West Peterson Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Those fenders came off of a Packard that's worth $2 Million. Now that's something to drool over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 How about a scantily clad nubile maiden draped over that front fender? I'm thinking Moonbeam McSwine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Let's see, 2 million divided by the number of parts on the car............... I'll give a hundred bucks for the full set of fenders. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 You're going to have to dig deeper into your pocket, Bub. It all depends on just how far apart you take the car to come up with that number, but I think 10,000 parts would be a good rule of thumb. Dividing that into $2M equals 200 bucks per fender. Just give me the go ahead, and I'll start stripping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom M Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: West Peterson</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just give me the go ahead, and I'll start stripping.</div></div> O no I don't think we want see that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Wow that's a pretty thing! Imagine opening your garage door and having that staring back at you. Nice......... By the way, I sent you a message this a.m. Take a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 West, I've heard more than once how these Classic Cars look better with black walled tires, but I'm sorry, those whites really look good on that Packard! Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Aaaahhhh. Much sportier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Speedster Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Hmmm, I was Agreeing with Wayne, until I saw it with Blackwalls, Now I Don't know which I like best??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 West, go ahead and put the Iron Crosses on it. You know you wanna........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R W Burgess Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">West, go ahead and put the Iron Crosses on it. You know you wanna........ </div></div>Hey, and while you're at it, take those fenders off! I know a fellow that would like a set! Wayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 If it were my car, I'd paint the headlight and parking light buckets body color, and leave the front rim/bezel chrome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Speedster Posted February 1, 2008 Share Posted February 1, 2008 Let's NOT get CRAZY, here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 1, 2008 Author Share Posted February 1, 2008 Too late Rick. You're in sunny TX while we're all up here getting freezing rain etc. 'Seems being 'holed up' is bringing out the Eddy Haskel in the boys. When we get a real time video of someone standing next to that car with a lit torch it may be time to move on to the Burpee Seed catalogue. Heck, even my Black Hound doesn't want to go out. He's curled up with his back against the heat register. yer whining Yankee pal, Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 The 2 loves of my automotive life together, early A Tudor and Packard, a match made in heaven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter packard Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 G'day all, I would suggest that you ascertain the actual ratio in your diff. Jack up one of the rear wheels, mark the jacked up wheel and the tailshaft with chalk. Rotate the jacked up wheel two complete revolutions and count the number of rotations of the tailshaft. it will give you your ratio. I would doubt that you have a 4.11 and would suggest that you are more likely to have a 4.36 or 4.54. The "cane" shifter will adapt to all of the top plated Packard o'd's. I have one in a 38 six and a 38 120 (with 54 327). I prefer the R6 as it will operate without electrics (except kickdown) and does not have a governor. It has a nasty low crush tension washer at the rear of the R6 which also appeared in the differential at about the same time. It was a PIA as they were always overtightened. I converted my R6's to the later model R11 double row ball bearing at the rear of the box, but the bearing is almost un-obtainium now. I hope to be able to get a critique from the Flackmaster when he attends our 2009 PAC National Rally in Australia and drives one of these cars for a week. Granted that it is on your wrong side of the road, but hey, he is going to have a ball and this 38 Six cruises at 75 mph without stress. I know that a few of you are sceptical but I am not talking optimistic speedo or such. Any of you guys are most welcome to attend and with only 21 million people and 13.5 million square miles, we have plenty of elbow room. Best regards. Peter Toet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Speedster Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Now, If I could only Find the Road to Australia ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JT Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Peter, that's good info on the cane shifter adapting to the later od's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 2, 2008 Author Share Posted February 2, 2008 Peter, thanks, that's a good idea. I think I'd better take a look at that. I did misstate that I had a 4:11. The owners manual calls it out for a 4:09. Not that that's any great difference, but who knows if the rear had been changed in this cars very long service life. Good info on the toploader exchange also. As I'd mentioned earlier, the junior and senior tranny's interchange on my '40 282 easily. Only the yoke on the output shaft needed to be switched over to the senior which uses larger U-joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JT Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 If you have any seal wear on your yoke you can use a wear sleeve or redi sleeve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: peter packard</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> I hope to be able to get a critique from the Flackmaster when he attends our 2009 PAC National Rally in Australia and drives one of these cars for a week......Any of you guys are most welcome to attend and with only 21 million people and 13.5 million square miles, we have plenty of elbow room. Best regards. Peter Toet </div></div>I second Peter's invitation to anyone who'd like to attend the 2009 PAC National Rally which will at the end of March 2009 for those interested. I'll be there and would love to meet and greet any Packard people who come to our home "girt by sea". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Have you tried ear plugs? I'm not kidding. I know guys with loud hot rods and sports cars who always use them on long trips.When new a 1940 Packard had a top speed around 90 and a normal cruising speed of 50 to 60. But you could do 70 if you didn't mind pushing it.Yes they got noisy at such speeds but the wind noise drowned it out.For all you are going to drive that thing I wouldn't worry about it. But if you want to make a change the rear axle is the easiest and cheapest to change. I wouldn't bother with the overdrive unless I had one sitting around.Instead I would look at adapting a late model 5 speed from a rear drive light pickup such as an S10 Chev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Speedster Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 It's the High Reving engine he's worried about, not the noise. Higher RPMs mean shorter engine life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 It's the short engine life that I'm trying to avoid. Not that I'll ever wear it out, but why use it up just because I can. The next guy may have use for it in a resto somewhere down the line. As for the noise, it goes with the territory, and taken in total with the rest, keeps the weak knee'd from asking me for a ride. :-) I like that. A friend just gave me an old SW tach which I'm going to hook up, then, when the salt's off of the roads, I'm just going to go out, have somebody clock me (I have no speedo) and see just what this thing's actually turning. 'Just trying to protect vintage iron. Always in the back of my mind is that reciprocating parts with little or no load, ten to fly apart, and I'm pulling probably less than half the weight of the car the engine was designed for. That's probably the heart of my high rpm concerns. Cheers.........Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Well, I've spent the last week exploring my options on this.I've found a neat tidbit of info re: the rear axles. That being that there should be a brass tag 4 digits long attached that will tell you your ratio. This is done by dividing the smaller into the larger, and, viola, you have your ratio.Of course, my tag's missing so I did the rotation method and mine is a 4:09. Then, having talked to an ex Packard mechanic from back in the day, was informed that cars equipped with the Ultramatic had 3:54 and 3:07 (special order) rears. The 3:54 being recommended. He was of a mind, based on his recollections that the rears could be adapted to the pre-war cars by swapping the earlier spiders in to accommodate the early axles. The only way to prove this out is with parts books covering the '40 120 and the Ultramatic cars from'53-'55. I have access to neither at this point. Would anyone out there have them and be willing to undertake this tedious project? If it is do-able it seems it would be a handy piece of knowlage for everyone with these early rears and no OD. I'm pretty sure I know where there's a donor wreck if it works. Pushed down into a cave in the 50's by teenage boys it's been sitting there untouched since then. One of the boys, now in his 60's or 70's offered to get me in there. How about that? A Packard in a cave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Speedster Posted February 8, 2008 Share Posted February 8, 2008 <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: fred deagostino</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> How about that? A Packard in a cave! </div></div> Wow, that's even Better than a Barn find. Did you try the Packard-Info website:www.packardinfo.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 8, 2008 Author Share Posted February 8, 2008 Thanks Rick, I didn't even know about that site. I'll take a look. And yes, not that it matters where a 'find' is, but the whole cave thing just kind of has the smack of some dime novel come to life. I've known about this for a few years and my cronies and I were always going to get together and go check the whole thing out. you see, the packard just happened to be the last car pushed in. There are more. But the 'old timer' didn't remember off hand what else was in there, or how many. I've been in these caves myself years back but not where the cars are. They're on private property now but my contact knows him so it's a bit of logistics to get the whole adventure together. Everybody thinks it's a great idea but nobody ever finds the time. I guess that'd be me and maybe now's the time. Oh, and yeah, if we do it, I'll bring a digital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 If you are not concerned with originality you can use any kind of rear axle you want. It may be necessary to move the axle mounts to match your springs, and a few other trivial changes.New mounts are available from Summit Racing and can be welded on in a few minutes.Ford and Dodge use the same bolt pattern as a Packard. I would be measuring the width of rear axles to figure out which will fit.A Chrysler 5th Avenue, or small pickup (Ranger or Dakota) would be the most likely junkyard candidates.For enough $$$$ bucks you can have a Ford 9 inch rear axle built to any specs you want. But this would really be overkill for your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter packard Posted February 9, 2008 Share Posted February 9, 2008 G'day Fred, Glad to hear that you have a 4.09 diff. If you hook up a tacho you should run at approx 2,800 rpm at 60mph with 7.00 X 16 Tyres. The 47 356 with a 4.11 and O'D runs a 3.15 ratio in top O'D which is why they can hold over 70 MPH all day. Considering that a 1940 282 develops its max 120 hp SAE at 3,600 rpm, I would not be too worried about doing 2,800 rpm for a 60 mph cruise. In Australia we always got stump puller diffs and I have seen a 53 Ultramatic with a 4.7 diff, it must have revved it's head off at over 50 mph. I would suggest that you hook up a tacho and check out the revs and don't forget that a straight eight at 2,500 rpm sounds like a six cylinder doing about 4,000 rpm. Best regards Peter Toet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred deagostino Posted February 9, 2008 Author Share Posted February 9, 2008 Thanks for your posts gents, re: the 'off brand' rear, well, that would just be too smart. I can't say I'm getting any particular delight out of doing it the hard way at this point but I've come this far......... Never say never of course, but I'll go kicking and screaming if I have to break up my "Packard drivetrain" bragging rights :-) If the roads would clear for just a bit (it's snowing as we speak) I'm going to give it a run with the tach. In the meantime I'm just trying to explore every option just in case. Two mos. till spring and I want to be ready. By the way, I did get my spring and radius rod brackets from Speedway. 'Good outfit. Cheers.........Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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