37 120 that sat for 30 years

[Ron of Chicago]

Hi, my name is Ron and I would like to get the answers from the experts. I've worked on many cars and don't seem to have any problems but I need the advice of the people that have been around theses cars far longer then I. A customer of mine asked me take a look at his car that he had just gotten from a relatives estate in New York. We had the car towed in and it is a 1937 Packard 120 4dr sedan, with a straight eight. The laast time This car saw any driving was in 1963. The mileage on the odometer is 29,000. The car is in excellant shape except for a flat finish. It has been inside all those years. I have pictures of the car but don't know how to put them on here. Anyway my question is this. I filled the cylinders with some Marvel oil and let it soak for a few days. Turned the motor over by hand and then finally cranked it. I took a compression test and found that the only cylinder with compression is number 5 and it has 100PSI. I thinking that the valves are stuck in the open position from sitting in the same position for all those years. Do you feel it necessary to do a complete overhaul on the engine or is it just possible to pull the head and work the valves. I do know that Packards have an extremely good engine because I've worked on a few. Any input would be greatly appreciated by you folks here. Thanks in advance. Ron

[Guest]

email me the photos and i'll post them for you.<P>peterg@aaca.org

[Guest]

regarding long-term "dead" storage<P>Ron - the Packard "120" series was Packard's attempt in the 1930's, to "break into" the production of ordinary middle-class cars, after it became convinced that the market for expensive cars was forever gone.<P>As such, the Packard "120" series was an excellent example of what the ordinary car of the 1930's was. Once we get into the middle of the 1930's, automotive technology, at least in the United States, was producing very reliable, durable, pleasant-driving cars that could be maintained with ordinary shop tools.<P>ANY car that has been in dead storage, especially one that may not have been properly prepared for dead storage, should receive a good general over-haul.<P>For example, fuel pump gaskets and diaphragms should be replaced, along with ANYTHING made of rubber, such as fan belts, water hoses, etc. Forget about the radiator; people in those days generally used tap water for coolant, especially in the summer months - the radiator passages will be partially or totally clogged with mineral deposits - and the car WILL over-heat unless it is replaced, and the water passages in the cyl. block and head THROUGHLY cleaned out.<P>Oxidation in the cylinder bores will probably have produced some "pitting". "Cleaning up" the cyl. bores with a fine-grit hone, and installing new rings, will probably resolve that. Oil chemical changes will probably have weakened the structure of the metal in the insert rod bearings - these also should be changed.<P>"Stuck valves" are a given. Just changing the oil in the transmission and differential should resolve those areas. Of course the brake wheel and master cylinders should be dis-assembled, honed, and all rubber hoses and "cups" replaced (all this stuff is still available "off the shelf" from any well-stocked brake shop ).<P>Notice I said NOTHING about APPEARANCE restoration. The costs today, to do a good cosmetic restoration, are outrageous. Doing the interior correctly is easily a ten thousand dollar job. I would be surprised if the car's original appearance as to paint, could be done for less than four or five grand. I would be surprised if the chrome parts could be done for less than three or four grand.<P>Bottom line - the REAL question is - what does the owner expect to DO with the car when it is completed. People who have grown up in the modern era, are often bitterely disappointed to find, after much love, work, and money has been poured into pre-war cars, that the car fails to meet their expectations. Technology has taken us so far away from the pre-war era, in general "driveability", that running into what it was REALLY like in the old days, can be a rude shock !<P>For these reasons, I recommend that a "newbie" just go out and "bite the bullet", and buy the results of someone ELSE's headache, rather than try and start from scractch with a car that is probably going to need "everything" to be serviceable.<P>Generally speaking, a properly serviced car is going to cost a FRACTION of what a good re-conditioning will set you back. Then, the "newbie" can "live" with a car of that era, and see if he wants to go further in the old car hobby.<P>As for Packard...well..the name still holds some fascination for people, and for a very good reason. Packard produced some magnificent ego-boosting automobiles for the very rich. But these "super luxury" cars we now call classics, that were made for the super rich, are TOTALLY DIFFERENT and VASTLY SUPERIOR cars to the ordinary Packards the company made for the general public. <P>A well-mainted "BIG" Packard closed car, can probably be purchased for LESS than it would cost to take a long-out-of-service Packard "120" and properly re-condition it. The "BIG" Packards, as is the case with all the "super luxury" cars of the 1930's, are so vastly superior even in their APPEARANCE, to the ordinary cars, they are MUCH more satisfying to own. <P>These are all factors to be considered before pouring a lot of money into bringing back to life, a car that has been "dead" for many many years.<P>Pete Hartmann<BR>Big Springs, AZ

[Guest JT]

Yes you might could get by with an in chassis valve job but since you're pulling the head you might as well at least put rings and rod bearings in if you're lucky enough to be in spec on wear.<BR>Like Pete said it really depends on what the owner expects to do with the car as far as the level of rebuilding goes.

[Guest Albert]

I agree with Pete here at the very least strip the engine down, all it takes is for one stuck ring or blocked oil passage, and it could make that block completly useless. I fired my engine for the 54 after it had been parked since 1959 only after a complete rebuild, and for the cost of the parts its cheap insurance to know just where the engine stands.

[John N. Packard]

Ron,<BR> I don't pretend to be an expert; but I did pull a '35 120 sedan out of storage a few years back and get it running for an antique car buddy of mine. It had been sitting for a good many years as well in a barn in Baltimore County. It had a couple of stuck valves. I pulled the head, dropped the pan and did a valve and ring job. Don't remember if I did rod bearings or not. Got good compression and the car started right up and ran fine; except the gas tank was full of rust and it blocked the fuel line and the fuel pump. When we got that cleaned up there were no more problems. These old Packards are great cars and don't really require a boatload of money to get running; particularly if you are equipped to do the work yourself. The purists bore the block, replace the pistons, etc. and sink a lot of money into them. I simply fix anything that may be broken and get the motor running. Let us know how it works out for you <BR>jnp

[Guest]

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