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John N. Packard

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Everything posted by John N. Packard

  1. Bruce, We oldtimers also enjoyed the day at the museum. Thanks to Harford Region for an excellent bus trip and camaraderie! jnp
  2. I worked for a local appliance dealer in the early fifties. He had both a Chevy and a Ford pick-up. What I remember accompanying his technicians on appliance deliveries is that the Chevy could go real fast while the Ford was much slower. Maybe it was the driver. The technician who used the Chevy was a good bit younger than the one assigned to the Ford. jnp
  3. Albert, I'll try to finish the motor overhaul on my '54 Patrician. Health issues have curtailed my efforts for over a year now. I have pulled the motor and transmission and will have the block bored and the crankshaft ground. It's a slow process! jnp
  4. Dawn, We had a request for running an ad until the end of the year and the Board didn't know how to handle it. The fact that you charge more for short term ads is very helpful. jnp
  5. The Lincoln Highway Association did a cross country tour on the remaining portions of that highway a couple of years ago. They did a seminar at the AACA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia that was very interesting. A drive along route 66 should be a great experience. jnp
  6. The Chicora Region held a very nice show today at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. Temperature in the 80s and bright and sunny weather. I guess 80 to 100 cars participated. Many very fine Corvettes and Mustangs. A Model T Ford, several Model A Fords, and a '59 retractable hardtop. A Delorean fitted with what looked like a turbo drive and a handsome Rolls Royce. I spoke with one of the judging officials and he said this is the 5th year for the show and it has grown in attendance each year. He hopes to add flea market vendors next year. It was an ideal venue for a show and a great vacation treat! jnp
  7. Mark, I drove a '52 Packard with 288 CID eight 60,000 miles as a commuter car going 100 miles per day round trip. I bought gas every other day. This was on a rebuilt engine. I did not have overdrive which would have helped considerably. Most of the commute was at sustained speeds of 55 to 60. So I guess my mileage was in the low teens. The Mobil dealer where I traded gave me discount of several cents per gallon because I was such a regular customer! jnp
  8. I was living in Ashland, Virginia just north of Richmond on U.S. Route 1. Driving tests were given twice a month. At sixteen I was driving a school bus for Ashland High School! Quite an experience. When the kids were rowdy on the way home I just pulled over and told them when they quieted down I would continue. That didn't work in the morning. jnp
  9. I took my test two weeks after I turned 14 in 1949. Drove my father's 1946 Packard. I had tried to take the test two weeks earlier just before I turned 14; but they refused to give me the test, so I had to wait two more weeks. jnp
  10. Mark III, That's the very reason why I don't have a guest book on the Chesapeake site. I do provide my email so that people can contact me if they want to. I get an occasional email, typically people looking for a vintage car for a wedding. jnp
  11. I use the high temperature paint from Eastwood on my manifolds and exhaust pipes. I sandblast to bare metal and then apply the paint. I give it time to cure of several days. Have been very satisfied. My cars are a '54 Packard Eight and a '40 Packard Six. jnp
  12. I concur. I took my '54 manifold apart about a year ago and there was no sign of a gasket. jnp
  13. Hey Randy, Thanks for the great photos of the Mid-Atlantic meet. Dwight does a great job for the Region as Activities Director. I have been a member of Mid-Atlantic for many years and served as the first treasurer. Got elected at the first meet I attended at the Shrewsbury Fire Hall back in the early sixties. George Hamlin was quite distraught. He said " This guy named Packard shows up for the first time and gets elected to office"! jnp <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
  14. Packin31, I've considered the same questions myself. At the upholstery seminar in Philadelphia several years ago they recommended that all upholstery be removed down to the bare frame and springs. Then clean and paint them before reuphostering. This gets rid of any residual smell and mess left by rodents. If you do that yourself, then the upholsterer will either have to have what was removed or photographs to match the original. If you have individual coil springs that are wrapped in burlap, it becomes quite a task! I would definitely remove the seats and upholstery panels, etc. before attempting any body repair. What I attempt to do is cut out the rotted metal and weld in replacement sheet metal. I have an acetylene gas welder that is probably not the best way to do this. I have attempted leading in some areas but have not mastered the skill of applying it well. I do better with Bondo. What I have experienced is that the more I do, the more I see to do and don't ever seem to be able to completely finish a vehicle! jnp <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
  15. Chesapeake Region is reviewing the use of ads in our newsletter. What are the going rates for ads in your Region? What is the break even point for ad revenue versus printing and postage costs? Your comments are appreciated! jnp
  16. West, Our daughter was at our beach house in South Carolina several years ago and parked her minivan next to an open lot. She left the doors and gate open while packing up to leave. The next day at her home in Pennsylvania she loaded her children in the car to go to church. When they arrived at the church parking lot she opened the side door and there was an opossum snarling at her! It departed the premises quickly after apparently traveling with her from South Carolina to PA! He was only about 15 miles north of the Mason Dixon line! jnp
  17. Jay & Pat, I'm glad you liked the 1940 Packard story. For me it illustrates what the old car hobby is all about, and that is driving and experiencing these vehicles as they were originally designed and built. What better way than to take a car that you have little or no knowledge of and set out on a 500 mile trip! I've had several other similar experiences that I could share. Some worked out well, some were a disaster! Some enjoy working on the old cars and I must say that I have experienced a sense of satisfaction when a motor that I have rebuilt roars back into life. Many restore their vehicles to perfection and receive satisfaction in winning awards for their efforts. In all the years that I have been in this hobby I have not achieved that goal. However, if my vehicle becomes a so called trailer queen can I really enjoy driving it? Then there are those who customize their old cars with modern features so that they can compete on the freeways, etc. For me if you want to do that why not buy a modern car to begin with? Then there are those historians who argue interminably about why certain companies and/or car models failed in the marketplace. Finally, the internet forums have spawned a large group who just like to talk about anything and everything. As for me, I like to drive the old cars and experience what it was like motoring 50 or more years ago. A perfect example of this experience was the first Sentimental Tour sponsored by the Northern Neck Region, AACA several years ago. We toured on two lane country roads where the only vehicles in sight were antiques. It was a great experience! jnp
  18. West, My knowledge of 18th series Packards is limited to the Model 110. It has a single action fuel pump and electric wipers; so I don't know what that vacuum line serviced. Typically it would be for vacuum wipers routed through a dual action fuel pump to maintain wiper action when the motor is under load. My only experience with a 1940 180 dates back to the 1960s. My uncle knew of my interest in Packards and wrote me about one that was up for sale in a town adjacent to his place on Clary Lake in Maine. I mentioned this to a fellow AACA member and he became quite interested. I wrote to my uncle and asked for pictures of the car. What he sent was an undeveloped roll of film; so eager to see the car I jury rigged a dark room in my basement and we developed and printed the film. The car was a formal sedan and looked quite good. The price was reasonable so my friend decided to buy it. I sent his down payment to my uncle who acted as our agent with the owner. Then the issue became: how do we get the car from Maine to Maryland? Since Maine is my native state I convinced him that we should drive up to Maine, service the Packard and drive it home. I invited my mother to go along and visit with her sister while we dealt with the Packard. So on New Years weekend we set off in my brand new 1964 Dodge 880 sedan to engage in this car adventure. The trip north was uneventful. When we arrived in Maine my friend was anxious to see the car and close the deal; so off we went with my uncle to check out his new Packard. As we approached the car it became apparent that the photographs did not give a true picture of the car. It had been painted by hand with a brush! Needless to say my friend was quite distressed; but I tried to encourage him by noting that the paint, however awful it looked, had protected the car from rust. Well we took the car to a Sunoco Service Station and had it checked over...oil change, fluid check, brake adjustment, etc. to make it roadworthy for the trip home. Late that evening my friend got cold feet and said that he wanted to return to Maryland without the car, particularly because there was snow in the weather forecast. I urged him to reconsider and assured him that everything would work out well. So the next morning we set off down the Maine Turnpike heading for Maryland, mother and I in the Dodge 880 and my friend in the Packard. When we got to the Massachusetts Turnpike the snow began and the wind picked up. Suddenly my friend pulled over on the shoulder and announced that he would not go any further. So I put him in the Dodge with my mother and I took over driving the Packard. Things went well as we reached the Connecticut parkways. The Packard warmed up and seemed to run more smoothly, although it was consuming a good bit of oil. I pulled over on the Merritt Parkway to check the oil and to gas up and we agreed to meet on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge at an ESSO station, if we got separated. Indeed we got separated and I waited at that station for several hours before they finally caught up. It seems that my mother was navigating and got them onto the West Side Drive and down into New York City before they realized their mistake. I insisted at that point that my friend take over driving the Packard and I would drive with my mother in the Dodge. As we drove down the New Jersey Turnpike, now quite late in the evening, my friend pulled into every rest area to relieve himself. My mother and I began to joke about it. Only later did I learn that my friend had not told his parents, with whom he lived at the time, that he was going to Maine to bring home a Packard. They thought that he was simply accompanying me on the trip. So, as he got closer to Maryland he got more nervous about the trip because he knew that his father would not approve of his buying the Packard much less his driving it from Maine to Maryland. When we reached the outskirts of Baltimore he told me that we would park the Packard at an ESSO station rather than drive it to his parent's home. The car needed a lot of body work and I encouraged him to begin working on it. Eventually he rented a garage and moved the Packard there. Not being mechanically inclined he never did work on the car. Eventually he decided to put it up for sale. Several people expressed an interest and came to see the car. The garage was located in a residential area of Baltimore and he allowed the prospective buyers to drive it around the neighborhood. While motoring with one interested person the brakes on the Packard failed. The prospective owner rolled through several stop signs and brought this massive vehicle to a halt by running the tires along the curb. He then put the car in reverse and drove it backwards to the garage. My friend was ready to give the car away at that point! Subsequently the car sold; but that was not the end of the story. My friend and I were in the old Blue Field flea market at the Fall Hershey Meet, when I sensed the presence of something or someone close by. Turning around there was that 1940 Packard Formal sedan, in an even sadder state of disrepair than when he owned it, with a 'For Sale' sign on it. No, we didn't buy it! jnp
  19. Frank, Bill, Carl & Ted, Thanks for your helpful advice. Due to health reasons it will probably take me a month or more to finish the overhaul. jnp
  20. I'm doing rings, valves, and rod bearings on my '54 Packard. One article I read advised not to use detergent oil during the break-in period stating that the rings would not wear in properly. What are your thoughts? jnp
  21. Thanks JT, I wondered if that might not be a good test to mix with water. jnp
  22. Is there a simple way to tell if a brake system has DOT-3 or DOT-5 fluid? jnp
  23. I have a '52 200 sedan that I have owned for over 30 years. I used it as second transportation for more than 60K miles. Due to health reasons I will not be able to restore this vehicle. I will donate it to anyone who may have an interest. It needs a lot of work and could be used either as a parts car or restoration project. If interested contact me at jnpemp@cs.com. The car is located in Fallston, MD just north of Baltimore. Thank you. jnp This vehicle is no longer available. Thank you for your interest.
  24. KW, PA436058 (Guard-Rear Fender Gasoline Filler Door) applies to models 2401, 2501-31, 2601-11-31. See page 599 of the 22nd thru 54th series Parts and Accessories List. December 1954. jnp
  25. Post deleted by John N. Packard
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