I don't know what's worse, his car or his spelling.

So has anyone figured out if the components of the '54-56 kit will work on the '51-53's?

You have to remember that Packard faced the same problem that all the other independents faced after WWII. The sheer size of GM. It was one of worlds largest companies. Cadillac didn't HAVE to earn a profit every year. Sales from the other divisions could make-up any difficencies. So any time an independent had a quality problem, labor issue, material shortage, etc., it would weaken the company as a whole. GM could weather these problems easily. They had tremendous resources, and Packard (& others) just could not compete long term with such an economy-of-scale.

I found this site mentioned on another forum topic. I don't know if it is the same place Big Kev is refering to, Classic 2 Current. It looks like they have what your looking for.

http://c2cfabrication.com/

Speaking of rejected concepts. Has anyone seen any pictures of proposed Packard fastbacks for the '51 model year? (Not the custom Pinnifaria styled car built by Peter Portugal several years back, but factory concepts.) I've heard that Briggs Body had worked up some models. I'd love to see those if they exist.

What about a transmission flush to start out with? Especially a car that has sat for a long time. I've read that it can actually harm an older trans. Anyone have any input or experience with that?

I'm glad that BigKev added this Modification Forum. It's great to see both sides of the hobby. I've always appreciated a good custom, and yours has a nice flow. keep the images coming.

P.S. Turbopackman, I'd also like to hear some of your tricks for squeezing more power out of the straight 8.

Those authentic bullet holes are a rat rodder's dream!

Another trick for scanning in images from printed literature is to scan it in at an angle. Just place it on the glass crooked. It won't get rid of the morie completely, but it helps. Plus if you see ghosted images of what is on the reverse of your original on your scan. Place a black/dark card or something on the back when you scan it. The light from the scanner won't bounce back through the paper and show the ghost.

As a newcomer to the Packard realm, I've been looking at all kinds of online forums to learn all I can about Packard automobiles. So when I found this site, it seemed like the perfect place to learn, welcoming information from purists to hot rodders alike. (And I think BigKev does a great job running the site.) So I signed on, and have been learning tons of great stuff ever since.

So when I see a potentially great topic (How to modify your Packard...) get locked out because of rude and adolenscent comments, I'm a little disappointed.

If you want your Packard built to factory specs, If you want a Jag suspension, If you want a modern V8, If you want to hod rod you straight 8 - GREAT! Let's all learn from each other! This whole "my way/car is better than yours" doesn't fit the spirit of this forum, or this site.

Let's try to remember why we are all here... to share our information an admiration for Packard motorcars of all types.

Whew! Glad to get that off my chest, now I can get some sleep.

Mike T.