Vehicle Description
41' Packard Street Rod Project with a 72' Cadillac drive train.
This Packard has had quite a bit of work done on it already, there is still plenty to do but most of the hard stuff is done. Of course what's hard for some is easy for others.
Body: The body is in good to very good condition. I wasn't even planning on repainting it when I got it running. I planned on just buffing the whole car and driving it for a few years before I painted it. It does have a few scratches here and there but nothing really major. It’s also got a coating of over-spray over the whole car thanks to my former shop mate not covering it before he painted a VW.
A couple of the windows are cracked but intact, it’s all flat glass of course and can be easily replaced. The chrome is all in very nice condition and won't need to be redone.
Rust: I worked a long time cleaning, prepping, and coating the underside to stop the surface rust that was there. There is still some more around the running board mounts but it’s all still surface rust. The running boards are still solid enough to hold me up no problem and I'm a big guy. Otherwise the worst of the rust is in the trunk floor, one of the previous owners riveted in a repair panel in the trunk and didn't do a very good job of it. The corrosion that's there won't get any worse if it’s not being driven around on snowy salty roads and I was planning on replacing the floor at the same time I painted the car after a few years driving it. It’s just not that bad is what I'm trying to say.
Frame: The original front of the Packard frame has been removed and we welded on the front stub of a 1970 Nova. The frame is nice and straight and the graft was done nice and strong. I've updated the Nova front suspension to Tubular upper and lower A-arms with disc brakes, all new. The disc brake kit is complete with calipers, rotors, master cylinder, booster, proportioning valve, etc.
The rest of the frame is stock as is the rear suspension.
The front cross member of the Nova stub has been modified to fit the original Packard radiator and mount. I wasn't sure if the original radiator would be good enough to cool the new engine but I thought it was worth a try before I just went and ordered a custom radiator. (the Packard was running and driving when we started taking it apart FYI)
Drive Line: I purchased a running/driving 1972 Cadillac Coupe Deville as a donor car for the drive line. I drove the car down from WY and pulled the engine, trans, rear axle, and drive shaft. Because it was still driving pretty nicely I only cleaned up the trans, pulled the pan and filter to change all the fluid. Then I put on new gaskets, filter, and front/rear shaft seals.. then primed it.
For the rear axle I cut off all the brackets and mounts for the Caddy coil spring setup and got it ready to weld on cradles for the leaf spring of the Packard. The axle is located and temporarily bolted to the springs now. The cradles are NOT welded in place because I have to wait for the pinion angle to be set first. Then the axle can be primed and painted.
The 472ci V8 engine had 85k miles on it when I pulled it. I tore it down and had all the machine work done by a professional shop. I rebuilt it with a .030" over set of Keith Black pistons and a master rebuild set, all name brand. The crank was just polished due to it being in near perfect condition so all the bearings are standard sized.
The heads were done by the same shop and of course got new valves, guides, seats, springs, etc. Another thing about these heads is that they are the 'small' combustion chamber heads which means a higher compression and more horsepower. If anyone is familiar with the Caddy 472's they may be thinking that in 1972 they went to using the large chamber heads (which they did), but this Caddy must have been put together when they were still using up the last of the small chamber heads. Anyway, rest assured this engine has the small chambers.
The engine and trans are located in the car with mounts that need to be finished. I was working on this when I had to move out of my shop and I don't have room where I am now. I was in the process of locating the engine front to back with regards to fitting it behind the radiator and making sure the fan set I have would fit. That's where it is right now.
Other: I have lots of parts to finish the car including a full GM street rod wiring harness, a GM steering column with shifter and key, cruise control system, electronic gauges (not new but complete), etc.
The wheels I picked up from a later model Caddy, 2000's but not sure what year exactly. They seem to fit the rear fenders quite well but I've not hung the front fenders to check up there. I figured if they fit the back they should probably fit the front fenders too. The wheels have spacers mounted to them as well to account for the offset.
I have lots of thoughts and ideas about finishing the car that I'm happy to pass on to the next person if interested. My health makes it difficult for me to finish the car so it’s time to see if someone else can take it over.
The 41 Packard would make a perfect 'Father/Son' project to get into. If someone worked on it 3 or 4 times a week for a few hours each time I'm sure they could get it on the road by next summer.
I know how much I've put into it and I know pretty much what its worth as is and as a finished car on the road so I've priced it to reflect that.
I'm not interested in a trade unless it’s for a touring bike (possibly)
Thanks for reading
