Lovely 1949 Packard Deluxe sedan, runs awesome!

1949 Packard Deluxe Additional Info:

Amazingly fun and nimble 1949 Packard Eight Deluxe sedan. We bought it this spring and drove it through the summer, after leaving it at the Packard garage for two months to get it ready for us to use. The long and short is, this car drives wonderfully in traffic or on the highway, holds its own with grace and poise in any setting, and floats serenely over bumps and uneven areas. There's so much space in this car that you need to actually pick a driving position, and rear seat passengers are treated to limousine-like headroom and legroom. We bought the car in California and chose it for its wonderfully solid body, sound mechanics and clean interior which had been done over some years ago by the previous owner. We have a clear, clean title for the car and it is ready to be enjoyed by the next owner. We have too many antique cars and two of them have to go, including this one.
When we took delivery of the car we had it brought to the Packard garage here in Massachusetts, and thus began two intensive months during which the brakes were rebuilt with new shoes and springs and the brake drums resurfaced. The wheel seals were replaced, five new radial tires were installed (new radial spare as well). The charging system was adjusted and repaired for optimal performance. We had all door seals and door window seals replaced, and our Packard's interior remains bone dry even in heavy rain storms. If you've seen any Packards of this vintage with stained door panels you'll appreciate the importance of this step. Various electrical components had gotten tired over the years and were properly repaired (horn, dash lights, etc) and the car was equipped with a battery shutoff and charger. The overdrive works well and is activated via a toggle switch. We've had an auxiliary electric fuel pump installed for easy starts after longer breaks from driving, and had seat belts put in front and rear. During the summer, we drove her daily in all kinds of traffic and weather, and not once did we feel uneasy about trusting her to get us from point A to point B. We will be sad to see her go, but eight cars for two people is ridiculous, and so she's got to go.
In the two months she spent at the shop, we had an awful lot of work done to make her roadworthy, however there are a few things we'd do if we were to keep her. Windshield wipers and radio do not work and the door locks need to be re-keyed. We'd also recommend replacing the passenger door hinge pins. (The door works, but it takes more effort to open it than is the case with the other doors.) Lastly, if we were to keep her we'd replace the carpeting front and rear. The present carpeting is well used and could stand to be replaced.