1939 Packard 120

2 Door Coupe Coupe

Straight 8 Flathead

Manual

319358

Clear

Gasoline

1939 Packard 120 Club Coupe First, let me say this is not a show car. It starts, runs, drives, stops and it appears to be all there. This car would be a good basis for a restoration, or with a little body work it could be an occasional driver or cruiser. It does have some rust issues. It would make a wonderful street rod, but I am really hoping someone buys it to keep it original. The strong point of this car is the great body style. It has the wonderful classic look from the 30’s, but is streamlined enough to impart a visions of speed. The car has the correct straight 8 flathead engine. The engine number matches the number on the title. Vehicle runs decent, drives well and stops. It is fun to drive because it is light, it is easy to steer, maneuver, and has decent acceleration. This is a somewhat rare body style, since there are not a lot of 120 coupes left. The club coupe has jump seats in the rear which fold down from compartments recessed in the trunk area. There are not a lot of coupes left in the 8 cylinder model (120), most of those you see for sale are 6 cylinder models (110 or 115). A Packard collector from Canada told me the 8 cylinders coupes (120 model) were very fast and used a lot for flat track racing, with most of them ending up being crashed and destroyed. The original owner of this vehicle was a doctor. The name plate on the driver side of the cowl identifies this as a 1295-3516, delivered through A G Hawker, N Britan CT on 7-6-39. The engine number is B319358A. The head carries part number 3412588. It is a 3 speed manual transmission with the shift on the column (first year offered by Packard) which works fine. Mechanical I had the head resurfaced and the head gasket replaced. The distributor is an Autolite brand. When started after sitting for weeks, there is a little clicking for a few minutes until it warms up, then the clicking goes away. I attribute this to the lifters, but I am not an expert mechanic. The engine runs well, but not smooth enough to balance a nickel on it while idling. Starts easily warm or cold. Fuel System I have gone completely through the fuel system. The tank was professionally refurbished last by the Renu process. The mechanical fuel pump on the engine has been professionally rebuilt and an electric fuel pump added (for priming the carburetor after the vehicle has been sitting and also for backup) All new fuel lines were installed from the tank forward, except for the last few feet from the fuel pump to the carburetor. The Stromberg EE16 carburetor was professionally rebuilt at a carburetor shop in Flint. Coolant System The radiator should be removed and rodded. Short trips at moderate speeds are fine, but if you go very far at highway speeds, the coolant flow through the radiator is not up to par, so it looses coolant (apparently through the overflow tube) because it cannot get down through the radiator core fast enough. As long as the coolant level is adequate, it runs cool. I took it on a stop and go rolling cruise last year when it was 80 degrees outside, it ran warm but did not overheat. In July of this year I took it out for a easy 20 minute drive while the temperature was 98 degrees and the temperature gauge stayed in the normal operating range. There are no signs of any coolant in the exhaust stream or externally. All the coolant hoses have been replaced. One of my friends suggested having the cooling system back flushed, but I am not sure if that would properly clean the radiator. Shocks The shocks are all there, but appear to be non functional as the oil probably leaked out years ago. Electrical The car still has the original 6 V positive ground system. The wiring is shabby but still functional. All the gauges work including the gas gauge. The gas gauge sender from the tank was rebuilt and calibrated with the display from the instrument panel. External blinker lights below the body were added by a previous owner, controlled by a 3 position toggle switch under the dash. New battery installed last year. A previous owner has moved the battery location to the inner fender well, driver side, which makes the battery a lot easier to access. Brakes The brakes work fine, and will lock up the wheels if necessary, as I found out when some idiot teenager pulled out in front of me last summer. The brake lines appear to have been redone about 10 years ago, but I would recommend replacing the brake hoses even though they do not leak. All hoses of any kind have a limited life. Interior The interior is original and most of it is covered by a previous owner to protect the original upholstery from wear and tear. I have not removed the covering. The previous owner told me the original interior was in good condition, however I cannot verify it. The headliner and door panels are original, but water stained, apparently from leaks around the door and possibly a leak around the windshield. The condition of the fabric on the headliner and door panels is good, if you can clean up the water stains. The wood grain on the dash is still quite good. The steering wheel is in good condition, only has one tiny crack on one spoke near the hub. This leads me to believe the vehicle was garaged most of the time. Glass The glass is all intact, not delaminated, and the windows all roll up and down, in and out as they should. The driver side door window has a small chip at the top, not noticeable when the window is fully rolled up. Instruments All gauges work except the clock. The amp gauge occasionally sticks a little after you shut the car off, but if you tap it, it returns to the 0 position. The gas gauge sender and display have been professionally rebuilt and calibrated. The speedometer is erratic, but works most of the time. I doubt the accuracy. The odometer works, but I am not sure about the accuracy. Showing just over 80,000 miles, believed to be accurate, but not guaranteed. Body & Frame The body has some rust issues. There is surface rust underneath, mostly on the front portion of the car, not so much on the back. The frame is solid and structure appear to be fine other than one front fender brace has been partially rusted as shown in one of the photos. The front driver side fender has a rust spot on the outboard side, and it looks like the back lower door openings and door sills on both sides near the back of the opening have been patched. The driver side bottom of the trunk has been patched with fiberglass mat and it keeps dirt out but you can see some muted daylight through the fiberglass mat. There are stone chips in the paint on the lower part of the front end. It has a number of squeaks, probably not unusual for a car this age, and they seem to diminish as the car warms up. Looks great from 10 ft away. Paint There are some bubbles in the paint on the rear passenger side and numerous scratches in the paint. There are stone chips on the driver side front fender, and some bubbling on the outer radius of the fender. Additionally, the passenger side rear has a big scratch on it. The vehicle definitely needs some body work and repainting. If someone wanted to use it for local and rolling cruises, you probably could get by just having the driver side front fender repaired and repainted and the rest touched up or repainted . The vehicle has been repainted at least once, it appears to have been beige color originally. The car gets all kinds of “thumbs up” and nice comments when I drive it, despite the blemishes. When I talked about getting it restored several people in the local club said it is a decent looking car, why not just drive it and enjoy it. When I took it for a drive a few weeks ago the people next to me were taking photos with their cell phone camera. It draws a lot of attention because it is such a cool body style. Chrome Chrome on the bumpers is good condition. Door handles have some pitting. Heater This car has a heater which works well. It appears to be a dealer added option. Misc. The original owner’s manual comes with the vehicle. A notebook comes with the car that was put together by a previous owner, which has a brief history of the vehicle and the names and correspondence from earlier owners. Reason for selling: I just purchased another prewar Packard, 4 door so we can take other people along to cruises and car shows. The rear seats in this coupe are fine for kids, but I would not stick adults back there. This vehicle has a lot of character and in the hands of a good body man can be one heck of a car, or you are not too picky, and don’t mind driving a “20 footer” you could drive it “as is” with a little work. Due to the age of the vehicle, there is no warranty, express or implied. Disclaimer I have tried to be as accurate as possible about the description of the vehicle, but I strongly suggest you inspect and drive the vehicle or have it inspected prior to bidding. Transportation and transportation cost will be the responsibility of the buyer. I can assist with the loading if necessary, but the car can easily be driven onto a transport trailer. The odometer show 80,238 but I am not sure if this is correct. I may have a few more miles on it when picked up as I may be driving it in the “Back to the Brick” rolling cruise. The car is listed for sale locally, so seller reserves the right to cancel the auction at any time. Please do not bid if you do not have the finances ready to purchase the vehicle. Payment Terms $ 500.00 within 24 hours. Balance due with certified funds or cash within 5 days. Pickup must be made within 30 days of the end of the auction unless other acceptable arrangements are made.