Restoring 1956 packard

[BigTKy]

Looking for someone to restore 1956 Packard convertible 

[ILIKECARS53]

Where are you located?

[TTR]

Your location is not as important as clarifying/defining what exactly constitutes as "restoration" in your view.

Some consider throwing a cheap/quick paint job, upholstery and set of white wall tires a "restoration", while others want the car and all its 100000+ bits and pieces being exactly (or perhaps even nicer than) as they were when new.

 

Financial differences between these ^^ approaches to a car like yours can easily exceed 1/4 million dollars, yet that doesn't mean a chosen "restorer" can deliver either to your expectations.

 

There are probably tens of thousands (if not more ?) "professional restorers" (individuals & shops) in US alone and most of them will likely claim they can do latter, but in reality, not many can, so choose carefully.

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by TTR (see edit history)

[BigTKy]

For a car in as nice of shape, I want a professional restoration.  Looking for quality. 
great input

[BigTKy]

11 hours ago, ILIKECARS53 said:

Where are you located?

Car is in Wisconsin, I am in Ky 

[alsancle]

Caribbean?   Without seeing the car or knowing the condition,  a full restoration on any 1956 Packard done by a decent shop to quality level will EASILY exceed 100K and I could see dropping 200 or 300K depending on the shop and how bad the car is.

 

You need to provide more information as to the condition of the car (pictures please) and what it is you expect from the restoration.

Edited July 23, 2023 by alsancle (see edit history)

[BigTKy]

Here are some pictures. Also have 2 pallets of factory parts. 

[m-mman]

I had a difficult time understanding professional restorations until I had a good discussion with a guy who professionally restored 55-57 Thunderbirds and similar 50s Fords.  
 

He said that the LABOR to disassemble clean and reassemble a common 50s type car is 1000 hours.  (About a year full time). So if you want to estimate the costs for a restoration ask the shop for their hourly rate and multiply by 1000.  (Since he only did 50s Fords, he knew them and could hit the 1000 hour estimate pretty easily)

THEN you need to add for parts.  Lots of kits and reproduced parts for 50s Fords and mechanical stuff is readily available so  he said that you can basically double the labor cost. 
 

If there are problems (extensive rust or body damage?) then the hours and costs escalate from the base guesses.  

[Gunsmoke]

Very nice car, certainly worth spending some money on, but as others suggest, how much. Big factor is what you have to layout to buy it. Assuming seller is asking $15K-$25K "as is", your looking at perhaps another $40K-$50K and a minimum $75K total for a decent rebuild and paint, but not a perfect restoration. No cheap way out these days. A perfect restoration as suggested could be several 100K.

[BigTKy]

I anticipate a 6 figure restoration.  Super nice foundation! Just need someone that will invest the time that has the knowledge of this car! 

[The 55er]

Just asking if your Packard is a 1956 or if it's actually a 1955. You have a 1955 & earlier emblem on your trunk and I'm thinking a 1956 would have a pod to the right of the steering column with pushbuttons for the Ultramatic transmission. I just want to make you aware there might be other options available to you than spending vast sums of money and having the car tied up for possibly years at some restoration shop. I have several friends that have had very bad experiences with paint/restoration shops in my area. Many promises were made and not kept, large amounts of money were spent with nothing getting done, parts were lost or stolen along the way and one shop even went completely out of business while my friend's car was disassembled and in pieces. There are many good shops out there, just be sure you know who are dealing with. I have no connection whatsoever to the car pictured, I am just posting it for comparative purposes. You say you're in WI and the car pictured is in MN. I wish you all the best and I hope everything goes smoothly with your restoration project. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by The 55er (see edit history)

[The 55er]

Sorry, I misspoke, I see you're in KY and your Packard is in WI. 

[alsancle]

Great Car!    Just do the mechanics,  do not touch the cosmetics other than maybe painting that one quarter panel.

 

I think you can make that a running driving car for 40K in a professional shop.   If you start doing paint, chrome and leather add  in another 200-300K.

 

Last time I asked,  these guys were booked out 12 months,  but you could inquire since your car is in their sweet spot. 

 

https://www.facebook.com/parkerspackardsma/