QuestionDear Dick
I manage a repair shop in Boise Id. We do very clean quality work and so we get lots of high quality cars. We are now working on a completely original 37 Packard. The car is a 8 cylinder Vin #I092-I0905. We are told it is a 120. My first question is how do I make sure the car is a 120 and not a Super 8. Second I am rebuilding the front end and it need extensive repairs including center link and idler arm. I have found Kanter and Rare parts as suppliers and would appreciate a list of suggested venders.
AnswerThe VIN of your car identifies it as a model 120CD 5 passenger sedan. The 120 was the "Junior" Packard for 1937, and sold for just over $1000 in your model. The 120 has a 120 HP straight eight engine of 282 Cu In, with 5 main bearings. The car has a wheelbase of 120 inches. There were over 50,000 of the 120s made in 1937.
The Super 8 is a much heavier and more expensive car - it has a 135 HP Straight eight engine of 320 Cu. In, with 9 main bearings. A Super 8 would have a wheelbase of at least 127", and most had a much longer wheelbase, typically 139" fo the Super 8. There were about 7000 Senior Packards made in 1937, most of them were Super 8s (the rest were 12s, with the 473 Cu In 175 Cu In engine). They cost anywhere from $2500 to $6000, depending on body style and features.
Kanter is one of the main suppliers for parts for these cars. Others I have used are Joel Ray at "Packards1@aol.com", and for some items, SASCO, in South Bend IN. You should also try Sandy Chirco at Tucson Packards in Tucson AZ. Most of the parts that I buy come from eBay - I watch the auctions for Packard parts and find some excellent bargains, but it does take time to set up the automatic notification with eBay. I restrict my repair work to post WWII Packards, so I have very little left for the pre-war cars.
My daughter and her family live in Boise, and we visit frequently - if you give me your shop address, I'll stop by and check it out on my next visit.
Dick
