It's an automatic, and I grabbed it off Facebook marketplace.

It's at the mechanic as I type this having all the mechanicals looked over. :)

More bad news for a newbie like me - seems that there is plenty of shoddy bondo work to accompany the shoddy paint work - yippee!

Here's just a few photos of that. So, looks like body work will certainly be a step-by-step process. The only question is whether I have the resolve and courage to do like BigKev did and learn to do it myself.

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Small update - seems the car was repainted or at least touched up at some point. Sorry for night shots, but take a look.

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5-8 years isn't terrible, actually. Has anybody on this forum done this, or went with a budget paint job?

Thanks, Don. It's a fun drive and I want to keep it around to awhile.

So, full and complete restoration and repaint is your suggestion on the body? I've seen such crazy price ranges for that, and my garage is too small to do it myself. I know the "you get what you pay for," but even "good" paint jobs seem to be quite a crazy range.

Howdy all! This is my first topic post, and I know this is an issue that has been covered before, but I wanted your thoughts on my specific situation.

I'm the new owner of a 1953 Packard Clipper in Polaris Blue. I love the color, and want to color match it to keep it the exact same.

My issue is that is scratched, a bit rusted, and beat up all over. To prevent further damage, is my only option to repaint? I've seen some people do touch up work and overspray to blend, but is that even an option?

Wanted your thoughts. What would you do?

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For what it's worth, I emailed with Kanter on Thursday/Friday asking for samples of seat fabric, and was informed that seat kits were no longer available. Seems they do have carpeting and headliner. They are custom and take 4-6 weeks to produce.

Cheers.