So, I am looking for my first hotrod project (after finishing my replica cobra,). I have a chance at a totally rust free and amazingly clean 1955 packard clipper. I know they make nice looking kustoms, but I really want a g***er style car but want this to be a fairly cheap project, so a 55 chevy or such is a bit beyond the car budget. Has anyone seen a clipper g***er or can anyone come up with an reason why it would make a terrible choice? Or does anyone have any pics of one done? EXAMPLE PIC BELOW, the real car is NO WHERE as nice Thanks for your help HAMB!
There was a famous Packard g***ed back in the day called the Flintstone Flyer. Earlyer model, maybe a 50. The idea was to use a heavy car to make a lower cl*** D or E g***.
I see nothing at all wrong with cruising around in a totally rust free and amazingly clean 55 packard clipper. it would make a pretty lame g***er IMHO
Im all for it man. Id love to see it. The Flinstone Flyer was a beast but yes it was an earlier model. HOWEVER, if thats YOUR car in that pic leave it alone! That babys nice as is!
NOOOO.. that is a reference pic... the clipper in question is not mine yet, and no where that nice! I have seen the flinstone flyer via searchs here, but that is a dramatically diffrent body style. I figured that this would be a question that would split the opinion.. I just wanted opinions before I offered this guy some cash
Just say no! You are correct that they make killer customs, but the front styling is to heavy to make a convincing looking drag car. All my opinion of course. That said there were a few g***ers made from big cars. Flintstone Flyer boys used an earlier Packard 4dr, but I think the use was more to fit into a given cl*** than what looked good. If you decide to do it be prepared to catch a lot of flak.
Go for it then man! Come up with some one-off induction for it, have delta cams cut you a bumpstik, build some headers....I can see it.
2k at most. I put it up on a lift today, everything looks super solid, truck, floors, etc. I figure 2k wont buy much of a solid start now days, and it has a nice clean ***le with no drama. It runs and drives, brakes work, interior lights work, all the little stuff is there so I can part it out and make some money back on the interior etc. It did not come with the optional torsion bar suspension, so I dont have to deal with that. Imagine a super nice car that has sat on concrete outside for 12 years. You have the car I am talking about
Honestly, I think you would be much better off waiting until you find something more g***er-like. I know you're probably excited to get started, I'm the same way, but it's worth waiting for something you really want. You can get a 60's chevy or ford for about the same price and make a pretty slick g***er or altered wheelbase car out of it. A 60s car would have an engine in it that you could get speed parts for. Aside form the clunkiness of the Packard, you would need new drivetrain to be g***er-y too. It is a yacht, you need a g***er.
No don't g***er it. Way to big a car plus they look so cool on the ground. If its a nice rust free Packard hook me up with it. I still want to do a custom one.
My parents' friends had a 2 door 55 Clipper. Those are some heavy cars. The hood weighed twice as much as my 56 Chevy hood.
Cool car, bad idea. In my opinion of course. You'll have to basically trash the car to make it a p***able race car. Seems like a waste to me. Any "hot" engine will require an expensive and time consuming engine and trans swap. Then you have to deal with a driveshaft and exhaust. Suddenly that $2k "cheap project" turned into a $6-7k project from hell. I've been there. You want to get out cheap and have some fun? Lower it, put a great looking set of wheels on it, and cruise it.
The Clipper is a bit lighter than the Packard but both are pretty nose heavy.The original Flintstone Flyer was a 1948-50 era Packard and was a heavy thing but the idea was to be compe***ive within a certain cl***. Think of the Clipper as the equivalent of a Buick Roadmaster or Chrysler Windsor. In my humble opinion by the time you are done with everything you may as well have started with a 55 Chevy project.
Anyone in the Northwest remember Everett Hatch? He had one FAST black Packard. Raced all the NW dragstrips. Slo-Pok maybe??????..........OLDBEET
I always remember seeing the flintstone flyer as a stude lark because i had a lark like that in high school there could of been a early packard version but the lark is the famous one i remember
Here's Koffel's Packard thats in question.As for your plans with the one you found,it's the most piss ignorant thing I've ever heard.Sorry someone had to say it.
How many '55/'56 Caddies have you seen g***ered? A Packard is in the same cl***, besides we have enough g***ers now! Build a 50's kustom
Some 55-56 Packards had torsion bar suspension where they run under the car in a big X and each bar is shared by two wheels. So you have to re-engineer both ends of the car to g***erize it. If the car was a clapped out piece of ****, I'd say go ahead, but I woudn't hack up a running, driving car for that project. I know where a '55 or '56 Clipper 2dr ht sits that would be ideal to hack up if you wanted. But I think you'd be better off to clean the car up, make it reliable, make it pretty, and flip it to buy something like a 55-57 Chevy tudor (I know where you can get a '55 150 2dr wagon that's a roller for around $2000 right now if you wanted).
I'm sorry , but I never respond like this(beers are talkin'). Build what you want/ or can offord. It's yours,I couldn't give a **** less what anyone thinks of my ride. I like it and it's a blast to drive!! Good luck and be happy!!
Dave Koffel ran the 49 Packard at the Nationals in 63 and won E and F/Gas. Ran a 292 Chevy SB, 4 speed and 6.17:1 rear. He ran the Stude from 64 on.
The Jalopy Journal
