My next project? 1921 Packard Coupe

12 minute(s) of a 548 minute read

I actually managed to collect the two top sections of the hood late this afternoon so I now have all four parts and can assemble it tomorrow. Once the lacing is in place around the cowl I can finally fit the hood the last thing (except the wheels) to be painted. I still have to locate the four little buttons that go, two on each side of the hinge, on the top of the hood to stop the top sections from touching when the hood is fully opened.

Sorry, that is clear as mud but people who know early 1920-30s cars will understand.

4-8-2012

At last the hood is all assembled and trial fitted. I will have to adjust the location of the bottom of the radiator to adjust the gaps down either front edge. This will permit the front hood latches to be adjusted for length. Otherwise it all seems to have gone back fairly much into place.

Perhaps someone can tell me what should go over the spigot for the crank handle where it projects from under the centre of the base of the radiator? That is other than a Campbell's soup tin.

4-9-2012

The words of the old song tell us "Little things mean a lot".

In the case of the Packard this can translate into a lot of time being spent on the little things, this time in particular the section of the latch that secures the headlight rim. The original diecast half of the hinged fastening had virtually crumbled away. The simple solution was to fabricate replacements. The two photographed below represent almost a full days work! I still have to make a second threaded section and nut and then have the lot nickel plated.

4-10-2012

The saga of the headlamp rim latches continues. This afternoons task was to make the replacement for the missing other half. This has been accomplished without the aid of lathe, mill or other sophisticated machinery. Just an oxy- acetylene torch, an antiquated drill press, a hand held four inch angle grinder, a bench grinder and a hand file. Oh yes, and a 5/16 UNF bolt.....

The one with the file marks is the hand made replacement.

4-11-2012

Not a lot to show for today's efforts. To obtain the correct gap at the leading edge of the hood sides I have to remove the packing that I so carefully placed between the base of the radiator and the chassis frame. This is approximately 1/4 inch thick and removing it will make all the difference.

Again "Little things mean a lot".

Another step forward, this afternoon I removed all four wheels and stripped the tires and tubes off. The wheels are now safe in the trunk of the Peugeot ready to go out to Dave's for painting. 

Removing those big 600 x 23 tires single handed is quite physical, especially as they have been on the rims for some time (almost 50 years)....

4-12-2012

Speaking of things that happened 50 years ago there will not be too much work on the Packard over the next few days all due to something that happened on April 14 1962.

Family comes first......

For those who may be wondering.

It is our 50th Wedding Anniversary.

4-14-2012

I have mentioned it before but one of the things that has caused something of a hiccup in this restoration is the lack of a steering wheel retaining nut. It seems to be impossible to buy a suitable tap (13/16 x 20 tpi) which makes making one difficult. The alternative is to remove the steering box and totally dismantle it in order to take the shaft with the male thread to have one made. Something that I would sooner avoid at this stage. Can any of the Packard owners/restorers assist.

Hi Ben

The drawing was sent to me by a friend of David McC. so I am unsure of it's accuracy. I don't have a lathe so I have to have any machining done "outside". These are just two of the many reasons why I would prefer to obtain a nut from someone who has dismantled a car. My friendly machine shop wants me to remove the steering box from the car and totally dismantle it so I can take them the shaft, then they MAY be able to make a nut for me. It is not feasible to obtain and modify a nut with a common thread ( 20 mm seems the closest undersize) and recut the thread on the shaft as the flange on the top of the original nut is larger than a standard nut.

4-16-2012

Thank you Kent

I will keep your kind offer in mind should my Sth Aust friends fail to deliver. My next task is to do a drawing for the windscreen pillars as they still require some machining. and to finish off fitting the head lamp glasses and rims. One extra job is to run some wires etc for flashing turn indicators. Originally I had thought that I would not install them but as the car is Left hand drive and we in Australia drive on the left side of the road I think that from a safety point of view they should be fitted.

4-17-2012

Not a great deal to report. I did a drawing for the windscreen pillars and took them off to be machined yesterday morning. Cut out gaskets for the headlamp glasses but will probably not fit them until I have the latches nickel plated and fitted to the rims. Today I have to do a service on the Lagonda Rapier in readiness for this weekend's Alpine Rally. I need to look at the ratchet on the hand brake lever as it is prone to slip off.

Speaking of the VSCC Alpine Rally this is quite a big event with cars from both New South Wales and Victoria. It is run over three days with another full days travel to return home from the finish. I have included the entry list. Note the difference between the "Tourists" and the "Competitors" the later being the people who take their motoring seriously! These are just the Victorian entries there is a similar sizes list of people and their cars coming from New South Wales. A total of around 100 cars. The smallest car the Singer Le Mans 989cc and the largest the Sunbeam 12 Litres.

4-18-2012

Hello

Personal explanation time. 

I may have appeared out spoken on another thread on this site.

While I would not claim to be a purist. I do have standards that I endeavour to adhere to.

It would be very easy to sneak in the odd POP rivet where no one would ever find it and to use Phillips head screws because that is all the corner hardware shop stocks. Most new cars sold in Australia use Metric thread fasteners so why not go with the flow.

Having accepted all those things then why spend countless hours sourcing parts and spend even more dollars reconditioning 80 and 90 year old engines and gearboxes. It sure would be much easier to slip in a good old Chevy V8 and an auto trans. The bonus there is that performance would be transformed, even more if I grafted a big GM Blower on top of the Chevy. As long as I kept the Hood (bonnet) closed no one would know. While I am at why not blow away that 90 year old body and slip on a sleek brand new copy of something exotic. That should WOW everyone. While I am at it I may as well get rid of those old springs. The Packard sure would ride a whole lot better if I slip a Jag rear end under her.

In all the spare time that I will now have, I think that I will have a go at whipping up a quick copy of the famous painting of the Sunflowers. If I write "Van Gogh" in squiggly little letters in one corner everyone who comes to our house will be amazed. Once I have finished the painting I might spend an hour or two at the old pianola knocking out a couple of Brahams or some other famous composers pieces. I can slip in a couple of "ad lib"bits of my own if the original gets too difficult. Everyone who hears them will be amazed and think that I am a remarkable musician. Just don't tell anyone. 

So why do people like me go the extra mile to make things CORRECT, "as they were"

Why do we travel miles to find slotted head screws, search the planet to get the correct part, slave away for hours to make things "right".

WHO CARES???? Well for one I do.

4-19-2012

Sorry again! I am not the least interested in Hot Rods. I have been under the mistaken supposition that this section of the Forum was about Restorations (of original cars). I have two main interests out side my immediate family, 1. Driving (not trailering) my 1934 Lagonda Rapier and 2. Restoring to as near as possible to original condition what ever car is my current project. At present a 1923 Packard, Single Six, Series 1. 

I have lost count of the number of cars that have passed through my hands previously but I can assure that when they left they were in far better condition than when I bought them.

4-25-2012

As I mentioned in an e-mail to Earl. This will be my last post on this forum for some time if not ever. The Packard will definitely be for sale on completion in the next 12 to 18 months. As is my usual practice, the selling price will be the total amount that I have expended on the restoration of the car excluding the cost of any labour or effort contributed by myself. I do keep meticulous records of every cent spent and my only interest is in recovering this amount.

Thank you all for your interest.

4-26-2012

In Jazz terms I could be and have been described as a "Mouldy Fig", especially when it comes to motor cars, not that I can claim to be an absolute purist as is evidenced by my disinclination to rebuild the Packard as a fixed head coupe and by the fact that my Lagonda has a "replica" body. In fact it has over the 77 years had three bodies, the last fitted by me in 1978, replacing the one built, out of scrap aircraft material including thousands of pop rivets, at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in England in the early post WW2 era.... Not an attractive sight! 

At the time many people castigated me, saying that "I had destroyed a historic car." The present body is so close to an original Eagle two seater that the body has developed cracks in the aluminium panels is all the same places as the original.

If you have not noticed, I have a very complex personality. Some people would go as far as saying that I have two, as in the best Jykll and Hyde tradition. 

Having said that, I am confident that no one who has met me would ever describe me as a "joyless nark". Unlike so many uneducated people who are prepared to accept "counterfeit cars", I am not. 

As I said in my letter to the VSCC (UK) Bulletin. I doubt that the club (or for that matter anyone else) would be anywhere near as ready to unquestioningly accept payment for their goods or services in counterfeit money!

I am flattered and at the same time humbled by the number of people who have sent me e-mails, made "posts" etc, protesting my decision to abandon my Thread and on the basis of these I will continue on with it but possibly not on a daily basis.