Chassis Identification of a 1937 senior car?

[Tom Martinez]

This question pertains to 1937 senior cars.

I know how to decipher the firewall tag, and of course the engine number, I also understand about the "anti-theft number embossed on the firewall but can someone tell me if there is a number stamped on the frame somewhere that can positively identify a chassis?

It seems I remember there is a number somewhere...front frame rail, right side? The wheel base is a good start but 8's and 12's both had 139" WB models. How could one determine the model of a body-less and engin-less chassis?

Thanks in advance for Knowledgeable replies, --Tom

[Dave Mitchell]

I don't think that you will find a number on a 37 senior frame. You can tell an 8 from a 12 chassis by the wheels, brakes, and size of the front suspension components. It is somewhat hard to describe that if you haven't seen both, but I could tell you if you send me a photo. The wheels on a 12 are much wider - perhaps 8 inches or so, and much deeper in the center under the hub cap. The front crossmember of the frame is also heavier. The 12 should also have a front sway bar. packard12s@hotmail.com

[Guest JT]

Did A.O. Smith build both the JR & SR frames?

[Guest StrombergEE3]

Did A.O. Smith build both the JR & SR frames?

Yes.

As a side-note, authors in the various books about classic-era Packards will tell you with great candor and authority that the chassis and/or running gear of the late (1937-1939) Super Eights and Twelves are the same. Why they do that I have no clear idea - only a suspicion.

The facts are simple. The frames were, as was the case with just about all American auto mfgs., purchased from A.0. Smith from the earliest days up thru the end.

The specs, or "call-outs" were provided by Packard engineers. The heavier and more powerful the motor, the heavier the chassis and running gear needed to be. This is simple physics.

While a 1937-1938 Super Eight and Twelve used the same bodies, and thus, for any given body-style had the same wheel-bases, they were affixed to significantly different chassis and running gear.

This should not be interpeted that a cheaper and less powerful Packard was any less a car than any other car IN THAT PRICE RANGE. It is just the basic facts of physics that dictate what engineers want to go out the factory door.

When looking at how rugged Packard drive-lines were, today's car buffs should remember that many roads of the pre-World War II era would be more appropriate to off-roading today.