DIY Network

1938 Packard: Introduction and Evaluation From "Classic Car Restoration" episode DCR-401

The1938 Packard Club-Coupe represents the best in automotive manufacturing from a classic era.

In this episode of Classic Car Restoration, host Mark Lambert opens a multi-episode series on the restoration of one of the finest examples of automobile design in American automotive history -- the 1938 Packard Club Coupe. In this first segment of episode 401, Mark introduces this very special automobile and gives some background on evaluating a potential project-car from this exciting era.

Many collectors consider Packard to be the premiere American luxury car -- including your host Mark Lambert who owns and drives five of them. Effortless speed, durability, safety and eye-appeal are all attributes that Packard did like no other company of its time. The company also played a fascinating role in the allied victory in World War II.

Some helpful tools for car evaluation:

Flashlight
Magnet strip
Wire brush
Chalk

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	Figure A
	Figure B

Packard Evaluation

A car of this age requires lots of attention before it can be driven dependably, and a preliminary evaluation is the first step. Here are some of Mark's suggestions.

• A credit-card-sized magnet (figure A) is the ideal tool for identifying areas of repair work on the car's body. The magnet will stick to steel, but not to body filler that may have been used in prior repairs. It's also a good idea to have a good flashlight available for close inspection of hard-to-reach places and parts. A wire brush and chalk will help with cleaning and reading the vehicle identification numbers. The chalk helps to highlight the characters so that they can be seen more easily.

• Our Packard had been kept in storage quite a long time and was dirty, however it appeared to have little rust damage or corrosion for a car this age -- probably indicating that this car has been kept in a dy climate.

• Check the overall body structure carefully, since body work is likely to be the most expensive type of work that may need to be done. If the body is in good shape, you're off to a good start. Check the door-gaps (figure B) and the operation of the doors. If they open and close easily, chances are good that the doors are original to the car and have not been damaged. With this coupe, the door operation is critical since the rest of the car's geometry keys off of this point.
  

• Check the condition of the paint over the entire car. Ours was in good enough shape that water-sanding would probably be sufficient to restore an acceptable surface. This will represent a substantial savings for this project, since a high-quality paint job for this classic could range from $12,000 to $15,000.

• Check the condition of the running boards (figure C). Ours is solid and in good shape overall, though some of the ribs on the footpad will need to be glued down.

• The external rearview mirrors on our car (figure D) were 1980s-era reproductions. We would replace these with more authentic swan-neck mirrors.

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• Once it has been established that the care is structurally a good candidate for renovation, you can turn next to the VIN (vehicle identification numbers). This number provides valuable information about the car's manufacture and authenticates whether various key parts are original. The VIN for our '38 Packard is found on a decal on the firewall beneath the hood (figure E). In fact, 1938 was the only year in which Packard used a decal for the VIN.

• The number on the decal should correspond with the number engraved on other parts of the car. On our Packard, we were able to authenticate originality since the engraved number on the frame-rail matched the one on the decal. We used a wire brush to clean away dirt and rust from the engraved number, and highlighted it with chalk to make it more readable (figure F). Our number was 11952428A30988. The "1195" portion of the number refers to the body style and confirms that this is indeed a Club Coupe. The next set of digits represents that our car is number 2428 out of around 22,700 cars that Packard made in that year on this platform. The letter "A" is the prefix to the engine number, and it matches the number on our engine block.
  

• With the VIN checked out, we now turn our attention to mechanical aspects of the car. Checking the oil, it's apparent from the dirty condition of the oil (figure G) that the engine has been somewhat neglected.

  Important: It's recommended that you change the oil in a restoration vehicle several times during the process of restoration.

• Inspecting the radiator cap revealed a substantial amount of corrosion (figure H) and indicated a contaminated cooling system.

  Figure G

  Figure H

  
  

• In the test-drive of the Packard (figure I), the temperature gauge (figure J) showed a high reading, confirming that the engine wasn't cooling properly. Additionally, the ignition didn't feel as if it were advancing properly under acceleration.

  In summary, the inspection and test-drive both indicated that all major mechanical systems would likely need some refurbishment during the course of the restoration.

  Figure I

  Figure J

  
  

• In terms of our Packard's exterior, the rear license-plate is made from pot-metal which fatigues over time. Ours is broken (figure K) and will need to be repaired. A repair is preferable in this case because this particular part is rare and expensive.

• The license-plate light (figure L) is integrated with the taillight. These are prone to leaking and if they do, the whole taillight can become rust-damaged. Ours appears to be in good shape.

  Figure K

  Figure L

  
  

• The bumpers on our car (figure M) is triple-plated Packard chrome, which is quite durable. Ours is in good shape, but will need a considerable amount of cleaning.

• The wheels on our project car (figure N) are surface-rusted and will need to be repainted. The tires will be replaced with new whitewall tires.

  Figure M

  Figure N

  
  

• The interior of our Packard is in fairly good shape. The upholstery is brushed wool (figure O). It does have some grease stains that will need to be removed.

• The dash is in good shape overall (figure P), but the clock is missing. Our intention is to locate an original one on an internet auction.

  Figure O

  Figure P

  
  

• The carpet in the car is synthetic blend with nylon binding (figure Q). We will replace it with the correct hog's-hair wool carpet and cloth binding (figure R)

  Figure Q

  Figure R

  
  

  	The gas-cap on our '38 Packard is a 1970s-era replacement part. We'll swap it out for a historically accurate chrome one. Since it was painted with the rest of the car, however, it will be valuable for paint-matching.

RESOURCES :


Resources and Special Thanks for Classic Car Restoration 400 series


The Packard Club
Columbus, Ohio
(National & regional clubs, car shows & judging, magazine, resources, etc.)
The Cormorant magazine
The Packard Club
www.packardclub.org

Packards International Motor Car Club
(National owner's club, judging rules, magazine, newsletter and other resources)
Santa Ana, CA
Packardsinternational.com

Packards of Chicagoland
(Regional affiliate of The Packard Club)
Elmhurst, IL
Packards of Chicagoland

America's Packard Museum
Dayton, Ohio
www.americaspackardmuseum.org

The National Packard Museum
Warren, OH (the birthplace of the Packard)
www.warren.org

The Packard Motor Car Foundation
(Foundation for preserving the Packard marque) Restoring the Packard Proving Grounds and other Packard activities.
www.packardmotorfdn.org

Motorbooks International
www.motorbooks.com

Automobile Inspections LLC
(Nationwide automobile appraisal & inspection services, including classic cars)
Hartford, CT
www.automobileinspections.com

Classic Auto Appraisals (Evaluation of Classics, Street Rods, Antiques, Competition Cars, Exotics, Commercial Vehicles and Hand Crafted Vehicles).
www.autoappraisals.com

GUESTS :

Keller Wallace
Keller Wallace Street Rods
Volunteer Street Rod Association
Knoxville, TN