Guest 37Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I recently purchased a 1937 Packard 120 model 1094 Touring Coupe which needs a few adjustments here and there and I was wondering if there are any Packard owners around the Louisville, KY area who would be interested in helping me adjust the brakes. I was also told that one headlight is dimmer than the other. I haven't seen the car yet but it's supposed to be delivered tonight or tomorrow morning from the Boston area. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1935Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I can't help you on that, but good luck with the new car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 37Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I can't help you on that, but good luck with the new car.Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing it for the first time in a few hours. I have another question or two. On the data plate (if that's what it's called) in my first post it shows that the car was built on September 30, 1937. Would this be one of the last 1937 models built? Is this the 2,144th Touring Coupe built for 1937? It was sold new by Packard of Boston and spent its whole life in that area until yesterday. The seller included an original owner's manual, factory shop manual, and a 1937 Packard brochure/catalog with a stamp in it from Packard Motor Car Company of Boston on Commonwealth Avenue, plus a few receipts from the last few years. He owned it for 15 years and said he was the third owner.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1935Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I believe the date on the data plate marks the day the car was sold, not the day the car was made: That date was stamped on the date of sale by the dealer so everyone would know when the warranty ran out. If your car has original windows, the windows may be date-stamped the month of manufacture: That should give you some way of estimating when the car was made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 37Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Thanks for the info. It's unfortunate that they did such a poor job with the "Packard of Boston" stamp and the location stamp too. The date stamp is much better defined which is why I thought it was done at the assembly plant. All of the other Packard data plates that I have seen are a lot more readable than mine. You can barely see the word "Boston" in both places if you look closely. I'll take a look at the windows tomorrow to see if there's a date on them.Here's a photo of the car on the trailer which was taken yesterday. The driver expects to be here tonight between midnight and 1 AM. He asked me if he could drop it off then because he lives 100 miles south of Louisville in the Bowling Green area and he wants to head home after he drops it off so I said OK. You can see some the paint peeling in the photo, but it's not too bad considering that it was painted in the late '60s.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1935Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 The dealer stamps are a mixed bag: Some are clear, others hard to read. Plus, my understanding is that often cars were sold without a dealer stamp at all. It wasn't the priority we would give it today; today those tags are often the only way to know anything about the early history of the car.The pictures look great; it's an elegant body style, and I like the color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 37Packard Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) It was originally green, according to the previous owner, but there were three shades of green available in 1937 and I don't know which one it was. It doesn't make any difference because over the winter I'm going to have it repainted the same shade of bronze that it is now. The www bias ply tires on it now are at least 25 years old so I would like to replace them with another set of 16" tires. The local tire dealer quoted me $359 a tire for www radials plus $29 each for tubes which adds up to over $1700 with tax which is a lot more than I want to spend. Does anyone know where I can get a set for less or possibly have a decent used set that they might want to sell? Edited August 22, 2012 by 37Packard (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) 37Packard, to answer your initial question, I see 30 members of The Packard Club (PAC) listed in their current Member Directory living in Kentucky, 6 of which give Louisville as their home address.As to tires, I'd recommend sticking with bias-ply for your car. Radials add little significant to handling of these prewar cars, cost a lot more, are tougher on the suspension, and generally have a shorter recommended static life which can be important in cars driven a limited # of miles per year. Edited August 23, 2012 by Owen_Dyneto (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 37Packard Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks for looking up the Kentucky members in the directory. The person I emailed twice and never heard back from has the email address of "packard53@bellsouth.net". Is he still a Club member?I appreciate the tire info too. Are Coker tires the best or just the most expensive? What other companies make www tires? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huptoy Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Purchase a Hemming's Magazine. In the back 10 or 20 pages, you should find 3 or more companies selling tires.Just my opinion, try to avoid Chines built tires.American built tires would be my first choice.However, I had 700/19 tires built in New Zealand and got 14 years and 18,000 miles.The tires still had fair tread but I purchased new because of the age.The new tires came from Cooker Tires. Their tubes came from china and are leaking air at about 2 to 3 pounds a week.The car has split rim wood wheels, it is a real pain to swap tubs, and I just live with adding air.Be careful about mounting the tires & tubes. I had a guy cut the tube on a 53 auto on the air powered tire changer.With luck, you can find a shop with a guy with about 40 years of experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen_Dyneto Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Unlike most tires for modern cars where the name on the sidewall indicates the manufacturer, the collector car tire picture is a bit different, there are the actual manufacturers (usually unknown unless you inquire or look up the code on the tire), there are "brand" names like "Firestone" that does not mean Firestone made the tire, and there are "sellers" like Coker which sell both their own brand and other brand names and have contracted with various tire companies to make them. I suggest you study up a bit, perhaps starting as mentioned above by seeing what's available from the ads in Hemmings, and then speaking with owners of cars that take the same size as your car and seeing what their experiences are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 The Touring Coupe is a relatively rare body style. I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) Fantastic car!!! Those relatively rare artillery wheels look terrific as well. I ditto the comment on radial tires fitted to prewar cars. I find there is just not enough improvement to spend the extra money and make the car look weird in the process. In addition, once you start making a prewar car act like a postwar car, you tend to "over drive" its limitations. Personally, I love driving prewar cars because of their differences. If I wanted a car that drove like a postwar car, I'd buy a postwar car. Edited August 23, 2012 by West Peterson (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 37Packard Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks for the comments. The car arrived from Boston at 12:45 AM. I waited up for the driver and met him at the I-71 offramp half a mile from my house. He followed me home and 15 minutes later it was in the garage and he was gone. I registered it this morning and got an appraisal and insurance with Hagerty. I put 25-30 miles on it today and it ran fine. The brakes need to be adjusted and the steering has some free play but overall I have no complaints. As many of you know, when you buy a car without seeing it you have to hope the seller is honest, and in this case he was. I'll look around for some bias ply www tires and also for someone to help me make a few adjustments to it.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 (edited) I think you should just save your money, and sell it to me.By the way, I think the original color (shade) of green can be seen on the firewall. Edited August 23, 2012 by West Peterson (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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