In the early 1930's my grandfather bought a used '28 Packard, similar to the one shown here, for $75. That would be about $2,500 in today's dollars! Like you stated here, he said it drove like a truck, the steering was heavy and you had to double clutch. He reluctantly had to sell it in 1940, when my mom got her license, she was unable to drive it. You could tell he loved the car, he talked about it for the rest of his life. He later on had a Studebaker and then a Chrysler, but they were not quite the same as the Packard.
I drove through Hiram, Georgia today and spotted a '48 or '49 Packard Custom Eight front-and-center by the driveway of a repair/restoration shop. When I drove back through on the way home, I stopped in for a closer look. The oval taillights pegged it as a '49 or '50 model. I believe it was a '49 because it was equipped with a manual transmission and 'I would have expected a '50 to have the Ultramatic. The body appeared solid, though there was some non-standard floor covering leading me to wonder if they were as nice as the rest of the car. The battery was dead when the manager of the shop tried to start it, but when he clipped on the booster pack, it started as soon as he touched the key. The paint was flaking but, again, I didn't see any rust. The door sounded like the proverbial bank vault. The engine block and head were freshly painted green with the PACKARD THUNDERBOLT call-out in a bright red. Above the PACKARD name there was a small number cast into the head: _327._ To be honest, the engine wasn't quite as smooth as the legendary "balance a silver dollar on its edge" boast of earlier Packards, but it was impressively steady, and the exhaust tone was almost like an organ pipe. The car is for sale, but while the price was more modest than I expected, I don't exactly want to compromise my retirement plans at this point. I bought a _Fantasy 5_ ticket in the way home.
Thank you I couldn’t find the pictures that I wanted to find I wanted to show all of the different grills as well because the higher you go up the more Blitzer the grills get 726 it’s just a painted grill that opens and closes it’s nothing spectacular you start getting up and to those bigger cars they are so glitzy =) even the standard grill that doesn’t open there’s so much going on with the words just can’t describe it
The Packard you show @20:36 was part of the Harrah Auto Collection and was made into a plastic model kit from Monogram in the 1970's. My Dad built one and I have one still sealed in the original shrink wrap. The Monogram kit was molded in those colors too..orange body and brown fenders.
Victorian era looking indeed! A play room for the kiddies in the back too. Or a private space for adults with curtains drawn. 👩❤️👨 For WYR, 30 Packard and 30 Cord. So sleek.
The space in the back of this car is absolutely incredible so much room if you had extra chairs you probably could put extra chairs in the back and have more people ride in it if you wanted Great choices :-)
@@What.its.like. And what a fine quality car they made! There's a reason there's still so many Packards around! They're not super rare (depending on the year and model) because unlike anything made by the big 3, even after sitting outside foe half a century they didn't rot I to nothingness! And lots are still being saved!
@@What.its.like. Glad you enjoyed the story! Granddaddy bought it from the original owner, on a Monday. The man had been for a Sunday drive and the Packard had overheated and spotted his new Stetson hat, so he sold it out of anger and bought a Marmon!
@@What.its.like. Don't know what he thought of Mr. Marsh's Marmon. Howard Marmon was about out of business in 1932. It was probably an 8, there were so few 16's, although Mr. Marsh could have afforded one.
I once saw exactly this model parked on the street, single tone black, in what appeared to be original condition. Pictures/video just can't convey these car's sheer presence in the metal, or how big they really are. Ask the man who's seen one, he'll get the title joke immediatly. A pity you couldnt road-test it; those Packard eights were incredably smooth. When the one I saw was at idle, it was nearly silent, once underway, the rear end made more noise. Thanx for the tour, this is one of my Grail-cars.
This car is awesome and to think this is the small one I’m hoping to cover some more Packard’s this summer that we could hear Run going to try and go to a lot of shows this year
Also some of those cars had a "central lubrication system" that you could activate by push button that would pump oil under pressure to various parts of the car via tubes or metal lines such as the tie rod ends or kingpins
What a fantastic car. I love the colors in the interior too. You mentioned it being difficult to get out of the car because of the close cowl post A lot of times when you see cars from the 20s and early 30s with original interiors, you'll find that the kick panel and the bottom corner of the door panel are shredded from so many years of people trying to get their feet out. First round goes to either the Packard or the Pierce-Arrow. I'm not sure I can decide because The '29 and early '30s Pierces were fantastic cars. The Cadillac is out because the styling was a bit too stiff and old-fashioned for me, and Lincoln's styling was always a bit awkward. Second round: Always a Packard roadster!
Thank you so much for giving me the proper name of that section I called it the wall I didn’t know what it was called kick panel sounds so much better.. that car the seat in the front could’ve moved back three or 4 inches and it wouldn’t have been a problem it wouldn’t have taken away from the backseat either because there was tons of room back there Great choices =)
This car was a drawing room on wheels! "Nice sofa. How's it handle in the corners?" I can't help but wonder what tales this luxurious Packard could tell. It's ridiculous how tickled I was that it received not one, but TWO gold stars in the glove box test. I am such a nerd.
Working on these old Packards, one thing we found out was that there was no standard in the bolt patterns of the wheels. There were multiple disc wheel bolt patterns which were different from the wooden spoke wheels. The old Packrds I used to work on usually had central lubrication pumps. They were operated by a hand plunger to the left of the driver and the reservoir was under the hood. There were copper lines from the pump to the different lubrication on the chassis. This Packard IS equipped with this. Some of these had onboard air pumps, which bolted to the side of the transmission. The Packard engines were state of the art, with cast aluminum crankcases and oil pans. The cylinder blocks and heads were cast iron. And another special thing was that these engines had roller cams. A roller followers rode on the camshaft and actuated the valves. These engines were almost silent and vibration-free at idle. The fuel pumps were vacuum operated as were the windshield wiper motors. These were top of the line cars and no other car was better than a Packard, including Rolls-Royce. Oh, and if it looks like wood on a Packard, it IS wood. Also, cars of this vintage may look like the reinforcements are made of metal, and they are, but they ash inner frames inside the metal which you couldn't see. This was common on some vehicles into the early 50's. This was true of the early jeeps into the early 50's.
@@What.its.like. No. Many parts were interchangeable and would fit many different Packards. It is the wheel bolt patterns which were varied. At one time I had a stack of Packard steel disc wheels and they had different bolt patterns.
Common misconception about the wood. By this year and series, the window trim and dashboard were metal with a fake wood pattern over it. I believe wood window frames were an option still, but most, including my 31, use metal.
@@danielhomant2832 Of the Packards I have worked on from this era, if it looks like wood, it IS wood. Towards the end of the 1940's Di-Noc became more common in simulating wood effects.
@@automatedelectronics6062 You must have typically worked on the big 12's with higher options, because painted over metal was the common standard through the 20's and 30's. I don't know when it started nor ended, but this era, most Packards had painted over metal, with wood typically only found on the big 12's, and very rarely on the super 8's. Being as how the one features in the video is essentially a base model with few extras, though those wheels are nice, it is highly likely to be wood grain painted over metal. The same as on my own 31 7 passenger 833, painted metal. Not saying you haven't worked on wood, since it was an option in this era, just that it wasn't the standard and was only available as an added extra, and rarely found outside their premier models.
Stunning automobile!🤩 The interior and space is insane! I do like the look of the Lincoln slightly better , but the Packard is so superb, but probably Lincoln as first choice. Second scenario, it's between the Packard and Cadillac, leaning more towards Packard. 😎 Video, love the jingle at the end 🤣
The jingle at the end was courtesy of my daughter I wasn’t going to do that I don’t know what I had in mind it wasn’t that.. she wanted to hear that song lol I love the color of this packard The only thing that I didn’t like about this car was the front seat could’ve moved back at least three or 4 inches because it was too hard to get in and out of the car beings where the kick plate was. Great choices =)
I’m a huge Packard fan trust me they were going to be more way way way way more Packards on here as soon as I can find them Glad you dig this channel/episode What color is your super eight is it a two-door or a four-door it sounds really awesome =) ( i’m asking the man who owns one lol)
You might look for my response elsewhere in this video comment section describing spotting and looking fairly closely at a Custom Eight. My problem is, I don't have the money or a place to store it. I did buy a lottery ticket on the way home....
I would go for the Packard sedan, as well as the Packard Roadster. Nice hood ornament. And I like how much space you have for the back seat that almost looks like a sofa.
Hi Jay!: A good review of a NICE car! No wonder that one is sold already. You can just see and almost feel the quality of that one, even though it was Packard's BASE model! On the would you rathers, the first is obviously the Packard. The second is a little harder for me. Not REALLY a Cadillac lover, but that V-16! Gonna have to pick it. Looking forward to the REO episode. An interesting make with an interesting history.
I’ve wanted to feature this car fir a couple months everytime I couldn’t get in it tho so didn’t want to miss the opportunity, to feature this car Glad you dig this episode =) Great choices
What a beautiful car I was stuck by how similar in size it is to today’s Escalades or other large luxury suv, but in terms of the attention to detail and true luxury todays vehicles just can’t be compared
Today’s vehicles are like appliances these are machines that’s why they are still around, wonder how many escalade will be around in 93 years and if they can run and drive
Thank you That one it’s turning out to be pretty hard to find information for I think it’s a 1930 and not a 1931 it’s advertised as a 31 but the model names don’t match up
Still can't decide if I like the cormorant or the goddess of speed hood ornament better. The classic Packard radiator was shaped to follow the outline of a gothic church window. I can just imagine WC Fields arriving at the movie studio in this car, wearing a top hat and I'm sure he used the map pockets in his Packard to store a flask or two of gin.
I love all the hidden compartments this has =) Both hood ornaments are really nice The proper name goddess of speed escaped me.. thank you so much for that =)
I know right that backseat was the biggest backseat that I was ever in that wasn’t a limousine they honestly could’ve moved the front seat back probably 4 inches and it’s still have tons of room because it was really hard to get in the car in the front seat because of where the kick plate was
The Auburn Boattail Speedster would my choice - it is rarer than rare and extremely valuable. Packard also made a Boattail Speedster, but they weren't as sexy as the Auburn offering. The Packard Grille was known as a Tombstone Grille because of its shape. Those wooden-spoke wheels are called Casson Wheels and are prone to squeaking and not running true - they are also the cheaper wheel. If a PACKARD EIGHT engine was tuned right, you could balance a nickel on its side while the engine was running and the nickel would NOT fall over! The Packard was the Benchmark Prestige Automobile of its time. Their Slogan was "ASK THE MAN WHO OWNS ONE!" No one could outclass a Packard. In WW2 Packard made V12 engines for marine use and also aircraft engines. It was because of stupid management and an unwillingness to change with the times, that brought Packard down. The 1940s saw Packard introduce the bath tub design which was supposed to be very aerodynamic. It wasn't well received by the public. Then they offered the less than attractive lineup of the early 1950s, and the handwriting was wall spelling out doom for the once venerated Marque. Additionally, Studebaker, who purchased Packard didn't help matters much either, as Packard played second fiddle to Studebaker. Studebaker was soon to follow Packard to the gallows. What a shame.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing all of that information I greatly appreciate it One day this summer when we do some more Packards I would love to do that coin trick not really a trick a test
Was it James Nance who had the most responsibility for the sequence of bad moves that doomed Packard? Wow just read that after finishing Packard Nance then got hired at Ford where he contributed to the Edsel fubar !!
Were there a couple of strikes that greatly damaged Packard in the 1950s? Perhaps brought on by the combining of Studebaker and Packard work forces? Different pay rate histories and then jealousy? Also the disastrous automatic transmission issues of the 1955 model year?
Jay, I think you have it a bit backwards, with regards to how the thermostatic louvers on a Packard grill works. The louvers are closed when the motor is cold, allowing the motor to warm up faster. As the coolant warms up, the louvers open automatically to allow more air to the radiator, so the motor doesn't get hotter.
Thank you for that correction Do you have a Packard and are you located in Pennsylvania if so what Packard do you have? I’m in Pennsylvania and I’ve been looking to do more Packards. =)
I participated in a criminal act in 1947, we had a 29 or 30 duel cowel phaeton with aluminum body, which was removed, dumped in a slough, and the chassis converted into a buck rake.
I always wondered whether those two different yet renowned Packard hood ornaments came automatically with the car or was the choice for the buyer to decide upon, and it seems that the latter was the case. The "Flying Lady" was also known as "The Goddess of Speed."
Thank you so much for that correction on the goddess of speed there was different options depending on different years some senior Packers game with different hood ornaments at all depending on the era in which the car is from
The Comorant was standard on all Packards, with each series having a unique upgrade available as well. 7th series had the Adonis, or Sliding Boy. The Goddess of Speed was the upgrade from the Comorant and was also carried across years. Both the Comorant and Goddess, or Donut Chaser, had changed in design each series. Check out the mid 30's Comorant radio antenna style ones for something absolutely unique.
@@danielhomant2832 I was not familiar with the Adonis hood ornament that briefly appeared on Packard cars. I never cared much for the Comorant hood ornaments, of which one variant was exclusively used on the '48-'50 Packard 8. But the Godess of Speed I always thought was just about the best design that appeared on any car from that period. It seemed to be very popular on the Packard 120's from the late 1930's and possibly on the 6 cylinder 115's and 110's as well.
Gasoline was drawn by vacuum from the main gasoline tank into the smaller storage tank under the hood. Later on a fuel pump was attached to the engine. The camshaft operated a lever in the fuel pump. This system also used vacuum to draw gas from the tank.
The detail of the hood you showed follows the design of the radiator/grille, called the Waterfall grille, which can be seen on every Packard except the 1958 Hawk, which is modelled from a whale shark.
Packard and boat tail Cord FTW a boat tail is probably the most impractical rear design ever. But being totally cool always is a trade-off in one way or another.
Packard...and Packard, tho that Cord is very enticing. As they said, "Ask The Man Who Owns One". Dignified King of the road. As you said, "nothing compares ". Packard probably would have had to modify that long used slogan today. Recently saw an AI generated photo essay on what the 1975 Packard might have looked like. Shades of Lincoln-Mercury, with hints of an enlarged Holden. That's the Goddess of Speed hood ornament on top of the famous Ox Yolk grill.
12:27 I notice a tee-handle pull under the left glove box. I could read the word _PULL_ but couldn't make out the rest of the text. I was thinking maybe dual ratio axle or overdrive, but I suspect it was something more mundane like the heater control.
@@hot88s23 Ah good one! I’m only a mildly casual Dan fan. I know the album title but not the cut. Wow, I never thought about it, but Fagen and Jack Bruce have some similar vocal qualities.
Watching you exit the car I noticed you've discovered the problem all classic cars present for those with size 12's (me too). distance between seat and door post leaves very little room. Once proportions changed in the mid-30's that's less of an issue, but it almost always is in earlier models, no matter where on the price scale. Ah, and those early 30's 4 speeds - marketing gimmick more than anything else. Manufacturers opted to give you an almost useless super low granny gear (you could easily start in second) rather than make ratios actually useful and extend top speed. While the more powerful 8's of the late 20s/early30s (Packard was so-so, the 29 Pierce Arrow had 125 HP, near the top of the heap, I think) might in fact do 85, even 90 in a light body running flat out, you were taxing the heck of the engines running through a high final drive ratio. Had they designed a true 4 speed with 4th being overdrive rather than direct, it would have extended comfortable, sustainable cruising speed. WYR: 1) 30 Pierce Arrow, 2) Cadillac V-16. Music - I love Steely Dan and I'd have struggled to get that with this clip - good job Hot 88 - 'where did you get those shoes'
Great choices.. yeah the Packard could definitely have used the front seat to be moved at least 4 inches back it wouldn’t have taken away any space from the rear.. the REO was harder to get in because of the kick plate. I purposely showed that because that’s going to be an issue every single time you get in and out of that car.
Something to note, is that the only exterior door lock is on the front passenger side. This was intentional and very common across all manufacturers. The reasoning was that they didn't want people exiting their car into the street, so the idea was to lock all other doors from the inside, and the driver get out on the passenger side, safely off the street. This also makes it a lot easier to get in and out of it without banging around since you can line yourself to the door opening, but it still takes practice to slide past the shifter gracefully, heh.
It’s a shame they’re in the process of demolishing the old Packard plant in Detroit. It was left to deteriorate over so many years and become too far gone. Too bad the city of Detroit couldn’t find a way to repurpose it. Packard is one of my all time favourite American luxury cars.
Packard is one of my favorite brands as well it might actually be my favorite brand I just wish there was more information on the Internet than there seems to be it’s almost like you have to find a secret door to access the information that you want to access it’s not very easy to find but once you find it it’s like wow this is Gold why is this easier.. That was one place that I wish I would’ve visited was the Packard Plant it sucks they’re tearing it down but it was pretty big eyesore at this point lots of graffiti from pictures that I’ve seen
The Packard Plant is massive, it was the largest auto plant for many years, and one of the first with its own proving grounds, and where Packards were tested up to a sustained 100mph. Not race vehicles, but regular road going production cars! Information is so hard to find because of a fire that destroyed almost all the records, leaving the only source of literature and information available to anyone are the people that lived and worked with them, and what little publication was already in private or dealer/shop hands. I'm lucky to have an original owners manual with my 31 in fairly good condition.
The history of that plant and the mismanagement of it even after the car company was forced to abandon it would be a major research project in itself -- Packard itself made a mistake in not updating the plant instead of moving some of its operations elsewhere before Packard's problems became dire? After (Studebaker/Packard?) was forced to close the plant did Detroit and/or Curtiss Wright find out that the plant was a huge white elephant instead of the valuable real estate holding that they hoped to sell for a large sum ? Eisenhower's cabinet - did some powerful figure in that help decide Packard's fate? If so was it a "GM man" ? Why did Packard lose the aircraft and PT boat contracts? (Remember the love of superhighway construction during that era and the unfortunate removal of most urban/interurban trolley lines that occurred,I think GM is supposed to have had a role in that
No, Jay... That "non-opening Grille" actually has an extra-cost optional STONE GUARD in front of it which has an interesting "cane-type rattan-pattern weave" cast into the "screen"...
Thank you so much for that correction I wasn’t sure I would think the one that function would be the optional grill I saw literature on the different grills I just couldn’t find it this go around.. I really need to get a Packard book
This is mostly correct, with the only off part being the weave is cast. The stone guard is actually made of woven strips of metal, not cast as a single piece or anything. Reproductions typically use incorrect wire and weave patterns, making them easy to identify when compared to the flat strip originals with their more complex pattern.
@@glennso47 The entire car would be bigger than all but the biggest modern vehicles, yes. The wheelbase measurement is from the center of the front wheels, to center of the rear wheels. Plus, they were rather tall as well. My 31 833 makes my wife's Edge look small. What's interesting, is that for all their size, they are actually rather small inside. Long, absolutely, but fairly narrow and with a surprisingly small drivers area.
Whoever is able to correctly guess which song that is has a very good ear for music because that is a real hard one for sure. Maybe they should get a double pat on the back assuming that someone will be able to identify it.
People use these cars, I would. I have kids and would drive them in this.. I know a guy who has a 29 Buick phaeton and drives his kids around in that with the top off. What’s the purpose of having these cars if you don’t use them and why leave your kids at home when they could go with you and share the experience
That is exactly why we got our 31 Packard 833. So we could enjoy as a family car. We still have a normal car, a 2016 Edge, but we fully intend to use the Packard year round, in rain and snow, with messy kids and long trips, getting groceries and whatever else. It has already gone down dirt roads in the rain since we've had it, heh.
1930 Packard was as good as or better than any of those other cars except that it probably wasn't the fastest of all believe was superior to the Lincoln in every way
Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan
Yeah buddy you got it =) guess it wasn’t hard enough
REO flying cloud is coming tomorrow
@Eric Ruud you are correct.
In the early 1930's my grandfather bought a used '28 Packard, similar to the one shown here, for $75. That would be about $2,500 in today's dollars! Like you stated here, he said it drove like a truck, the steering was heavy and you had to double clutch. He reluctantly had to sell it in 1940, when my mom got her license, she was unable to drive it. You could tell he loved the car, he talked about it for the rest of his life. He later on had a Studebaker and then a Chrysler, but they were not quite the same as the Packard.
Thank you so much for sharing that story with us I want to drive one, hopefully someday =) thank you fir sharing those memories with us =)
This is one of the best cars of the thirties!!! Thanks Jay for showcasing it!!! 👍👍🙂
I agree I can’t wait to do some senior packards hopefully this summer =) these colors worked well together as well
Awesome I always loved the older Packards
A magnificent car. Huge with a presence of style, grace, and quiet confidence of the future.
Totally agree =)
I drove through Hiram, Georgia today and spotted a '48 or '49 Packard Custom Eight front-and-center by the driveway of a repair/restoration shop. When I drove back through on the way home, I stopped in for a closer look.
The oval taillights pegged it as a '49 or '50 model. I believe it was a '49 because it was equipped with a manual transmission and 'I would have expected a '50 to have the Ultramatic.
The body appeared solid, though there was some non-standard floor covering leading me to wonder if they were as nice as the rest of the car.
The battery was dead when the manager of the shop tried to start it, but when he clipped on the booster pack, it started as soon as he touched the key.
The paint was flaking but, again, I didn't see any rust. The door sounded like the proverbial bank vault.
The engine block and head were freshly painted green with the PACKARD THUNDERBOLT call-out in a bright red. Above the PACKARD name there was a small number cast into the head: _327._
To be honest, the engine wasn't quite as smooth as the legendary "balance a silver dollar on its edge" boast of earlier Packards, but it was impressively steady, and the exhaust tone was almost like an organ pipe.
The car is for sale, but while the price was more modest than I expected, I don't exactly want to compromise my retirement plans at this point.
I bought a _Fantasy 5_ ticket in the way home.
“Magestic” is soooooo right. Nice vehicle.
Btw….great job describing the Packard lineup!
Thank you I couldn’t find the pictures that I wanted to find I wanted to show all of the different grills as well because the higher you go up the more Blitzer the grills get 726 it’s just a painted grill that opens and closes it’s nothing spectacular you start getting up and to those bigger cars they are so glitzy =) even the standard grill that doesn’t open there’s so much going on with the words just can’t describe it
The Packard you show @20:36 was part of the Harrah Auto Collection and was made into a plastic model kit from Monogram in the 1970's. My Dad built one and I have one still sealed in the original shrink wrap. The Monogram kit was molded in those colors too..orange body and brown fenders.
Awesome =)
Another good video! I always wanted a packard, they were in my opinion the finest car made in America.
Thank you I want to own a packard maybe I’ll be a man who owns one lol
Victorian era looking indeed!
A play room for the kiddies in the back too. Or a private space for adults with curtains drawn. 👩❤️👨
For WYR, 30 Packard and 30 Cord. So sleek.
The space in the back of this car is absolutely incredible so much room if you had extra chairs you probably could put extra chairs in the back and have more people ride in it if you wanted
Great choices :-)
Pure Packard Prestige..........👏👏👏
Only one choice for me 😉
Another great episode 👍✌️
Great choice
Glad you dig this episode =)
Jay, another great Packard video. Thanks for keeping the memories of this fine automobile alive. Have a great weekend.
You bet =)
Glad you dig this one we love the orphan cars here
Have a great weekend as well
Packard is my favorite brand! I love all the orphan brands but Packard is by far my favorite! My dream car is a 1949 Packard Super 8!
I agree my favorite period of packard in 1934-1942 I swear they didn’t make a bad looking car during those years
@@What.its.like. And what a fine quality car they made! There's a reason there's still so many Packards around! They're not super rare (depending on the year and model) because unlike anything made by the big 3, even after sitting outside foe half a century they didn't rot I to nothingness! And lots are still being saved!
Good video! My grandfather had a 1927 Model 426 sedan. He bought it in 1932 for $165! He drove it until Pearl Harbor. Replaced it with a 1940 Olds.
That’s awesome thank you so much for sharing your grandfathers packard what a great memory =)
@@What.its.like. Glad you enjoyed the story! Granddaddy bought it from the original owner, on a Monday. The man had been for a Sunday drive and the Packard had overheated and spotted his new Stetson hat, so he sold it out of anger and bought a Marmon!
V16 marmon or a eight? What did your grandfather think of the marmon
@@What.its.like. Don't know what he thought of Mr. Marsh's Marmon. Howard Marmon was about out of business in 1932. It was probably an 8, there were so few 16's, although Mr. Marsh could have afforded one.
I once saw exactly this model parked on the street, single tone black, in what appeared to be original condition. Pictures/video just can't convey these car's sheer presence in the metal, or how big they really are. Ask the man who's seen one, he'll get the title joke immediatly. A pity you couldnt road-test it; those Packard eights were incredably smooth. When the one I saw was at idle, it was nearly silent, once underway, the rear end made more noise. Thanx for the tour, this is one of my Grail-cars.
This car is awesome and to think this is the small one
I’m hoping to cover some more Packard’s this summer that we could hear Run going to try and go to a lot of shows this year
Vacuum powered fuel lift / pump system. Very common in 1920's 1930's cars
Sweet thank you so much fir that insight =)
Also some of those cars had a "central lubrication system" that you could activate by push button that would pump oil under pressure to various parts of the car via tubes or metal lines such as the tie rod ends or kingpins
Thanks Jay, for a great 1930 Packard video, one of the most beautiful cars from this time.🙂
=) glad you dig this episode
What a fantastic car. I love the colors in the interior too. You mentioned it being difficult to get out of the car because of the close cowl post A lot of times when you see cars from the 20s and early 30s with original interiors, you'll find that the kick panel and the bottom corner of the door panel are shredded from so many years of people trying to get their feet out.
First round goes to either the Packard or the Pierce-Arrow. I'm not sure I can decide because The '29 and early '30s Pierces were fantastic cars. The Cadillac is out because the styling was a bit too stiff and old-fashioned for me, and Lincoln's styling was always a bit awkward.
Second round: Always a Packard roadster!
Thank you so much for giving me the proper name of that section I called it the wall I didn’t know what it was called kick panel sounds so much better.. that car the seat in the front could’ve moved back three or 4 inches and it wouldn’t have been a problem it wouldn’t have taken away from the backseat either because there was tons of room back there
Great choices =)
This car was a drawing room on wheels! "Nice sofa. How's it handle in the corners?" I can't help but wonder what tales this luxurious Packard could tell. It's ridiculous how tickled I was that it received not one, but TWO gold stars in the glove box test. I am such a nerd.
Haha I love the glove box test too it’s a bit unconventional but really shows how big those glove boxes are
I want to drive one, perhaps one day =)
Working on these old Packards, one thing we found out was that there was no standard in the bolt patterns of the wheels. There were multiple disc wheel bolt patterns which were different from the wooden spoke wheels.
The old Packrds I used to work on usually had central lubrication pumps. They were operated by a hand plunger to the left of the driver and the reservoir was under the hood. There were copper lines from the pump to the different lubrication on the chassis. This Packard IS equipped with this.
Some of these had onboard air pumps, which bolted to the side of the transmission.
The Packard engines were state of the art, with cast aluminum crankcases and oil pans. The cylinder blocks and heads were cast iron. And another special thing was that these engines had roller cams. A roller followers rode on the camshaft and actuated the valves. These engines were almost silent and vibration-free at idle.
The fuel pumps were vacuum operated as were the windshield wiper motors.
These were top of the line cars and no other car was better than a Packard, including Rolls-Royce.
Oh, and if it looks like wood on a Packard, it IS wood.
Also, cars of this vintage may look like the reinforcements are made of metal, and they are, but they ash inner frames inside the metal which you couldn't see. This was common on some vehicles into the early 50's. This was true of the early jeeps into the early 50's.
Thank you so much for sharing that all of that information I didn’t know they didn’t have a standardized system for parts
@@What.its.like. No. Many parts were interchangeable and would fit many different Packards. It is the wheel bolt patterns which were varied. At one time I had a stack of Packard steel disc wheels and they had different bolt patterns.
Common misconception about the wood. By this year and series, the window trim and dashboard were metal with a fake wood pattern over it.
I believe wood window frames were an option still, but most, including my 31, use metal.
@@danielhomant2832 Of the Packards I have worked on from this era, if it looks like wood, it IS wood.
Towards the end of the 1940's Di-Noc became more common in simulating wood effects.
@@automatedelectronics6062 You must have typically worked on the big 12's with higher options, because painted over metal was the common standard through the 20's and 30's. I don't know when it started nor ended, but this era, most Packards had painted over metal, with wood typically only found on the big 12's, and very rarely on the super 8's.
Being as how the one features in the video is essentially a base model with few extras, though those wheels are nice, it is highly likely to be wood grain painted over metal. The same as on my own 31 7 passenger 833, painted metal.
Not saying you haven't worked on wood, since it was an option in this era, just that it wasn't the standard and was only available as an added extra, and rarely found outside their premier models.
Stunning automobile!🤩 The interior and space is insane! I do like the look of the Lincoln slightly better , but the Packard is so superb, but probably Lincoln as first choice. Second scenario, it's between the Packard and Cadillac, leaning more towards Packard. 😎 Video, love the jingle at the end 🤣
The jingle at the end was courtesy of my daughter I wasn’t going to do that I don’t know what I had in mind it wasn’t that.. she wanted to hear that song lol
I love the color of this packard The only thing that I didn’t like about this car was the front seat could’ve moved back at least three or 4 inches because it was too hard to get in and out of the car beings where the kick plate was.
Great choices =)
Thank you for reviewing another Packard. I just got a 1948 Packard Super 8!
I’m a huge Packard fan trust me they were going to be more way way way way more Packards on here as soon as I can find them
Glad you dig this channel/episode
What color is your super eight is it a two-door or a four-door it sounds really awesome =) ( i’m asking the man who owns one lol)
You might look for my response elsewhere in this video comment section describing spotting and looking fairly closely at a Custom Eight. My problem is, I don't have the money or a place to store it.
I did buy a lottery ticket on the way home....
I would go for the Packard sedan, as well as the Packard Roadster.
Nice hood ornament. And I like how much space you have for the back seat that almost looks like a sofa.
Backseat space was massive it was like being in a limo
Great choices =)
More room in the Packard then the REO
Awesome car !
And to think that was the small one
Hi Jay!: A good review of a NICE car! No wonder that one is sold already. You can just see and almost feel the quality of that one, even though it was Packard's BASE model! On the would you rathers, the first is obviously the Packard. The second is a little harder for me. Not REALLY a Cadillac lover, but that V-16! Gonna have to pick it. Looking forward to the REO episode. An interesting make with an interesting history.
I’ve wanted to feature this car fir a couple months everytime I couldn’t get in it tho so didn’t want to miss the opportunity, to feature this car
Glad you dig this episode =)
Great choices
What a beautiful car I was stuck by how similar in size it is to today’s Escalades or other large luxury suv, but in terms of the attention to detail and true luxury todays vehicles just can’t be compared
Today’s vehicles are like appliances these are machines that’s why they are still around, wonder how many escalade will be around in 93 years and if they can run and drive
I always enjoy your videos.
"Coming up, R.E.O."
Ransom Eli Olds
Thank you
That one it’s turning out to be pretty hard to find information for I think it’s a 1930 and not a 1931 it’s advertised as a 31 but the model names don’t match up
Pre war Packards were works of art, nothing more nothing less.
Style with functionality =)
Still can't decide if I like the cormorant or the goddess of speed hood ornament better. The classic Packard radiator was shaped to follow the outline of a gothic church window. I can just imagine WC Fields arriving at the movie studio in this car, wearing a top hat and I'm sure he used the map pockets in his Packard to store a flask or two of gin.
I love all the hidden compartments this has =)
Both hood ornaments are really nice The proper name goddess of speed escaped me.. thank you so much for that =)
Dang blud, the back seat looks like a living room couch.
I know right that backseat was the biggest backseat that I was ever in that wasn’t a limousine they honestly could’ve moved the front seat back probably 4 inches and it’s still have tons of room because it was really hard to get in the car in the front seat because of where the kick plate was
The Auburn Boattail Speedster would my choice - it is rarer than rare and extremely valuable. Packard also made a Boattail Speedster, but they weren't as sexy as the Auburn offering. The Packard Grille was known as a Tombstone Grille because of its shape. Those wooden-spoke wheels are called Casson Wheels and are prone to squeaking and not running true - they are also the cheaper wheel. If a PACKARD EIGHT engine was tuned right, you could balance a nickel on its side while the engine was running and the nickel would NOT fall over! The Packard was the Benchmark Prestige Automobile of its time. Their Slogan was "ASK THE MAN WHO OWNS ONE!" No one could outclass a Packard.
In WW2 Packard made V12 engines for marine use and also aircraft engines. It was because of stupid management and an unwillingness to change with the times, that brought Packard down. The 1940s saw Packard introduce the bath tub design which was supposed to be very aerodynamic. It wasn't well received by the public. Then they offered the less than attractive lineup of the early 1950s, and the handwriting was wall spelling out doom for the once venerated Marque. Additionally, Studebaker, who purchased Packard didn't help matters much either, as Packard played second fiddle to Studebaker. Studebaker was soon to follow Packard to the gallows. What a shame.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing all of that information I greatly appreciate it
One day this summer when we do some more Packards I would love to do that coin trick not really a trick a test
Was it James Nance who had the most responsibility for the sequence of bad moves that doomed Packard?
Wow just read that after finishing Packard Nance then got hired at Ford where he contributed to the Edsel fubar !!
Were there a couple of strikes that greatly damaged Packard in the 1950s? Perhaps brought on by the combining of Studebaker and Packard work forces? Different pay rate histories and then jealousy?
Also the disastrous automatic transmission issues of the 1955 model year?
Jay, I think you have it a bit backwards, with regards to how the thermostatic louvers on a Packard grill works. The louvers are closed when the motor is cold, allowing the motor to warm up faster. As the coolant warms up, the louvers open automatically to allow more air to the radiator, so the motor doesn't get hotter.
Thank you for that correction
Do you have a Packard and are you located in Pennsylvania if so what Packard do you have? I’m in Pennsylvania and I’ve been looking to do more Packards. =)
I couldn't choose between any of these cars, I'd have to have them all.
I agree it would be a hard choice
I participated in a criminal act in 1947, we had a 29 or 30 duel cowel phaeton with aluminum body, which was removed, dumped in a slough, and the chassis converted into a buck rake.
Crazy story thank you so much for sharing that memory
what the hell is a buck rake?
@@hot88s23 kinda like a giant motorized pitchfork used to stake hay.
@@NBZW I did learn to drive in a two-row corn-picker (51 Studebaker).
@@winstonelston5743 🤣😂🤣First time I heard that one, how appropriate.
I always wondered whether those two different yet renowned Packard hood ornaments came automatically with the car or was the choice for the buyer to decide upon, and it seems that the latter was the case. The "Flying Lady" was also known as "The Goddess of Speed."
Thank you so much for that correction on the goddess of speed there was different options depending on different years some senior Packers game with different hood ornaments at all depending on the era in which the car is from
The Comorant was standard on all Packards, with each series having a unique upgrade available as well.
7th series had the Adonis, or Sliding Boy.
The Goddess of Speed was the upgrade from the Comorant and was also carried across years.
Both the Comorant and Goddess, or Donut Chaser, had changed in design each series.
Check out the mid 30's Comorant radio antenna style ones for something absolutely unique.
@@danielhomant2832 I was not familiar with the Adonis hood ornament that briefly appeared on Packard cars. I never cared much for the Comorant hood ornaments, of which one variant was exclusively used on the '48-'50 Packard 8. But the Godess of Speed I always thought was just about the best design that appeared on any car from that period. It seemed to be very popular on the Packard 120's from the late 1930's and possibly on the 6 cylinder 115's and 110's as well.
Jay I think that canister you saw on the firewall is part of the Stewart Warner gasoline delivery system.
Awesome thank you =)
Gasoline was drawn by vacuum from the main gasoline tank into the smaller storage tank under the hood.
Later on a fuel pump was attached to the engine. The camshaft operated a lever in the fuel pump. This system also used vacuum to draw gas from the tank.
The detail of the hood you showed follows the design of the radiator/grille, called the Waterfall grille, which can be seen on every Packard except the 1958 Hawk, which is modelled from a whale shark.
Packard and boat tail Cord FTW a boat tail is probably the most impractical rear design ever. But being totally cool always is a trade-off in one way or another.
1930 Packard every time!
Packard were the standard but of the choices I'd pick both Cadillacs because the styling was so beautiful.
Just think how hard it would be back then to choose what are the options were all just gorgeous =) great choices
The doodad in the engine compartment is the vacuum operated fuel pump. It looks disconnected, so presumably an electric one has been fitted.
Thank you so much for sharing that information =)
Masterpiece
Packard...and Packard, tho that Cord is very enticing. As they said, "Ask The Man Who Owns One". Dignified King of the road. As you said, "nothing compares ". Packard probably would have had to modify that long used slogan today. Recently saw an AI generated photo essay on what the 1975 Packard might have looked like. Shades of Lincoln-Mercury, with hints of an enlarged Holden. That's the Goddess of Speed hood ornament on top of the famous Ox Yolk grill.
Packard was such a quality car I’ve been in Bentley and rolls from this era and packard just felt better Bentley and rolls everything felt danty
12:27 I notice a tee-handle pull under the left glove box. I could read the word _PULL_ but couldn't make out the rest of the text. I was thinking maybe dual ratio axle or overdrive, but I suspect it was something more mundane like the heater control.
"It's been a while since we've did..." Try "since we've done."
Yep that wasn’t proper English thanks for catching that
WYR both scenarios I'll take the Packard!
Sweet choices
Packard Roadster..hard decision on the sedans...Mebbe the Pierce.
sure beats anything else in the day--just ask the man who owns one
I’m hoping one day that I’ll be a man who owns one =)
El faro de cola tiene 3colores ,el blanco es retromarcha .Packard 👏
What I rather have: 1st scenario 1930 Cadillac sedan
2nd 1930 Cord boat tail speedster for the sportiness & front wheel drive
Great choices =)
I'd take the Packard sedan and the V12 Caddy. Looks like someone parted with some dead presidents for this one!
That caddy looked like an expensive one great choices =)
Cream is my best guess - I’m stumped.
Good guess but no =)
Steely Dan
@@hot88s23 Ah good one! I’m only a mildly casual Dan fan. I know the album title but not the cut. Wow, I never thought about it, but Fagen and Jack Bruce have some similar vocal qualities.
Pretzel logic has some Crosby stills and Nash vibes in my opinion
R E O - Ransom Eli Olds.
Watching you exit the car I noticed you've discovered the problem all classic cars present for those with size 12's (me too). distance between seat and door post leaves very little room. Once proportions changed in the mid-30's that's less of an issue, but it almost always is in earlier models, no matter where on the price scale. Ah, and those early 30's 4 speeds - marketing gimmick more than anything else. Manufacturers opted to give you an almost useless super low granny gear (you could easily start in second) rather than make ratios actually useful and extend top speed. While the more powerful 8's of the late 20s/early30s (Packard was so-so, the 29 Pierce Arrow had 125 HP, near the top of the heap, I think) might in fact do 85, even 90 in a light body running flat out, you were taxing the heck of the engines running through a high final drive ratio. Had they designed a true 4 speed with 4th being overdrive rather than direct, it would have extended comfortable, sustainable cruising speed. WYR: 1) 30 Pierce Arrow, 2) Cadillac V-16. Music - I love Steely Dan and I'd have struggled to get that with this clip - good job Hot 88 - 'where did you get those shoes'
Great choices.. yeah the Packard could definitely have used the front seat to be moved at least 4 inches back it wouldn’t have taken away any space from the rear.. the REO was harder to get in because of the kick plate. I purposely showed that because that’s going to be an issue every single time you get in and out of that car.
Something to note, is that the only exterior door lock is on the front passenger side. This was intentional and very common across all manufacturers.
The reasoning was that they didn't want people exiting their car into the street, so the idea was to lock all other doors from the inside, and the driver get out on the passenger side, safely off the street.
This also makes it a lot easier to get in and out of it without banging around since you can line yourself to the door opening, but it still takes practice to slide past the shifter gracefully, heh.
For the cars, I'd prefer the Pierce Arrow sedan and the Cord roadster.
Cool 😎 choices
1930 Pierce
1930 Packard
Great choices =)
1930 Packard, silly!
=)
Have you reviewed the mid-nineteen-teens PATHFINDER automobile. They were the fourth prestige _P_ marque.
I'm just hearing about the pathfinder I'll have to look for one =) so many car companies I'm still discovering
1930 Cadillac b
16 is cool I'd choose that
Awesome choices that V 16 Cadillac would be a hard one to not choose
Both cadillacs, the v16 and the v16, boattail
Sweet =)
It’s a shame they’re in the process of demolishing the old Packard plant in Detroit. It was left to deteriorate over so many years and become too far gone. Too bad the city of Detroit couldn’t find a way to repurpose it. Packard is one of my all time favourite American luxury cars.
Packard is one of my favorite brands as well it might actually be my favorite brand I just wish there was more information on the Internet than there seems to be it’s almost like you have to find a secret door to access the information that you want to access it’s not very easy to find but once you find it it’s like wow this is Gold why is this easier..
That was one place that I wish I would’ve visited was the Packard Plant it sucks they’re tearing it down but it was pretty big eyesore at this point lots of graffiti from pictures that I’ve seen
The Packard Plant is massive, it was the largest auto plant for many years, and one of the first with its own proving grounds, and where Packards were tested up to a sustained 100mph. Not race vehicles, but regular road going production cars!
Information is so hard to find because of a fire that destroyed almost all the records, leaving the only source of literature and information available to anyone are the people that lived and worked with them, and what little publication was already in private or dealer/shop hands.
I'm lucky to have an original owners manual with my 31 in fairly good condition.
The history of that plant and the mismanagement of it even after the car company was forced to abandon it would be a major research project in itself -- Packard itself made a mistake in not updating the plant instead of moving some of its operations elsewhere before Packard's problems became dire?
After (Studebaker/Packard?) was forced to close the plant did Detroit and/or Curtiss Wright find out that the plant was a huge white elephant instead of the valuable real estate holding that they hoped to sell for a large sum ?
Eisenhower's cabinet - did some powerful figure in that help decide Packard's fate? If so was it a "GM man" ? Why did Packard lose the aircraft and PT boat contracts? (Remember the love of superhighway construction during that era and the unfortunate removal of most urban/interurban trolley lines that occurred,I think GM is supposed to have had a role in that
1930 Packard, Packard Roadster
1 & 2: 1930 Packard.
Tune: I'll Stick Around. Don't know the band, can't be sure I heard the lyrics right.
Great choices =)
Good guess on the song but that’s not it =)
@@What.its.like. You haven't failed until you've given up.
"I stepped up to the platform, the man gave me the news"
@@hot88s23 Dangit!
I left just a tiny bit of that for a clue
No, Jay... That "non-opening Grille" actually has an extra-cost optional STONE GUARD in front of it which has an interesting "cane-type rattan-pattern weave" cast into the "screen"...
Thank you so much for that correction I wasn’t sure I would think the one that function would be the optional grill I saw literature on the different grills I just couldn’t find it this go around..
I really need to get a Packard book
This is mostly correct, with the only off part being the weave is cast.
The stone guard is actually made of woven strips of metal, not cast as a single piece or anything.
Reproductions typically use incorrect wire and weave patterns, making them easy to identify when compared to the flat strip originals with their more complex pattern.
The 140 inch wheelbase would be longer than many newer cars! Am I correct?
It would probably be about the same size as maybe a suburban.. (maybe smaller) big car tho
@@What.its.like. I meant that the entire car would be 140 “ ! I know that some new cars are just slightly longer than that.
@@glennso47 The entire car would be bigger than all but the biggest modern vehicles, yes. The wheelbase measurement is from the center of the front wheels, to center of the rear wheels. Plus, they were rather tall as well. My 31 833 makes my wife's Edge look small.
What's interesting, is that for all their size, they are actually rather small inside. Long, absolutely, but fairly narrow and with a surprisingly small drivers area.
Pierce Arrow
Cool choice
Steely Dan / Pretzel Logic?
Yeah buddy you got it somebody just beat you for the title though
Cream, Yardbirds, Jefferson Airplane or Greatful Dead? This one’s tough.
Great guess but no.. =D I had to make it harder
Steely Dan
Whoever is able to correctly guess which song that is has a very good ear for music because that is a real hard one for sure. Maybe they should get a double pat on the back assuming that someone will be able to identify it.
@@8176morgan Hot88s23 here got it correct, it’s now pinned.
@@mattskustomkreations What so soon? No wonder I did not recognize it as it was only a small hit. Glad someone got it though.
30 Packard Cadillac v16
Great choices =)
BB King The thrill is gone ?
Good guess but that’s not it =)
puh-leeze
Hauling kids in a Packard? I don't think so.
People use these cars, I would. I have kids and would drive them in this.. I know a guy who has a 29 Buick phaeton and drives his kids around in that with the top off.
What’s the purpose of having these cars if you don’t use them and why leave your kids at home when they could go with you and share the experience
That is exactly why we got our 31 Packard 833. So we could enjoy as a family car. We still have a normal car, a 2016 Edge, but we fully intend to use the Packard year round, in rain and snow, with messy kids and long trips, getting groceries and whatever else. It has already gone down dirt roads in the rain since we've had it, heh.
@ Daniel your comment made my heart happy =) and your planting seeds with everyone that sees you and thinks I dig his style.
Packard engineering was superior to Rolls Royce. Packard and Pierce Arrow were also far more stylish than a Rolls Royce and priced above them as well.
I agree I haven’t been in a rolls Royce from this era, was in one Bentley they aren’t in the same league
1930 Packard was as good as or better than any of those other cars except that it probably wasn't the fastest of all
believe was superior to the Lincoln in every way
Packards were great cars my gold is to put some of these lost and forgotten cars back on the map =)
Finest AMERICAN automobile finer that rolsroyce
Totally agree Rolls Royce from this time. Real dainty.. in my opinion
Chord
Sweet =)