Dunno what it it but is sure is purdy.

[greg g]

From a vintage photos thread on another site.

[Plymouthy Adams]

If I were to make a quick guess without any research...firewall stamp is similar to the Stude way of marking body but I cannot make out the letters or at least to where it will match a 1940 up body number...if pre 40..could yet be a Stude

[Paul Hoffmeyer]

The other sight labeled it as a Packard. Love the polish and chrome!

[Roadkingcoupe]

Looks PACKARD to me

Similar to my buddies 1940 Packard.

[Kudzuking]

Whatevr it is, I hope he's not useing that imact as a torque wrench, or is that they way ya'll do it? :-)

[Plymouthy Adams]

I thought of Packard but could did not remember their bodies stamped in that fashion..Packard had a 4 digit body desiginator none of which matches the above..however the 8 look like the 327 eight I have here in my 51

[Mark D]

Are those fuel pressure regulators I see?

[bamfordsgarage]

By coincidence, Jerry and I went out last week to look at four barn-finds, one of which is this tired 1947 Packard Clipper Eight touring sedan. This engine photo is the best I have and, while not conclusive, it show the wire loom and oil breather in the same place as Greg's photo. Unfortunately, there is not enough detail to see if that distinctive head-bolt pattern is the same.

[40P10touring sedan]

Ooh, a Thor power tool...haven't seen one of those in a long time!

[Plymouthy Adams]

the large straight eight Packard has 38 head bolts...my 51 has the larger 327 CI ..they had a 356 to '50 and a 359 in '54 with their first V in 55...Chris...that is a lot of engine under the hood..there is a 48 down the road from me..

while not purdy..she runs smooth....got a break in the rain..snap[ped a couple pics

Edited December 25, 2012 by Tim Adams

[thrashingcows]

Well my guess would have been WAY OFF...I was going to say an early Jeep.... But I think Tim nailed it!!

Great pic...and great info...Thanks!! Always love to learn new things about any of these old cars.

[Roadkingcoupe]

Definitely PACKARD

If you look at the firewall tag (upper left in the photo) the two triangles on each side of the number is a PACKARD identifying mark.

[austinsailor]

]I had a Packard years ago - a '54 hearse. 327 straight 8, 4bbl carb and 3 on the tree. Paid $40 for it, the transmission was stuck in 3ed. Took it out, fixed it with no parts, drove it for some time. We cleaned up on $1 a carload nights at the drive in!

More stories could be told, but I'll save them for another day.

The barracuda in the background was my '65, ordered new from the factory, 273 ci 235 hp 4 speed with limited slip. The 36 Ford belonged to my brother and I. Ran, but we never got it on the road. Draft came along and everything was gone when I got home. Wish I still had all 3.

 

Edited January 19, 2015 by austinsailor

[Andydodge]

About 35 yrs ago I called into a place called Nick's Motor Wreckers in Melbourne, Victoria........they had just had delivered the contents of a speed shop and parts shop in the USA that they had purchased..........being here in Oz I had never seen such stuff.........Cal Custom, Fenton, Edelbrock, Offy etc, etc, etc...... hop up parts from the 50's and 60's were everywhere and I can still remember a pair of finned straight eight alloy heads leaning up against the side door, each one about 3 foot long or so it seemed...........the only finned heads I had ever seen back then were Ford V8 ones and these things just blew me away...........no one knew for certain exactly what they were for........Pontiac, Chrysler and Oldsmobile were suggested but seeing this beautiful finned Packard head ...........well who knows.........and no, Nicks closed down about 25 yrs ago...........lol............thanks, that pic has made my day.......andyd

[Rusty O'Toole]

Looks like a late model Packard getting the full treatment from Eddie Edmunds in the early fifties.

His motto was "Modernize Your Motor". He specialized in hopping up cars for ordinary motorists to use as regular transportation, as opposed to racing which was the focus of most other speed parts manufacturers back then.

You could bring your car into his shop and have his mechanics install the parts, anything from a tuneup to a full hop up job. This one looks like the full treatment, twin carb intake, Edmunds air filters, pressure regulators, fined aluminum head, chrome accessories and probably a reground camshaft and recurved ignition.

This appears to be a posed picture, however the mechanic might have used the air wrench, set to low, to spin the nuts down then torqued them with a torque wrench. There are a lot of nuts holding that head down.

The straight eight Packard was a fast car at the time although not quite as fast as a V8 Cadillac or Chrysler. But with the Edmunds treatment it would fly, top speed well over 100 MPH.

Edited December 28, 2012 by Rusty O'Toole