My next project? 1921 Packard Coupe

10 minute(s) of a 548 minute read

Hello All

I have not been slacking off it is just that I am waiting for the Packard Wheels to be painted and the pin stripe put on them. Next week I hope to start in earnest on the windscreen frame. Meanwhile this morning I put the finishing touches on a 1,000+ word article on the sole surviving example of the 1934 Crossley Three Litre Sports. You will have to wait a couple of months and then buy a copy of the Automobile magazine from the UK to read it.

5-1-2012

Hi OCF

Right now I am wrestling with the Packard windscreen frame. As soon as I have something to report you will be first to hear. Problem is that my impatience has got me into difficulties yet again. Fear not, challenges are made to be met and overcome!

5-2-2012

Hello again

Things are progressing again, the wheels have now been painted and I spent some time with the local pinstripe wizzard, deciding where and how many stripes are to go on the wheels. As I tend to err on the side of conservatism I have decide that just the one stripe will be sufficient. The wheels are beige, the lock rims, hubs and the stripe are all to be the body colour (dark brown). When we get around to doing the pinstripes on the body and hood these will be the wheel colour (beige). The seat frames are now finished and have been delivered to the upholsterer who already has the hide and is ready to go.

5-5-2012

Another small step forward. I can now remove the jack stands from under the Packard having re-fitted the tires and put the wheels back on. The aluminium hub caps still require some more time on the buff but there will be time for that later. My next task is to jack up the Lagonda and remove the gearbox so that I can sort out a small problem that showed up during the Alpine Rally. Nothing serious, it just refuses to engage any gear. Preselector gearboxes have a mind of their own. Unfortunately to fix what is essentially a relatively minor fault requires the box the be totally dismantled. This is the first problem we have had with the car in 20 years of competitive motoring.

5-6-2012

I tend to err on the conservative side. I have seen photographs of wheels with four and six pinstripes. I debated with myself whether to have one or two. As you can see I have opted to start with just one. I believe that considering the contrast colours on the hub and the lock rim together with the nickel plated lug ring and lugs there is enough "going on".

It is my supposition that particularly during the 1920s, Packard were ultra conservative with most of their models and particularly with the "Doctor's Coupe"! Other than ministers of religion I doubt that there would have been a more conservative segment of the market at that time.

5-9-2012

Hello again

At last I have been able to make some progress in cutting out/up the windscreen frame. Next step will be to silver solder up the corners, drill and tap the holes for the fixing screws that secure the top frame to piano hinge that attaches it to the header rail and the ones that link the header to the windscreen pillars, then hopefully & finally another trip to the platers.

5-11-2012

Sorry to disappoint you all but all my efforts are being concentrated on rebuilding the Lagonda gearbox and will continue for a day or two.

5-15-2012

Don't go away I will be back on the Packard just as soon as I get the Lagonda sorted out. Sorry it is taking just a little longer than I anticipated.

5-16-2012

At last I have found a local source for the parts I need for the Lagonda Gearbox so it should be all back together again by early next week. Then I can get back to finishing the Packard windscreen frame.

5-22-2012

Sorry about my prolonged absence. People suffering from withdrawal symptoms can get a quick fix by visiting my Lagonda Rapier thread under British Cars.

I can assure you my failure to be doing any work on the Packard is far from intentional!

5-29-2012

Today has been a good day on two fronts. First the Lagonda Gearbox is poised to go back into the car a little later today. Second at long last the spare wheel carrier arrived on my doorstep about an hour ago. It will need a light sand blast prior to being painted but before that I need to trial fit it and drill a couple of more holes to suit five bolt wheels. In the same package was the stepped nut to secure the steering wheel so I can finally fit up the hand control quadrant and levers.

If you are feeling frustrated with the delay imagine how I have been, as I said on my Lagonda Rapier (British cars) thread. I have now achieved a PhD in Preselecterology. If you had asked me a month ago I would have laughed at any suggestion that it was going to take so long to dismantle and rebuild (5 times) that gearbox.

6-2-2012

Finally I have been able to make some progress (a little) on the Packard. This morning was spent washing all the greasy hand prints etc off the Lagonda and cleaning up generally. This afternoon I was able to cut out some gaskets and finally fit the glass into the headlamp rims. Next week I hope to make some real progress with both the windscreen frame and the spare-wheel mount.

6-4-2012

Having finally got around to actually looking closely at the spare wheel mount I realise it is from a slightly later model and will require some minor modification to accommodate the 1923 Five lug wheels so that looks like the next task.

With "old cars" nothing is ever simple!

6-6-2012

Mounting the spare wheel involves a little more than perhaps i had realised. First job was to remove the petrol tank, with that out of the way I could drill the required 9/16th hole in the centre of the rear chassis cross member, This is to take the original factory supporting strut. For some reason the car came with two of these but no centre hole. Next the as yet unpainted spare wheel carrier could be trial mounted prior to drilling the two holes in the rear tubular cross member. It all sounds so simple yet it has taken the best part of the morning. Next step is to have the carrier itself sandblasted then I can give it a coat of black paint, then finally install it.

Just in case you were wondering I think that I can safely say we are definitely "Glass half full" people....

6-8-2012

Not a great deal of difference to the last photographs of the spare wheel carrier, the only difference apart from a day spent prep-ing and painting is that it is now (hopefully) permanently mounted. One more task to be crossed off the list.

6-9-2012

Hi all

I am now working on the windscreen frame. Not very interesting photographs of pieces of brass channel so I won't post any. Just keep working.............

6-11-2012

Unfortunately it seems that I must have used the last of my silversolder flux and the trade shops are closed for a public holiday long weekend so I have changed back to road testing the rebuilt gearbox in the Lagonda (see my thread under British cars). No rest for the wicked!

What a remarkable and small world we vintage car enthusiasts live in.

Recently a friend who lives in Suffolk, England, sent me (in Melbourne, Australia) a link to a Dixie Flyer dashboard clock that was for sale on e-bay. I forwarded this information on to my contact in the Kentucky Trailer Co, Louisville Kentucky, originally the Kentucky Wagon Co makers of the Dixie Flyer and now owners of the D-F Firefly Speedster. I have just heard from them that they have now secured the clock.

6-12-2012

Hi West

Good to hear from you again. Thank you for the e-bay link, perhaps someone else may be inspired to restore an original Doctors Coupe. I think that one is sufficient for me to cope with at present. It is interesting to see some of the original features although I think that I prefer my seating arrangement. Somehow I cannot see Helen sitting up/down on that little hard folding jump seat intended for the passenger anymore than I can see her lounging in the rear. I hope to have my finished seats in the next week or so, then all the experts can pass judgement. 

Looking at the photographs on e-bay I also prefer my disc wheels to wooden spokes. I think that they greatly enhance the cars appearance.

6-14-2012

Finally I have been able get back to some serious work. Having had a small collection of pieces brass channel sitting on the bench for some time I have been able to glue them all together albeit with silver solder rather than superglue. It has not been without trauma but I think that once they are all cleaned up they may be able to go to be plated. Before that I have to do a final trial fitting just in case there may be some minor fettling to be done. Only then can yet another box can be ticked.

I seem to have missed one step in the process of building the windscreen. The first trial assembly as seen below.