it is the most compact way to store parts. Better yet, you know EXACTLY where everything is when you need it. I understand the purchase price and it's right in line with what I expected. There's a lot of unobtainium in there and 1934 Packards are the very top of the food chain. Whomever bought it knew exactly what he was doing and surely doesn't have any regrets. I'd be spiking the football if it was full of stuff I needed for my car. I bought this 1941 Buick Limited parts car and it paid for itself with just a dome light lens, a fog light switch, and a window crank escutcheon. Everything else is just icing on the cake. I'm sure the new owner of this Packard feels the same.

The $75K in the subject line is the asking price, and is still twice the original ask and twice what the car is worth. In fact, we just had a second conversation about this car last week as it popped up on Facebook in California after being sold here in Ohio by my ex-business partner. This ad is 100% scam.

Look closer--there are some needs there, some substantial. Handsome colors and I could probably live with the mohair seats and broadcloth door panels. I'm guessing the front carpets were removed for battery access--no idea why they wouldn't put them back for photos. That's just leaving money on the table. More concerning to me, however, is the fact that it has a sidemount well on the driver's side but not one on the passenger's side and there is no spare tire at all and no mounting hardware for the left side. What's up with that? There's a bunch of little stuff, too. Body needs to be pinstriped, probably in dark red to match the wheels. Wiper arms and motors appear to be missing. One gauge is missing in the center of the dash, and the ammeter that I can see looks aftermarket. Steering wheel is pretty beat up and one of the throttle/spark/headlight levers is broken--good luck finding one of those. No escutcheons on the door hardware, but if you can find a complete matching set from a more common make/model nobody will notice they're not correct. Tires look old, so a good time to upgrade to blackwalls. No photos of the engine bay is a bit worrisome. However, if it's a runner then it would be a powerful tour car and you could chip away at the little stuff over time. That sidemount situation would probably scare me away. But it's not an impossible problem to solve, just time and money. EDIT: Now that I read the description, I see that the luggage rack is included, along with two unrestored spare wheels. That's better, but still kind of weird to only have one sidemount.

That's a lot of car for the money!

Here's how I did it in my '35 Lincoln. My battery is under the passenger side floorboard, so I used a switch recessed into the floor. Easy to reach but unobtrusive. Be sure to use the heavy-duty 200 amp version that costs $50, not the $16 eBay special built for 50 amps. 6V cars need the big cables and the big switch to pass the current. Here's a link to the entry:

I think the engine alone as an inert lump is still worth $6000-8000, minimum. It looks very complete, which is a big plus. I paid $3500 for 3/4 of a Lincoln V12 that was sitting on a dirt floor and thought it was the bargain of the century. Decent, complete, not-smashed grille shell, maybe $1000. Gauges look pretty nice, maybe another $1000. Generator, starter, water pump, distributor, each maybe $500. If there's an undamaged carburetor, figure $2500-3500, maybe more. Welled front fenders that look pretty good, maybe $1500. Does it still have sidemount covers? Then double that figure. Headlights? Meh, without lenses they might bring $400-500. Same with the horns. Hood looks OK and the vent doors are there, so that might be worth $750-1000 to someone with a Super 8 or Twelve in need. Misc. interior fittings like handles, defroster outlets, window garnish moldings, maybe $500 in aggregate. Bumpers? Maybe $500 for the pair. They're unique to the big series Packards. There's surely some value in wire wheels with hubcaps, brake drums, the transmission, the rear end, and other big parts. Maybe another $2500 en toto. Anyway, it's most definitely a parts car, but if you're ambitious, have time and space to store a disassembled car, and the means to drag it home, there may yet be some upside to parting it out. I guarantee the bidders are doing this math, not trying to figure out how to turn it back into a functioning automobile. 1934 Packard parts are still in demand and valuable and even though most Twelves have been found and restored, there are definitely cars out there being restored today that will need parts (or someone maybe just wants to put a spare on the shelf--I am such a person). Either way, I am pretty sure there are about to be a bunch of 1934 Packard Twelve parts on eBay...

Get an NOS Delco regulator, not the modern stuff from the parts store. They never work correctly. As a test, you can ground the field wire to make the generator go to 100% output, which you'll see on the ammeter. That way you know your generator is good. Basically, that's all the regulator is doing anyway. I always perform this simple test before I replace anything so I know which component is suspect. I'm with the others in thinking that the regulator is junk. Pay the $60 or $90 that an NOS unit costs and hopefully that will work correctly for you.

Along with a "Free hantavirus!" sign for that interior.

Another victim of someone with good intentions who bit off a lot more than he could chew. Also known as "I'm gonna get to it."

I think it will bring stronger money than we expect. The link below shows one that was much closer to roadworthy although its mechanical condition was still a question mark and I'm not sure the interior would be usable for long. It would run, but not sure it was ready to tour. I liked the patina, however. Sold for about $55,000. Could you turn the subject car into this car for $40,000? Maybe. Could you turn this car into the orange clown car for $65,000? Hell no. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1934-packard-sedan-2/

Use the head studs for lifting the engine out.

Well this doesn't smell fishy as hell, does it?

You could have bought this finished car for a fraction of the restoration costs. Of course, the clown car paint job probably cut its value in half. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1934-packard-twelve-1107-club-sedan/

Is this a car you own or a car you are thinking of buying? If you don't own it, then I'd say hard pass if it doesn't have good title or a transferable registration. A bill of sale is completely meaningless--I can write one of those on the back of a napkin and that's about what it's worth. If you own it and are hoping to sell the car, then you should go through the proper channels for getting a replacement title or, if you never had title, go through the process of getting the court to issue you one. There is no easy route for a car without a title, sadly.

I drove a dark blue 1974 450SLC in high school and it was a terrific car. Smooth, fast, comfortable and I though it looked great. I can't understand why they're not more valuable. The proportions are quite good and it's a lot more practical than the SL. These things can't be $10,000 throw-aways for much longer.