Restoring a classic car is more than just a mechanical task, it’s a revival of history. And when the car in question is as rare as the 1942 Packard Super-8 One-Sixty Touring Sedan, the stakes are even higher. Approximately 2,580 Super-8 One-Sixty series Packards were produced, and each of these vehicles is a piece of automotive history. This series will chronicle the ongoing process of returning this treasure to the road—and ensuring it finds a place in the hearts of future generations.
The History of This 1942 Packard
This particular 7-passenger touring sedan was originally purchased by a local funeral home to be used as a processional car for the bereaved. It featured a straight-eight engine, and air conditioning—quite unusual to have in automobiles at that time. (Hagerty estimates that there were only around 3,000 cars in the US with air conditioning prior to WWII.)
It was time to restore the car to its former glory
The Packard had seen better days, but there was still life in the old girl. The client always made sure to keep the car running: starting it every so often, driving around the farm, just making sure it was in running condition. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at the farm every day, and some local hooligans snuck in and took the car for joy rides, unbeknownst to the owner. And when they were done, they put dirt in the gas tank.
Dirt, time and the elements can take their toll on a car. The paint was worn down to the primer over much of the car. Rust and erosion have made it necessary to rebuild or refurbish nearly every part of the exterior and interior.
The Packard Restoration Begins
Documenting and Disassembly: The First Steps to Restoration
With a car of this age, you can’t just jump in and start pulling the car apart. The first step in the restoration process is thorough documentation. Weeks were spent measuring, photographing, cataloging, and documenting the tiniest details. With around 800 photos documenting the car’s exterior, visible engine parts, wiring, headlamp assemblies, fenders, bumpers, and trim, we were finally ready to begin disassembling the front end to pull the engine for restoration. Despite having a team of seasoned professionals, the task proved to be quite an undertaking.
We continue to document throughout the disassembly process. This is necessary because there aren’t many resources available to consult when reassembling an 80-year-old car, especially when the manufacturer went out of business in 1958. Making meticulous notes of the disassembly process should help when we put this beauty back together.
Replacing Pieces of History
As you might expect, when it comes to restoring an 80-year-old car, there will be pieces (many, many pieces) that are missing, broken, or just needing to be replaced. Sometimes we had to determine if a specific part was original to the car, or a replacement along the way. An example would be the fuel door mechanism: We could see part of the original mechanism, and the obvious ‘home remedy’ replacement, but we did not know what the whole original mechanism looked like.
Sometimes we know that something is missing, but we don’t know what ‘it’ is. We have done and will do a lot of research to find out what could have been there (e.g., what pieces were missing from the fuel door, whether the trim piece on the hood read “Air Conditioned” or “Air Conditioning”, or what types of knobs were standard on the radio in 1942.) Also, keep in mind that automotive factories could have made use of parts from 1942 and even 1941 models to complete a new build if that’s what it took to get it out the door. It was either finish the build with what they had available, or the car couldn’t be finished or sold. No cars, commercial trucks, or auto parts were produced in the U.S for the general public from mid-February 1942 to October 1945. (TeachingHistory.org.) Factories switched production to support the war effort.
Some parts are even more difficult to find because they depend on the exact specifications of the individual car. Packard offered three different wheelbase options and several trim levels. For example, there’s the Super-8 One-Sixty and the more luxurious Custom Super-8 One-Eighty—both considered “Senior” models and often equipped with amenities like air conditioning.
Trim details, including hood ornaments, varied by model and year. The ornament on this particular Packard was present, but in rough condition—and we weren’t even sure what it was called. Packard hood ornaments from this era are a world of their own, and identifying the right one can feel like solving a stylish mystery. So, we started asking ourselves:
- Was it the Goddess of Speed? No.
- Was it the Cormorant? No, it’s not the Cormorant. (What is a cormorant you ask? It is a bird—not a swan, but a rather noisy bird with a voracious appetite, closer in size to a duck or goose. And it was fashioned after the bird on the Packard family crest.)
- Was it the Feather Bail trim? Yes, this was our Packard’s hood ornament! (See photo.)
- There was also the special edition “Egyptian” hood ornament, which evokes more of a Roman Empire vibe than King Tut vibe to this writer, but I digress.
Decoding Packard’s Emblems
What badge was featured on the hub caps, steering wheel, and other trim pieces? Was it the “Packard Super 8,” the “Packard 12,” the “Packard Crest” – with or without the name “Packard”? Seriously, were they making these up as they went along? They really gave meaning to the word “custom.” Needless to say, for this project, there is a whole new learning curve just to ‘speak Packard.’
Hunting High and Low: Finding Parts for a 1942 Packard
If restoration is a lengthy process, then sourcing parts for a rare car like the 1942 Packard Super-8 should be considered a major feat. The owner has made trips to swap meets from the Midwest to the East Coast to find original manufacturer parts, replacement parts, and replicated parts for this 1942 Packard.
The Restoration Continues
The engine is currently being rebuilt, and we are keeping the sandblaster busy, to say the least. Restoring a classic car like the 1942 Packard Super-8 One-Sixty Touring Sedan is not just about fixing what is broken—it’s about preserving a piece of history. We are excited to share this journey with you, so stay tuned for the next chapter in this Packard odyssey.