1927 Packard info

[jps]

There is a 27 Packard sedan for sale near me that I may look at.  I know more about Buicks but certainly admire Packards.  Is there anything I should look for - any known common problem areas that are unique to this year or series?  It looks to be a 526 but I need to confirm that.  It is a 6 cylinder.  Are parts difficult to find in genera?

 

Thank you for any advice you can offer.

 

John

[John Bloom]

Hey John, 526 Packards are nice cars and quite a few of them were made.  Parts shouldn’t be too difficult to source. You mention being a Buick guy, if you are familiar with Buick’s from that same era, the issues are not too different.  
 

has the car been running lately?  Does it still use the factory fuel system (with gravity tank) or has someone changed that? Does it cool properly?  Do the mechanical Brakes stop the car safely or need attention?  
 

Post pictures and ask questions. Lots of Packard knowledge on here from guys who have owned many over several decades. They will help you with specific questions (they have been very helpful to me). Good luck. 

[jps]

Thank you John.  I am going to take a look this morning.  One thing that concerns me about this car is that it sat on jacks for the last 15 years w/o being driven until a few weeks ago when it was driven again for maybe a mile or 2.  So I am worried about seals, gaskets, radiator/cooling system, the gas tank and maybe tires.

[John Bloom]

10 hours ago, jps said:

Thank you John.  I am going to take a look this morning.  One thing that concerns me about this car is that it sat on jacks for the last 15 years w/o being driven until a few weeks ago when it was driven again for maybe a mile or 2.  So I am worried about seals, gaskets, radiator/cooling system, the gas tank and maybe tires.

Those are all valid concerns and whether it was still sleeping for 15 years or driven a couple miles, you would need to look at all of those things anyway. Even though it’s been started recently, I would go through all the systems like you’re waking it up from a long sleep.  Several guys have posted a “list” to guide you as you work through each system. I’ll try and find it and post it 

[jps]

I took a look at the car yesterday.  I was wrong and it is a model 426, not a 526, although I don't know the difference.  There are several good things about this car, but there are 3-4 things about it that convinced me the car is not right for me.  There is a significant leak at the rear differential - might just be a gasket and I did not look that close to see exactly where the leak came from, but there was a large puddle of fluid on the floor under it - more than you would get from a slow leak.  Also, I tried 3 times to close the front driver door and each time I had to lift up on it significantly to close it, so I believe the door is sagging, likely due to rot in the door pillar.  Finally, the seller told me that the clutch and/or throwout bearing needs to be adjusted/repaired.  So together with my concerns about the car sitting for so long undriven made me decide to pass on this one.  Kind of a shame because the car is very clean otherwise and has been kept unmodified as far as I could tell.  Interior and dash is very nice, top looks to be in great shape, but the paint colors (kind of a steel blue with maroon accents) are a little weird though not as bad as the tan/chocolate colors found on so many 70's-80's restorations. Paint was not perfect but very good for a driver.  All the other doors were very solid and well adjusted & the windows all cranked up/down although the exterior window seals showed a lot of age/cracking.  It has a nice Tropic-Aire heater (I believe that was a Minneapolis-based company making aftermarket heaters).  The car was running when I got there - sounded like it might need a tuneup but not bad.  There may have been a few small items missing on the car - this is where I don't know the details of what should be there - but there were no interior pull-down shades, one rear seat ash tray was missing a face plate, the horn was replaced by a siren (for parades), and the cigarette lighter had been stolen some years ago.

 

Asking price is $22,500, which seems reasonable for a Packard in this condition if you don't mind the front driver door.

[John Bloom]

Interesting, I saw that car listed many months ago.  Your decision to take a pass makes sense, My thoughts are: Six cylinder sedans are the bottom price point of 20's Packard platforms.  There is a lot to like about the car but in my opinion, the paint color choices aren't helpful.  A nice solid Black, Packard Blue, almost anything other than what it is would be an improvement.  Add in the mechanical things you mention and it seems like a car someone will pick up in the mid teens.  Hopefully the seller has figured this out and finds a buyer who will enjoy it.