Al K's 1955 Patrician restoration

AlK sent me over 2 dozen JPGs to post showing body & floor repair & paint on the 1955 Patrician he bought last year. Here's a few:

Right doors repaired

Driver floor repair

Driver rear side repaired

Driver front side repaired

Body finished and primered

Body painted BLACK

You can also access the other JPGs directly by entering "/alk_xxF.jpg" directly after my Panther website URL. Change "xx" to 01 thru 31 (except 20 & 21).

Maybe AlK can post some narrative on these or his other JPGs.

Al, when you get a moment, tell us how many rings are on your front links - that is still the highest riding TL Packard I've ever seen! There is a 3-digit number on the main torsion bars at the rear of the car. I'd be interested in knowing if they are stock torsion bars. LOOKS GREAT Al!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

YFAM, Randy Berger

Randy

That has been mentioned on several occasions, but I am not to overly concerned at this point since there is still about 5 to 6 hundred pounds of grille, bumper, tail-lights, chrome work and interior stuff that has to be applied to the car. So far it has been an easy if lengthy job. We had to sell the 51 and take time payments on it, so we had to make time payments on this job. If I had the money all at one time the job most likely could have been done months ago. The only major work was the rocker panals. I got new ones from Mike Dulinski. I also got 4 new doors from him up in Perrysburg. I discussed the pros and cons of repairing the old doors instead of getting new doors and he said getting new ones woud be more cost effective in the end. The rest is what you see. The car starts up every morning. I have had to replact the fuel pump and I had to rebuild the Treadle-vac booster.

All of the other mechanicals were done.

My wife wants her car done by spring, so come on over guys, I have spare sleeping spaces and I will supply all the pizza and beer you can consume.

THANKS CRAIG!!!

Happy Holidays

Al, sounds like you're inviting us to a bottle and hammer party! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I just bought a pair of front link mounting pads from Steele - good buy.

Gasket, torsion tension pin. Fully molded replacement for #445823. For all models. 70-1869-32.....$ 26.90/pr.

I didn't mean to make you think I was worried about your Pat riding too high. I just wondered why??

Keep us posted.

YFAM, Randy Berger <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

A very nice thread. Having never undertaken what I've now undertaken, Al K's pictures are worth a thousand words to a guy like me. It's one thing to read about it (Bronell's book), but simply wonderful to see it with such clarity with a digital camera. And Craig, thanks again for the PackardPanther venue. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" />

So Al, with this be DUKE II?

Together they will be "THE BOOKENDS"

How ever individually Chris car will either be be "THE SHADOW"

or "DUKE JR.". We are undecided yet.

Ideas anyone??????????

Hey Al,

What's the deal on the right side dash? It looks like most of it is missing!

Missing dash?

Also, this interior looks a little weird! What's the story? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/confused.gif" alt="" />

Patrician interior

Craig:

It's the new look, sort of a rustic, in progress kind of thing. After we get the hardware back into the doors, it comes home for outer re-assembly, bumpers, grille, tail-lights etc. Then it goes to the upholsterer. He already has the seats and the door panals. Right now he is in the hospital have a knee replaced, so it will be after the first of the year before he can get started so I may as well get something done in the meantime. Chris has decided to do it in a red/black sort o '400' look. Since we do not plan to have it in any Packard judging we are not worried about it, as for local shows it should pass muster.

AL K: From the looks of things your car needed alot more work than my 53. When Mike came and picked up the 53 last year I paid him $750 to get started. He had the 14 months and never once asked me for more money to complete the work. When the 53 was delivered in last month, the balancewas paid then. My home is about 40 miles from the body shop hey charged me $35 to bring my baby home. The father and son that did my car are out to make a living but not all off of you. Mike hand formed every panel on that car that needed to be replaced. Both rear quarter panels, the dog legs, and rocker panels where all hand fored. I had sent away to JC Whitney for rockers panels. He didn't like the rocker panels aand chucked them. He made his own. When the 53 was painted five coats of base paint was applied, then four coats of clear. Then sanded and buffed out to a mirror finnish. You can look down either side of my 53 and not see a wave or rippel anywhere. When I get all the chrome back on the car he going to come back and give it a finnal polish job. Not much work is going to be done to the wifes house in 2003. I intend for next year to be the year of WORKING ON THE PACKARD. I jst got the TV cable ran up to the garage. That now completes the work to the garage. With heating, ac, tv, and sound system, I finnally have everything that I want in the home of my two cars.

Yep, that's some good forward progress, Al. It's looking really good.

re interior: Ah, the rustic look! Red & black will look terrific.

re dash: Next time I'll have to look with my reading glasses on! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" />

Craig: Al's dash isn't missing. That's where some of the vinyl padding from the top has come loose and is hanging down in front. Those old paddings and coverings really fall apart over time.

Al: be careful on the window regulators. There is an STB or SC that talks about glass breakage if the regulators happen to break or loosen at one of the anchor points. Yep, my drivers glass broke about 2 weeks before i recieved the SC that tells about it. Prior to that ALL glass in my car was pristene.

My friends 55 drivers glass dropped as well 2 weaks ago, the hair pin that holds the bottom of the glass channel broke and slid off the arm lucky though it did not break. Al's 55 floor was not quite a bad as my 54 though , I had to replace from the gas pedal back to under the rear seat and from the hump to and including the rockers, all the floor braces and the inner rockers. The rear quarters I made up an english wheel to roll new ones from the belt line down and from the dog leg to the gas door both sides (4 feet). The PO had 2x4's holding up the front seat and a licence plate pop rivited under the gas pedal to hold it in place <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" />

Al K,

I'm glad that this restoration is working out good. It sure looks like it will be a nice car when it is done. Woderful Paint.

Bob