1927 Packard Found in Abandoned Philadelphia Factory Sitting for Over 40 Years 

Its already been modified, not to mention a no name will restore it....

Absolutely right

I agree, completely!

AND, "barn find condition" vehicles are going for more money... restored cars are common, this car would stand out and win car show awards under the category of "pre war, original, un-restored

@@FYIfuckutube2011 I think this one has more sentimental value than anything else. Both in what it is, and what it means in terms of memories to the family.

100 agree

Diddo...too that

My thoughts exactly.

Me too, too nice to restore, only original once...interior cloth can be found easy enough! Nice car.

Well then you ruin the originality of the mechanicals. SMH

Lol once a car starts to degrade then it is no longer original. Originally it didn't have rust. Retired cars are more original then an untouched rust bucket because it is the same as when it left the factory.

I wouldn't be afraid to polish what's there - surely it was already repainted at some point in its' 20+ years on the road - but there's always the question of not wanting to end up with an abandoned project and the cost factor of a four-door sedan especially only being worth so much and it being easy to sink more than that into a full resto.

If the walls could talk.

I'd update the safety stuff. There isn't any car club I know of in Illinois where that's not only not slammed for points, but clearly advised. Drum brakes suck. I've had them. I know what would have to be done on a bike to switch over to discs (get a thicker fork) not sure on a car, I'm betting there's some suspension parts that would need to be stronger. I've had cars with back drums (97 Accord) but discs are better. They're a friggin nightmare on a bike! Wow, did Harley make some GARBAGE parts. lol. I mean, 1st item of business: dump new parts for stuff that actually works and often costs a lot less...Barnett clutch; was WAY better than theirs. I've stopped the bike with it alone.

That's so awesome! I love these stories you guys share. We all have crazy ones, but this is a really good one. Thanks for sharing Richard! -Matt/ITG

my grandpa used to drive around a stripped down model a with a apple crate for a seat. he ran low on oil in the middle of nowhere one day, so he stopped by a creek, filled a bucket with water, and poured it into the crankcase to make "milkshake", so he could get home. he also said he used a grease and oil impregnated shoe tongue for a rod bearing, and that it still ran and held great oil pressure when he sold it. guy who bought it ran it like that for as long as he could remember. i really wish i could have known him, or older people, just so i could hear their old crazy stories.

@@IronTrapGarage Matt I do have more also. lol

@@frigglebiscuit7484 I've heard a story before of using leather for bearings. Congrats!

@@frigglebiscuit7484 Milkshake is inspired genius stuff. Mind blown.

That's exactly what we suggested too! -Matt/ITG

@@IronTrapGarage Dreamers. Engine seized after sitting for 70+ years( do the math) is more than Stuck! Good luck with it. Would have been nice to have popped the hood and looked at it. Perhaps I skipped over that part. First the OH door is open, then not. That should have been a 10 minute video.

While I fully agree with the cosmetic aspect, and with the thickness of the lacquer used on it, it should be just fine, the electrical is asbestos covered wired and would be disintegrating everytime that beast is fired up till one day a total short out. Also, the brake shoes and the clutch plate are made with asbestos and would also disintegrate once put to use. Period type wire that is not asbestos and the same for the brake shoes (shoe only with this one?) and clutch can be obtained easily and would help it come to life.

Azri'el Collier that is why my comment said “mechanical repair”. All your listed aspects fall under mechanical to me. Wiring on any car pre 1950’s is scary at best.

@@sonofeloah Well, if its loaded with asbestos, it can't really catch fire, then :) For the record, asbestos was never banned. You still have it on all brake pads, I'm almost positive. Just don't go screwing around indoors with it and use a respirator. The upholstery would have to go. The black mold is no joke.

@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 if the upholstery isnt disintegrated from mold I'm sure there there are some great fabric preservers with mildicide. The old upholstery too has it's own story to tell, until it is truly destroyed by age and another chapter of the story is added. I've worked in the automotive industry since college, I program factory automation and right now am doing a retool at a Ford transmission plant from the 6R to 10R (rear drive transmission) so I see my share of automotive comfort, but being able to see and touch and live by driving a piece of a storied bygone era should never be taken for granted for modern comfort. If you want new, comfortable upholstery the world is your oyster, appreciate it while you have it, when it falls apart and really needs reupholstering you will be contributing to, not revising, its story.

Agree. Only the mechanic parts should be restored. The outside still look rust free. This would probably have more value without restoring what doesn't need to than restoring every detail of the car. I would rather have the steering wheels with little crack with a transparent coating to preserve the original look than having it fully restored.

The older you get the uglier you get. Don't forget that it's a fact of life. Have a look in the mirror when you hit 60,70 & 80

In my neck of the woods we have a category called "BARN READY" for antique cars in running condition but not refinished, just like many daily drivers were after WW II when many people were waiting to get delivery of a post war car.

@@luwdmke that's kind of a bad comparison

Surprising to see the paint still had gloss on the sides/corners so looks like it will clean up so nicely and keep original. Just go through the running parts to bring up to spec with new parts as necessary. Notice the leg room in the rear passenger compartment - my dad had a '37 Packard 54 door for our family when I was a boy - fine old auto, made to last and for comfort.

Haha better shape body-wise than my F250 that's for sure! -Matt/ITG

Looked like cheap 1950's seat covers...

The original seat fabric was actually presentable from the little we peaked underneath! -Matt/ITG

Mohair.

Mechanically restoring it to running condition and the family cleaning it up and leaving it original is the respectful thing to do to the car and it's history.

Fabric will be very fragile. It will need replaced. Roof liner etc

Probably pecker tracks

Chop it, lower it and put 22s. be sick bor

@@BARFYADAMS no no no no no no no. Only original once. Keep it that way.

I once heard a saying " If it aint broke, don't fix it " . This was a great video, cool history on the car and building.

something this close to original, with so little wrong, and in such good condition, no, you don't do that.

+Lyle Are you crazy?

I agree George!

If the seats are just covers and the original fabric is underneath, I'd say sure. It's original. But if the cloth or other items aren't fully original? It's not a "time capsule". It's just another parts car. I say full repop. Let's see the glory days of 1927 and the way a Packard is suppose to look!

Totally agree. Please just bring it all to spec. If I was in the area I'd pay to see.

@@crforfreedom7407 Just another museum piece than nobody should ever fingerprint?

@@WCM1945 This may be an extreme example, but I look at Jay Leno's garage; full restorations and he won't have ANYTHING he won't drive. I'd feel better handling a repop fully gone through than a pieced up antique. THAT'S in my opinion what usually goes under glass; something you can't afford to restore, or keep as original as possible for best resale $$. I don't thing fingerprinting has much to do with leaving it mostly untouched, and if one were to ever seriously try and drive it even around the block after the engine was freed and freshened, it would take a whole lot of drive-train redo, and I think you know that.... If he can't afford a full repep, fine. Just say that. I don't like hearing people makes excuses. Just be honest. It's going to cost I'm guessing about $60k min to get that back. Maybe as close as $85K. That's a chunk to drop on a family hand-me-down unless you have a lot of disposable income. Leave it untouched if you want to hold resale. Otherwise, I say lets see what 1927 looked like... What Packard engineers were thinking, dreaming and envisioning for the future, not knowing what just 2 more years would bring. This is truly a historic vehicle....

60+ years.......it's gonna need more that a mechanical dust off. Just the seats alone will have to be restored if any one plans to sit in them. I saw paw prints on the hood, cats. Which means mice. Which love upholstery as nests. There are going to be some funky odors coming from that car once it sees daylight. This car is most likely beyond original already. Built in 1927 and stored about 1955. In 27 years we can figure it had some alterations made.

I think the point of any vehicle is to actually drive it. That means more than just dusting it off... :) Lucky for you, the wiring schematics are probably 4 wires, lol. :) you can update anything related to safety and I don't know of anywhere in Illinois that would penalize you in points at a show...

You're forgetting the quintessential luxury/Hollywood car: The Duesenberg.

@@kevinfetner7983 The Three P's established themselves as the premier luxury cars in the early 1900's into the teens which was long before Duesenberg came along in the late mid to late 20's.

My Dad, a New Yorker from 1919 (when he was 27) until his death in 1973, told me that Packard's luxury appeal was distilled in their marketing slogan, "Ask the man who owns one."

I'd have to say Duesenberg's were the absolute top shelf car of that era. But Auburn, Cord, Packard, LaSalle, Pierce Arrow, Peerless, Lincoln, Cadillac and a couple others of that era were incredible works of art as well. Love the luxury cars of the 20s and 30s

They work really well on fraudulent land deals. But first you have to kill the rightful OWNER!

@@sherrycremona8641 ᵁʰ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ʷʰ ⁻ ʷʰᵃᵗ﹖

That's not true....it's the owner who decides at what level of authenticity to restore the car. If he wants it exactly factory OE, then that's what he gets. I used to see this in XKE's all the time....the owner will try to have the car 'improved' and embellished. Depends how much you're gonna drive it too.....lavish modern paint jobs will last longer than factory jobs....especially if the cars sits more than its driven. I will agree that it's disheartening to see layers of clear coat that the original cars never had.

@@kevinfetner7983 The original paint job on this Packard held up 90 plus years in very poor conditions, so I would leave it alone. The original paint was a nitrocellulose lacquer applied with at least 12 coats and then hand rubbed down to 8 or so coats giving it a deep gloss. Modern day base coat/clear coat paint jobs can't duplicate it.

@@packard5682 Thanks for the info,that's fascinating

@Rusty Shackelford His gf convinced him that whining is a good thing

Richard if your middle name starts with H, You have money in the Pa. state treasury office, unclaimed property. From John Hancock 2 accounts each over $100. Good luck collecting JJ from Chb

@@johnjacobs1625 OK will look.

richard schickling - Any building that looks like *that*, has got to possess some treasure. Maybe treasure most would deem junk, but treasure nonetheless.

@@richardschickling6962 Your welcome.

Almost certainly original paint. I don't suppose you can get ethyl-lead fuel in the states any more, would that sidevalve block be suitable for steel exh. valve seat inserts? Hope so. If not it's a fairly low RPM engine, might be ok without...?

@@thephilpott2194 You can get lead fuel additive that you pour in the tank whenever you fill up. It's somewhat common for classic cars

@@thephilpott2194 unleaded fuel should be ok for it as lead wasn't added to petrol until the 30's, it is Methanol in modern fuel that causes the problems, it will rot any rubber and dissolve the Tin plating on the inside of the fuel tank. Additives can be bought to neutralise its effect. Alternatively re-line the tank and change any flexible fuel lines and pump diaphragms for modern ones. A good idea if only for fire safety.

If the cylinder head needs no attention.There will likely be enough lead from the years of using leaded fuel left on the parts like the valves and seats to last years.. .

Imagine if it did.

@@MyDegeneration1965 :-o

You can check out the breaks while I check out the brakes.

@@TheJer1963 just be careful you don't break the brakes!

Don't break your back checking the brakes! Broke back Burritt!

Funny! Have a glorious day.

The seats are the best part.

That's what a perfect example of the good old days are so I agree enjoy what time has given you it only happens once

The almost bald condition of that spare tire suggests more than the odometer’s 10,000 miles.

The spare tire showed more than 10k miles of wear.

@@marcbee1234 My dad and me had a lot to do with cars from this era and often we couldn't buy new tires,just NOS stuff which were often 20-30 years old . Once on the road,that old style tire rubber wore pretty quickly,unlike today's. . If you got 20,000 miles out of set of those you were doing pretty good.

Philadelphia is one giant rummage.

@@davidanalyst671 Only been their once for work and was to busy. Wish I had spent more time wondering! Do you live their?

I lived and worked in philly for 10 years, and those were 10 miserable years I could have been anywhere else in the world.

I love old factories. I have rummaged through a few of them in the past and it is always fun. Especially the factories built in the early 20th Century where the ceiling framing and walls are made of wood. Most of the old technology always worked unlike today where so many things break down and need to be replaced.

There's no better place than philly for old stuff that nobody wants. The city has been losing people since 1950's, because its such a dump, the culture is terrible, and the taxes are too high. lots of old abandoned businesses. You might have to fight a horde of homeless people to get into some factories, but overall it would be great. New Jersey is worse for business than philly, so I would start in that sh*t hole state.